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Jan 29, 2012

Blair rated it:

Gripping from the first page, this is a note-perfect pastiche of Victorian gothic fiction, remaining fantastically atmospheric throughout. With the naive young narrator, beautiful country house brimming with secrets, and unwelcoming housekeeper, it has definite echoes of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but is a strong enough story in its own right to overcome the comparison. It's filled with brilliant details; the character names, such as that of the heroine Esperanza Gorst, are a joy in themselves More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Aug 02, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

I'm a bit disappointed in this follow-up to THE MEANING OF NIGHT, my favorite book of 2006. I recommend reading that book before reading this book. Otherwise, I think one would become confused with all the information thats crammed in at the end of this story, apparently in order to make more sense of the storyline.

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 06, 2012

Anna rated it:

I don’t give out five stars easily, but I was completely entranced by this book. The quality of the storytelling drew me in immediately, and the intriguing plot kept me turning the pages when I should have been doing other things.

It’s hard to describe the story without giving away any of its many secrets. It’s set in 1876, and although it was written only recently, it’s presented in the writing style of a Victoriana mystery, a mood the author captures perfectly.

Esperanza is More...

8 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 18, 2008

Liviu rated it:

The brilliant The Meaning of Night is a tough act to follow, but on balance The Glass of Time holds its own mainly due to the narrator voice the young Esperanza "Alice" Gorst who is set on her "great task" by her adoptive mother known as "Madame" and her tutor known as Basil Thornhaugh.

For people familiar with TMoN, the plot, who is really Esperanza, who is Madame, the tutor and all "mysterious" characters, and what her great task is, are a More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 26, 2010

Drew rated it:

"The Glass of Time," a sequel to "The Meaning of Night," is a well written book with an intriguing story of revenge and restoration at its core. While "The Meaning of Night" was a Victorian noir mystery, "The Glass of Time" does not seem to have the elements of a mystery novel and is better termed a "resolution sequel." While the story is crafted well, the levels of suspense and intrigue are several notches lower than "The Meaning of Night More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Robin rated it:

Reads like a third-rate MFA program gone very, very wrong. Wants to be Wilkie Collins. Isn't. Plot: ludicrously transparent from early in the novel. Characters: disappointingly flat and unmemorable, especially given what great lengths the author goes to to tell us how fascinating they all are. Writing: desperately needed a good editor to slash and burn all of the unnecessary repetition of plot background that was crammed into every other sentence. For example, from p.527: "I now notice, for More...

1 comment like

Sep 28, 2011

Katie rated it:

At first I had given this book four stars, but upon further consideration, mainly due to the fact that I couldn't get the voice of Miss Esperanza Alice Gorst out of my head, I changed my rating to five stars.

I don't want to say to much, as deciphering the truth alongside the young orphaned lady's maid is well-worth one's time, but I will say that this story builds well on the complex and interesting history already presented in The Meaning of Night. Most of the narrative is set at Ev More...

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Apr 05, 2011

Janet rated it:

This is a sequel to 'The Meaning of Night' and I liked this even more. Both books are perfectly written in the Victorian style. While the book may seem to drag, and it can give you the same details over and over, the pace and the repetition are just so right for the style. It does become annoying after hearing from virtually every source how memorable and magnetic both Esperanza (Alice) and her father, Edward/Edwin/etc...etc... were considered to be. Edward was a murderer and a liar, but app More...

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Nov 13, 2010

Dox rated it:

Spoiler Alert.

This is the same old, usual story of someone coming back into a family under false pretenses because they are not who they say they are, but actually have a claim. In this case, the reader is kept in suspense for part of the novel as it is called the Great Task and the protagonist is kept in the dark, also, by what she is meant to do. However, you read one story about a hidden/missing heir coming back to claim their glory and fortune, you've read them all (or almost all More...

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Jun 11, 2009

Jessica rated it:

I found this book browsing through my library’s new books and thought I might as well give it a try. I doubted whether I’d finish it or, tell you the truth, if I’d even start it. You know how you check books out from the library and they stay on your shelf until it’s time to return them? That often happens in my house.

But not The Glass of Time.

Once I started I was pretty much hooked. It was that good. Usually when I read a long book (this one’s 583 pages)I find there are lull More...

