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39th out of 577 books
—
650 voters
Stay (Aud Torvingen #2)
by
Nicola Griffith (Goodreads Author)
Aud (it rhymes with "shroud" ) Torvingen is six feet tall with blond hair and blue eyes. She can restore a log cabin with antique tools or put a man in a coma with her bare hands. As imagined by Nicola Griffith in this ferocious masterpiece of literary noir, Aud is a hero who combines the tortured complexity with moral authority.
In the aftermath of her lover's murder, the...more
In the aftermath of her lover's murder, the...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 10th 2003
by Vintage
(first published June 9th 1999)
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I made it through about 3/4 of this book. It was a totally different style of book for me so I decided to give it a try. It was second hand anywasy. I found that it was interesting but uneven in the action. It really delved into the mind of Aud which was well done. I found it was too much detail when it came to how she builds the log cabin. I don't know how the erotic overtones with Tammy and her murdered lover fit into the story. It was a bit weird, it found, in a so-called action story. There...more
I really loved this second in the Aud (rhymes with crowd) Torvingen series. I'd already read the first and third, somehow missing this one. Griffith does an amazing job of making her characters, and especially Aud, real people. So much so, in fact, that any description of them (her) here sounds cliche. Aud is a martial arts expert, tuned into both nature and spirituality, lesbian, essentially fearless ... the combination of which makes her sound like a cartoon character. However, in this series,...more
STAY is a wonderful book, a very worthy sequel to THE BLUE PLACE
STAY is less of a mystery or a thriller than a grief-and-recovery story -- but I don't at all mean to warn you off; there's a good amount of mystery and action. But what's going on with Aud's personal development is central and the action happens around the edges, as it were.
In STAY, Aud is a much more human, much more approachable protagonist than she was in the first book. I liked her very much in the first book, but there she was...more
STAY is less of a mystery or a thriller than a grief-and-recovery story -- but I don't at all mean to warn you off; there's a good amount of mystery and action. But what's going on with Aud's personal development is central and the action happens around the edges, as it were.
In STAY, Aud is a much more human, much more approachable protagonist than she was in the first book. I liked her very much in the first book, but there she was...more
Aud is a great protagonist. She's damaged but functional, and her damage reveals itself in interesting ways. She's still reeling from the murder of Julia, her girlfriend and moral center, but reluctantly puts an end to her self-imposed exile from the world in order to help a friend find his missing girlfriend. Aud's decisions as to what she will and won't do are always interesting to observe, because Griffith takes us through her sometimes fractured thought process and makes every conclusion tha...more
This is a sequel to The Blue Place and deals with some of the consequences of that book and the further development of the character of Aud Torvingen. I find it curious that the scenes of violence are fast paced and almost incoherent, often requiring me to flip back to figure out what actually happened in them, while the slower moments are lavished with lush, meditative prose. I find myself wishing that Griffith would go ahead and write a whole book about woodworking and leave out the film noir...more
First, the good stuff: the characters, as in the first book of this trilogy, are well conceived as people (even if Aud is sometimes too good to be true, there's nothing about her that couldn't exist, so there's no actual suspension of disbelief required). The writing is just pretty enough to be delightful and not so self-consciously pretty that it's distracting. Griffith manages to write an introverted, mad-with-grief protagonist who has spent most of the last several months completely alone, an...more
Nov 02, 2007
Ulf Kastner
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
weary desperados discovering their vulnerable facets
I'd read Nicola Griffith's previous book featuring the same protagonist, Aud Torvingen, about seven years ago and couldn't recall much in terms of plot or mood as I began to read this one.
That is until a scene of climactic violence by ways of superhuman ferocity courtesy of the protagonist suddenly erupted about halfway into the book. Things began to fall into place and I remembered what I'd liked and what left me feeling ambivalent about The Blue Place. Aud is a noir superheroine and I'm not to...more
That is until a scene of climactic violence by ways of superhuman ferocity courtesy of the protagonist suddenly erupted about halfway into the book. Things began to fall into place and I remembered what I'd liked and what left me feeling ambivalent about The Blue Place. Aud is a noir superheroine and I'm not to...more
I don't know where Griffith takes all that emotion from. The contrast between light and dark, happy and sad. And then manages to wrap it all up in beautiful prose.
As with Blue Place, this novel is a character study rapped in a crime novel. Aud Torvingen set out to find a friend of a friend, and gets much more involved than she originally plans. I 'struggled' a bit in the first novel to like a character with that much darkness in her. While the light that surrounded her made that process easy in...more
As with Blue Place, this novel is a character study rapped in a crime novel. Aud Torvingen set out to find a friend of a friend, and gets much more involved than she originally plans. I 'struggled' a bit in the first novel to like a character with that much darkness in her. While the light that surrounded her made that process easy in...more
So I pretty much read this in a day and a half. Nicola Griffiths writing is very rich, the plot tight, and there is a ton of different scenery. From New York to the Blue Ridge Mountains, to Arkansas. The overall feeling of the book is very sadthough, because the main character is struggling with grief, and it is very realistically represented, and it overshadows everyhthing that happens throughout the book. I am excited to read more of her work!
