Lost: A Novel
by Gregory Maguire
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Read in July, 2007
I truly felt lost while reading Lost by Gregory Maguire. This is the second book I've read by this author so I can say that I really don't care for his style of writing. Unfortunately, I have all his other books to read. Critics call his prose "rich" and maybe it is that but I find it confusing to point of sheer frustration sometimes.
There is a thoroughly unlikeable (to me anyway) "heroine" named Winifred Rudge. She writes children's books but would like to write one for ...more
There is a thoroughly unlikeable (to me anyway) "heroine" named Winifred Rudge. She writes children's books but would like to write one for ...more
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I wrote this review a couple of years ago over at amazon.com. I was a little snarky back then (ha!), but I still feel the same way:
I couldn't put this book down. Found myself . . . "Lost" in it! There are lots of kinds of people in the world and from the reviews here it appears that they fall into two categories: those who would like the wheel to be reinvented consistently every time, and those who enjoy variety and evolution. If you wanted this book to be Wicked all over again, y...more
I couldn't put this book down. Found myself . . . "Lost" in it! There are lots of kinds of people in the world and from the reviews here it appears that they fall into two categories: those who would like the wheel to be reinvented consistently every time, and those who enjoy variety and evolution. If you wanted this book to be Wicked all over again, y...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Jack the Ripper enthusiasts, those thinking about becoming psychotic writers
I was attracted to this book because I absolutely loved the conceit of Wicked-- take a well-known, despised, yet intriguing character and explain her point of view. Kind of like "The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs," which was told by the wolf, and is one of my favorite picture books.
The jacket left me feeling woozy with the thought that I could again feel the thrill of gaining new insight into a previously underappretiated character: Scrooge. Dickens being like complicated, ...more
The jacket left me feeling woozy with the thought that I could again feel the thrill of gaining new insight into a previously underappretiated character: Scrooge. Dickens being like complicated, ...more
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Read in November, 2007
This is another of those books that I find very difficult to describe. I didn't hate it, but I'm not so sure that I liked it, either.
I found the protagonist to be very unlikeable. In fact, there was only one character in the book that I truly and unreservedly liked, and he only came in sort of near the end. Yes, there were reason that the protagonist had the personality she did, and those reasons came out very near the end.
I just don't even know what to say about it. It's sort of about...more
I found the protagonist to be very unlikeable. In fact, there was only one character in the book that I truly and unreservedly liked, and he only came in sort of near the end. Yes, there were reason that the protagonist had the personality she did, and those reasons came out very near the end.
I just don't even know what to say about it. It's sort of about...more
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Read in March, 2008
Definitely not one of Maguire's best. I had high expectations after reading his other books, and was absolutely let down. First of all, the story has too much of everything: a tormented writer, romance gone wrong, paranoia, ghosts, Jack the Ripper, 14th century history, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Scrooge, so on and so on. The story wanders all over the place and doesn't quite deliver much of anything after all the wandering. Second of all, I wanted to punch out the protagonist. She is...more
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Read in February, 2008
I can't remember where, but somewhere along the line, I got the impression this was a retelling of Rip Van Winkle. It's not.
This was, unlike Maguire's other novels, not really a retelling of anything. It had elements of A Christmas Carol and liberal references to Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and (interestingly) Jack the Ripper.
The story itself was really sort of a grown-up coming of age story -- only throw in ghostly possession, a bizarre intra-familial love triangle, and...more
This was, unlike Maguire's other novels, not really a retelling of anything. It had elements of A Christmas Carol and liberal references to Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and (interestingly) Jack the Ripper.
The story itself was really sort of a grown-up coming of age story -- only throw in ghostly possession, a bizarre intra-familial love triangle, and...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
serious Maguire fans
I'm thankful I'd read both Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (love that one the best!) before reading this. I might not have continued on to his other books.
It wasn't so bad -- parts were really quite gripping. His writing is as beautiful as ever and the ghost story-ish beginning really got hold of me at first. But then things got really confusing. I kept at it because I wanted to see what happened, at least it had that much magic to it, but I was never sure what was up.
On...more
It wasn't so bad -- parts were really quite gripping. His writing is as beautiful as ever and the ghost story-ish beginning really got hold of me at first. But then things got really confusing. I kept at it because I wanted to see what happened, at least it had that much magic to it, but I was never sure what was up.
On...more
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Read in May, 2006
I wish that I had read this Gregory Maguire book before reading “Wicked”, “Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister” and “Mirror, Mirror”. I was a great book but I expected something a bit different given my prior experience with the author and although I did very much enjoy the book, it kind of left me wanting.
That being said I do highly recommend the book. It was easy to connect to the main character and fall into the story and I did get that sad “saying goodbye to a new and incredi...more
That being said I do highly recommend the book. It was easy to connect to the main character and fall into the story and I did get that sad “saying goodbye to a new and incredi...more
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Read in January, 2008
I read this book because the back cover said something about it being related to Jack the Ripper, and I am a Jack the Ripper connoisseur of sorts, you might say. But the book doesn't really have much to do with JtR. However, I had a hard time putting it down. I liked Wicked, and this book is similar in that it has a female protagonist who is theoretically hard to like, but who just draws you into her experiences until you finally get to where Maguire lets you see what's so compelling about the c...more
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This is my least favorite of all of Maguire's books. It seems that Maguire's talent is breathing new life into someone else's tale, and when he decided to wander a little more into his own space, he wasn't quite sure how to do it.