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Apr 08, 2009

Leila rated it:

I read this because I really loved The Meaning of Night. Definitely read that one first. This book was enjoyable but nowhere near on the level as TMON. First of all, this one is told from a female point of view, which is almost automatically less interesting than a male point of view in this particular time period. A gentleman about town obviously has better adventures than a lady's maid, at least in this case.
It really started out good, and yes, the plot is predicatble, big deal, get ove More...

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Aug 30, 2010

Chris rated it:

There is something about the redeemable bad guy, or more accurately, there is something about certain bad guys that make people want to redeem them. Usually, it fails in terms of the story. The bad guy becomes too saint like or something else.

Take the three Star Wars prequels, for instance (aka the bad Star Wars movies). In the three prequels, Lucas wanted to present the fall of a good man, a space opera Macbeth as it were.

Shakespeare has nothing to worry about (unless More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Laurie added it

The perfect book for a hot humid summer on unemployment. It transports us to the cool, crisp English countryside, where people keep deep secrets under their velvet cloaks. The style is a pastiche of Dickens or Wilkie Collins, and the characters make us think of not only Byron and Keats, but also Mr. Darcy or Jane Fairfax from Jane Austen. Most of the plot devices are ingenious, and the characters are fascinating. The historical background seems reasonably accurate, and there are no obvious st More...

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Dec 04, 2010

Linda rated it:

Okay listen, I know I give five stars to almost everything I read. I am easily pleased, it's true and if I don't like a book, I generally don't talk too much about it. But this book was WONDERFUL. Dense, dark and bitter; if it were a food it would have been a chocolate truffle. It's a murder mystery at it's core but the plot is so much more than that, taking twists and turns at nearly every page, creating sympathy for charactes you're supposed to hate and suspicion for those who appear to be ups More...

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Mar 06, 2010

Shannon rated it:

I haven't had such a fun literary romp in a long time! This Victorian-style mystery is an homage to Wilkie Collins and Victorian ghost stories. What a page-turner! I cam upon it browsing at the library and was surprised how well-written it was. It kept me reading late several nights. My only disappointment is that it's actually a sequel to Cox's first book, The Meaning of Night, which is, according to reviewers, an even better book. But now I know too much to read the first book in the way it sh More...

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Mar 08, 2009

Stefanie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jan 19, 2010

Caitlin rated it:

The Glass of Time is a more-than-worthy sequel to Cox's The Meaning of Night. The Great Task. A great love. Seductions, betrayals, secrets. For those who enjoyed The Meaning of Night, you'll love this.

The novel's heroine, Esperanza "Alice" Gorst is assigned a 'Great Task' by her guardian and tutor: to become Lady Tansor (formermly Miss Emily Carteret)'s lady's maid. Soon she gets the position, and also the attentions of the Baroness's two sons, Perseus (the heir) and Randol More...

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Oct 13, 2010

Helen rated it:

This is the sequel to Michael Cox's The Meaning of Night. Although I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read the books in the correct order, it would make sense to do so. You'll definitely get the most out of this book if you've read the previous novel first and are already familiar with the plot and the characters.

The way The Meaning of Night ended had left me feeling dissatisfied, but The Glass of Time provides the perfect continuation to the story. Our narrator is Esperanza Go More...

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Nov 02, 2009

Barbara rated it:

This Victorian mystery is a sequel to The Meaning of Night that is narrated by an intelligent young woman, Esperanza Alice Gorst. Although an orphan and never knowing her parents, Esperanza was raised by a guardian, Madame de l’Orme, in France and tutored by Basil Thornbaugh. She is sent to England on arrangements by her guardian to become a lady’s maid for the 25th Baroness Tansor, formerly Miss Emily Carteret, widow at the magnificent estate of Evenwood. Esperanza’s “Great Task” is to ingratia More...

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Jun 06, 2010

Shawn rated it:

This sequel to The Meaning Of Night by Michael Cox is very true to the first book, and keeps the story going, as it explores the story of a girl, Esperanza Gorst, who is supposed to carry out a great task. We don't find out what this plan is or how it is all tied to the characters in the first book, but as the story starts to unfold----we gain insight that answers many of the questions from the first book.
I was able to guess at some of the mystery behind "the great task" th More...