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I am a long-time fan of Nicola Griffith. Each of her books has a really distinct style, great flawed characters, lots of atmosphere and I have read some of them more than once. This book is no exception. It is one I will return to again and again.
Aud, the protagonist, is devastated by the death of her lover. She is tough and tender hearted. And in need of resurrection. I read long into the night to find out if she succeeded. A thoroughly good read, beautifully written.
Aud, the protagonist, is devastated by the death of her lover. She is tough and tender hearted. And in need of resurrection. I read long into the night to find out if she succeeded. A thoroughly good read, beautifully written.
Dammit, I just discovered that this was a sequel?! Wtf? Anyway, I like Nicola Griffith, and this one was really more like 4.5 stars. It's basically a detective story (I'd only read her sci-fi before). She really loves nature, and it shows in her writing. I guess I will go track down the first one?
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aud is overcome with grief at the death of her lover, julia, and is only pulled back into reality when a friend begs her to find his missing girlfriend. what unfolds is a festering pool of manipulation, sexual abuse, violence, and child trafficking. phenomenal.
Nov 03, 2012
Melody
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
comfort-read
11/2012 The ice is cracking in Aud. She's so sure she's got all the answers in the first book, and in this one she doesn't even know how to frame the question. I love the growth, the way the plot unspools, and all the fully-fleshed out minor characters. Not to mention the Narnia bits.
6/2009 In this book Aud becomes more human. Coping with tragedy, she begins to realize that it's not all black and white, not all controllable. She's still superhuman, still incredibly compelling to me, and Griffit...more
6/2009 In this book Aud becomes more human. Coping with tragedy, she begins to realize that it's not all black and white, not all controllable. She's still superhuman, still incredibly compelling to me, and Griffit...more
just phenomenol. Griffith might be one of the most talented authors ive read when it comes to incredible description in every single sentence.
3.5 stars. This was one hell of an angsty read. Luckily I knew that in advance, having read two other books in this series.
Second in the "Aud" series. Liked it even better than the first one. Will definitely read the third.
Stay (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) by Nicola Griffith (2003)
Much more powerful than Slow River by same author
If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.
Can't wait...
Capt. Jack Harkness or Aud Torvingen? Hmmm.... Both?
Capt. Jack Harkness or Aud Torvingen? Hmmm.... Both?
May 04, 2012
Deb
added it
love Aud love Nicolas writing more.
one of the most original and beautifully-written crime novels i've read. the main character is hard-core, complex and one of the most unique i've encountered in the genre(not that i've read any other lesbian-detective novels, tho i know there are others). plus, you can learn to renovate a log cabin just by the detailed descriptions of the main character's efforts at same; practical education from an noir-action thriller!
Just as good as the first. Can't wait to read the next.
Like her protagonist Aud, Nicola Griffith doesn't pull any punches. This book grabbed me by the throat from page one and never let go.
Aud is a super tough heroine. It took me through part one of the book to REALLY get into it, but then, i was very into it! also, i thought it was neat that i originally got that book from lost and found at film forum, in new york, and then come to find out part of the book is set outside asheville NC, where i ended up moving.
"Grief changes everything. It's a brutal metamorphosis. A caterpillar at least gets the time to spin a cocoon before its internal organs dissolve and its skin sloughs off. I had no warnings."
My review:
http://mostlyfiction.com/spy-thriller...
Still one of the best books I've read expressing grief.
My review:
http://mostlyfiction.com/spy-thriller...
Still one of the best books I've read expressing grief.
Another neat Nicola Griffith sci-fi novel, about a slightly alternate universe in the near future. Not only are her place descriptions evocative and her characters strong and interesting, but it's also about biosystems, genetic engineering, and pollution! It's a better read than that might sound, too.
Third in a series of books featuring Aud Torvingen, who started out seeming like a sort of lesbian James Bond, but is evolving more complexity by this book. This is a well-crafted novel with two intertwined plots -- a "stay up too late to finish it" sort of novel.
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Nicola Griffith has won the Nebula Award, the James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award, the World Fantasy Award, and six Lambda Literary Awards. She is also the co-editor of the Bending the Landscape series of anthologies. Her newest novel, Hild, will be published fall 2013. She lives in Seattle with her partner, writer Kelley Eskridge.
Series:
* Aud Torvingen
More about Nicola Griffith...
Series:
* Aud Torvingen
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