I was frustrated with how he kept slapping the reader in the face with this mysterious story/character background, but not giving much of anything to go on. The ghost aspect of it all just got ridiculous too, I really couldn't suspend me belief long enough to really...more
I was frustrated with how he kept slapping the reader in the face with this mysterious story/character background, but not giving much of anything to go on. The ghost aspect of it all just got ridiculous too, I really couldn't suspend me belief long enough to really...more
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Read in February, 2008
This was not a great book - the plot was uneven, the characters not only poorly drawn and inconsistent, but tough to like. Still, it isn't like anything I've read before. I think I'd say the book is an ambitious failure. I would try to describe the plot, but it is so involved that that would be difficult. Basically, I guess, its about an author who goes to London to try an get over things in her past that are ruining her life. In the mean time she discovers a ghost and tries to solve some m...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
ghost story fans, if you enjoy reading about writers, people I hate
I was really excited to read this book - I enjoyed Gregory Maguire's WICKED. And this promised to be some kind of supernatural historical thriller.
The historical stuff barely panned out, and when I realized halfway through the book that one of three plots was a lie, and that the characters involved were stupider than I thought, I lost 95% of my interest. I did push through and discover why the characters would lie to each other like that, but at that point I really didn't care.
Wh...more
The historical stuff barely panned out, and when I realized halfway through the book that one of three plots was a lie, and that the characters involved were stupider than I thought, I lost 95% of my interest. I did push through and discover why the characters would lie to each other like that, but at that point I really didn't care.
Wh...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2005
"Lost" differs from its "Wicked" "Stepsister" cousins in that it does not (as closely) follow a traditional fairytale turned on its head. Echoing back to "Christmas Carol" and "Alice in Wonderland," it is not a straight rendition of either, but its own tale.
Much of the book is spent wondering what really has occurred, as the line between reality and illusion are blurred. The ending, though, is satisfying. Worth the read.
Much of the book is spent wondering what really has occurred, as the line between reality and illusion are blurred. The ending, though, is satisfying. Worth the read.
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After reading Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister, I had high expectations for Lost. Looking at the cover and the synopsis, I thought it would be more about the Jack the Ripper story, but instead it takes place in modern day, with lots of hints at spooky things happening, and lots of references to historic times. I admit that it was spooky enough to freak me out some while I was reading it at home alone, but considering how easily I can freak myself out, that's not saying much.
The...more
The...more
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Read in January, 2004
Maybe it is just me, I just didn't get this book. Gregory Maguire has made a great career out of taking fairy tales and stories from our shared history and giving them a twist. In Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and in Wicked he did it perfectly. In Lost, he unites Peter Pan, Scrooge and Jack the Ripper and I don't know what the hell else and I found it mind numbing. I'm sure that there are plenty of great reviews out there for this book so I encourage you to read them and consider mine as...more
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Read in January, 2004
I was very disappointed with Gregory Maguire's book, "Lost". I went into it incredibly excited, led to believe that it was a ghost story mixing Jack the Ripper and Charles Dickens' character Ebenezer Scrooge. I ended up so confused and dragged myself through this book, in fact, I almost stopped reading Gregory Maguire all together. I am glad to say that I continued reading his books eventually, but I really struggled with this one. I still don't know what "Lost" had to do wit...more
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Read in December, 2007
I have no problem admitting that I don't entirely get this book. The writing is awesome, which is a lot of what kept me interested. I also kept reading in the hopes that eventually the mystery would be solved, but answers never presented themselves. I also think this book has very little to do with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, as the cover suggests. However if you like ghost stories, tales of the supernatural, a bit of mystery, great writing, and you're okay with an ambiguous ending, then ...more
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Good God, this book was boring. Boring and pointless. I couldn't identify with any of the characters, and the main character annoyed the crap out of me. She spends one whole book noisily falling apart because of an undisclosed incident in her past. And when the incident finally IS disclosed it's...tragic, yes. But nowhere near interesting or mysterious enough to wrap AN ENTIRE PLOT around. Maguire broke with his usual formula to write a book that isn't centered in a fictional universe. He needs ...more
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Read in May, 2007
This book started off really great. I was really enjoying the mystery of the book, even if the protagonist was a bit whiney and annoying. It quickly went downhill, though, and I was very disappointed by the end. I forced myself to finish it but everything was so tangled and confusing that I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened exactly. Yuck. Not a book I'd recommend. I'm glad I checked it out at the library rather than spending my money to buy it.
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Read in June, 2007
I was disappointed. The character doesn't even reveal what her issues are until the very end so you're not even on the same page with her when you think she's being normal. I've also decided that I don't like reading books about authors writing their books. Then you are stuck reading their stupid book while trying to get through yours. I read this book in a day, and at the end, I was like "Lady, you're crazy." And it wasn't even because she was possessed by a ghost.
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