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Nov 27, 2008

Neverwithoutabook rated it:

I'm sorry I'm finished this book! I enjoyed so many aspects of it. The setting of the Victorian Era, the intelligence and strength with which the characters were endowed, the manner in which the story progressed and unfolded, and the voice with which the story was told.

The heroine is kept in darkness as much as the reader and together you discover all the many twists, turns, and secrets that this narrative is packed full with. Esperanza comes to her employment at the great country h More...

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Jul 27, 2010

ICPL added it

just finished reading The Glass of Time by Michael Cox; this is a sequel to The Meaning of Night, blogged about here. The story picks up some 20 years later, when a young woman, 19-year-old Esperanza Gorst, is sent to be the maid to Baroness Tansor, the former Emily Carteret. In the previous book, Ms. Carteret was the love interest of both Edward Glyver (unrequited, in his case) and Phoebus Daunt (short-lived, in his), and to make a long story short, all ended fairly badly for everyone involved More...

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Jul 30, 2011

Teri rated it:

(mild spoilers, but not many...)

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to The Meaning of Night. While it may be a little overwritten, particularly in the first half, it is decidedly in-character (since the story is supposedly written by one of the characters). Again the plot twists kept me guessing for a while, though there are definitely things I knew well in advance of their big-reveal. I think anyone having read the first book would have guessed them, though--it's like reading any other s More...

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May 16, 2011

Zeynep rated it:

I LOVED this book! What a page turner. I have to say The Meaning of Night, I enjoyed it, but, it didn't quite have me reading while walking like this one did. And I do feel you don't have to have read that in order to read this at all. They explain everything pretty well.
I think what made this most enjoyable is knowing that the lead character only really knew as much as you did. You were discovering each step as she was. Her past being so simple and straight forward that you literally kne More...

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Mar 13, 2009

Laren rated it:

Esperanza Gorst is an orphan sent by her guardian to work as a maid to one Lady Tansor as part of a scheme not revealed to our protagonist at first. Told from Esperanza's point of view, the reader is left to puzzle her purpose right along with her as the pieces slowly begin to fit together. Will the goal be achieved?

The author's last book got a rare five stars from me, so I was eager to read this one. While a good story, it did not live up to the intricate plotting of the last boo More...

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Nov 30, 2011

Linda rated it:

Last year when I reviewed The Meaning of Night, I characterized it as lackluster, but was interested enough to pick up the sequel, The Glass of Time. This second of Michael Cox's novels is the stronger, but some problems persist.

On the positive side, Glass centers upon a sort of sparring match between two strong women, both of whom harbor life-altering secrets, both of whom could destroy the other. Esperanza Gorst is the daughter of the protagonist in The Meaning of Night, and her " More...

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Jun 28, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

I'm not sure I got what was going on here. It's written in the present day, in the style of a Victorian Gothic, about a family mystery that takes place in a manor house in 19th century England. That's all good -- who doesn't like a good case of upstairs downstairs mistaken identities and brooding love affairs and family crypts and disgruntled heirs? It was all very pleasant, but left me wondering why I was reading it. It is literally a mock-up of a Victorian-era novel, but it doesn't inform your More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

Casey rated it:

Happening upon a great book is a treat, but I am often disappointed to find my new discovery is part of a series I'll have to seek out first. I didn't find out that The Glass of Time was a sequel until I read half the book. My experience of The Glass of Time is likely quite different than those who had already read The Meaning of Night. Like Esperanza, I had much to discover about the world of Evenwood and the past of Lady Tansor. I'd almost think this book is more enjoyable having not read The More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Kelly rated it:

A sequel to The Meaning of Night, this book was fairly predictible. I knew right off who the main character was, who her mysterious guardians were, and had a feeling about how this would end. I did prefer Esperanza's narration in this book over Edward's narration in The Meaning of Night. Esperanza was much more of a likeable character than Edward.

Spoiler & opinion: Frankly, if the author didn't want to tip off his readers, he should have written his Edward character to have a l More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2011

Steph rated it:

A satisfying ending to an engrossing tale of fated love, betrayal, and revenge, The Glass of Time was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Surpassing its predecessor, The Meaning of Night, Cox intricately weaves past characters with the present and creates a lovely climax to a seemingly irreconcilable web of mayhem, full of secrets, locked doors, & duplicity. Ezperenza Gorst as narrator is wholly likable and engaging; experiencing this tale through her voice sets this novel apart from "Night". More...

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