Sleeping in Flame
by Jonathan Carroll
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Read in March, 2008
Walker Easterling is an actor/screenwriter living in Vienna with his model-girlfriend, Maris. As time goes by, in typical Carroll fashion, the mundane turns bizarre as Walker begins to discover traces of his past lives and that he is more than a mere orphan. When Maris becomes pregnant he must find out the truths about his past lives and comes to terms with them in order to save the wife of his fiancee and their child.
Reincarnation stories often have a tendency to be a little too Carlos Ca...more
Reincarnation stories often have a tendency to be a little too Carlos Ca...more
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Read in January, 2007
Sleeping in Flame begins as a stereotypical love story: man meets woman in Vienna; they fall instantly in love; passion and lovemaking and romantic conversations over cappuccino. But then strange things begin to happen. Our Romeo begins to have dreams involving a tiny man with an enormously jealous temper. An unlikely friendship with a shaman develops. Giant sea-serpents begin to reveal themselves. People suddenly die. Eventually, Carroll immerses his reader in a demented postmodern version of R...more
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Read in June, 2006
recommends it for:
Disappointed fairies
The first 200 pages were so-so. Easy to read and intriguing enough to make me want to know what happened, but just barely. Then it started getting really interesting and all the things it “set up” were starting to pay off. I read the last 100 pages in one sitting, that’s how into it I was. But then the ending was a total let-down. It’s almost as if it’s a set-up for a sequel. If he just deleted the last half page and added some other final image, I think it would’ve been a lot strong...more
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Read in April, 2008
I can't remember how long it's been since reading this little gem for the first time, but it is even better than I remembered. Jonathan Carroll's insights into life and relationships are as sharp as his clever blending of real life with the magical power of the oldest stories we learned in childhood which remain part of the fabric of our dreams and our souls.
There are long quiet periods in life that are very much like waiting for a bus on a nice day. You don’t mind being there so much because the weather is sunny and nice, and you’re in no hurry. But after a while you start looking at your watch because there are more interesting things you could be doing, and it really is time the bus came. ...more
There are long quiet periods in life that are very much like waiting for a bus on a nice day. You don’t mind being there so much because the weather is sunny and nice, and you’re in no hurry. But after a while you start looking at your watch because there are more interesting things you could be doing, and it really is time the bus came. ...more
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Read in October, 2007
if this were any longer than 270 pages, i probably wouldn't have finished it. it gets to be too weird for its own good. it starts out as an intriguing weird, like i want to know where its going but then gets to be too weird, like this is stupid weird. after that it goes back and forth. i wouldn't bother with this book honestly.
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This book moves amazingly slowly, giving the impression it's regular fiction right up past the hundredth page. By the time the fantasy elements begin to creep in, I was asleep. The magic comes in fast and furious spurts, but by that time I had lost interest and just wanted the whole thing to be over.
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This book is a strange mix of realism and fantasy, set in present-day Vienna. The protagonist realizes he must fight a Rumpelstilskin-like figure in order to keep his child, even though the situation at times seems comic, even to him. But tones shift and change quickly in Carroll books...
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Jo by:
Probably got the idea off of endicott-studio.comrecommends it for: People who like stories that start in this world and then drift into the next.
What if you fall in love with the perfect erson and then realize you weren't who you thought you were. An interesting book, but I felt the characters were shallow. However, since the book wasn't long not bad for a quick read.
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amazing. Carroll still knows how to write people, love and world beyond ours. He writes lines in there where I read it and said to myself, "Yeah, that's exactly how you describe that feeling there's no other way."
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
speculative fiction fans, fairy tale folks
Jonathan Carroll is a fantastic speculative fiction author, and this book deals with fairy tales. You'll never think of Rumplestiltskin the same way again. Nor the Grimms.
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Read in January, 2004
one of the scariest books i've ever read. but i couldn't put it down because it was so compelling. if you thought wicked was chilling, you'll freeze while reading this.
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A strange and vibrant fairy tale masquerading as a genuinely sweet love story. I wanted to doubt its twists, but I couldn't help but be charmed.
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Read in May, 2008
I have yet to be disappointed by anything Jonathan Carroll has written.
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recommends it for:
murakami fans who are looking for a cheap fast & easy night and to be left vaguely unsatisfied
really charming story that needed far more narrative tightening.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.10 (229 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.13 (197 ratings) number of reviews: 15popular shelves
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quote
"When you love someone deeply, you know secrets they haven't told you yet. Or secrets they aren't even aware of themselves. ... She was also the person I wanted to share the trivia of my life with, because that too is part of the magic of concern: Whatever you live is important to them and they will help you through it."
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