As you can tell, I didn't get along with this. I'm not sure what the prose was aiming for, but it was unbearable for...moreADVERBS. Save me from the adverbs!
As you can tell, I didn't get along with this. I'm not sure what the prose was aiming for, but it was unbearable for me. It's littered with, well, adverbs. Clumsy inquits. I think there's an attempt at period prose, but if you've read Golden Age crime fiction like that of Sayers, it just looks bad.
The good points are that the main female character has full agency, even regarding her sexual habits and everything else: it's unusual, I think, for people to consider the flappers as feminist figures with agency and guts instead of silly and giggly and goodness knows what else.
Obviously, based on the positive reviews I can see, my dislike of this is a personal allergic reaction brought on by adverbs.(less)
I like Elizabeth Marie Pope's writing. This was quite different to The Perilous Gard, but nonetheless it won me over quite thoroughly. There's a bit o...moreI like Elizabeth Marie Pope's writing. This was quite different to The Perilous Gard, but nonetheless it won me over quite thoroughly. There's a bit of the same thing in it that I enjoyed so much in Mary Stewart's work -- an old fashioned air that somehow promised everything would come right in the end.
It unfolds at its own pace, so be prepared to be patient even when things seem thoroughly obvious. There are strong and capable female characters, which helps, but the changing point of view does not help at all. Still, you get to know the characters, to want more of them, to want things to work out right for everyone.(less)
Third book of the readathon! Is it really only my third? Normally I do better than this.
Anyway. In one way, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is...moreThird book of the readathon! Is it really only my third? Normally I do better than this.
Anyway. In one way, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is wholly successful. It's fun, absurd, sometimes actually funny, and endearing. The idea of a child sleuth like Flavia de Luce is perfect, and her clever untangling of the crime as well. I quite liked her interactions with the adults around her, too, particularly Inspector Hewitt.
On the other, the nostalgia for the post-war, public school England that never existed had my eyes nearly rolling out of my head, and Flavia and her family are entirely unbelievable. Part of this is, I think, intentional -- part of what makes it absurd and fun is the unbelievability -- but it also reduced my ability to care significantly, and I didn't want to join in. When Flavia was in a frightening situation, I just rolled my eyes and read on to find how ludicrously she got out of this one. I think we are at least meant to get fond of the little brat, but no.(less)
I don't trust Kazuo Ishiguro's narrators an inch, so reading this I just settled in and waited for her to reveal herself. I'm not entirely sure what e...moreI don't trust Kazuo Ishiguro's narrators an inch, so reading this I just settled in and waited for her to reveal herself. I'm not entirely sure what exactly happened in this novel -- I've got multiple interpretations turning over in my head -- but I loved it. The slowly building sense of something not being quite right, the odd moments of disquiet -- the fact that everything is implication works perfectly, for me.
It's not particularly surprising for Ishiguro's work, in that sense: it's very much his usual style and content. I enjoyed it a lot, but I can understand why people wouldn't -- it's quite devoid of content, it's all atmosphere, and even what's there isn't so trustworthy, so... there are no answers here, basically, no resolution, and that can feel very unsatisfying.(less)
I keep starting Ishiguro's books not being quite sure about them -- with people telling me that I won't like them for x and y reasons, or with trepida...moreI keep starting Ishiguro's books not being quite sure about them -- with people telling me that I won't like them for x and y reasons, or with trepidation born from the wide spread of reviews they get. But there's something about Ishiguro's measured, calm prose that always draws me in. It gives a similarity to all his narrators, but it usually works well with the character he chooses to narrate.
(You may consider the rest of this review spoilery, because while I don't reveal major plot twists, I do talk about the narrator in quite a bit of detail, which for me is the main point of reading this book. So proceed with caution!)
He is also so very good at the unreliable narrator. It surprises me a little that other reviewers saw no hints of Christopher's unreliability earlier in the story: several times someone recounts events that he also remembers which he doesn't contradict in public, but in private he insists it wasn't that way at all. He has excuses for it all, of course: he didn't want to upset the person he was speaking to, they must have constructed some elaborate fantasy because of their loneliness/need for contact... But the clues are all there.
The first half seems very sedate and boring compared to the second half: there is a mystery, but the tone of the narrator makes it difficult to see it as anything urgent. The second half seems to descend almost into absurdity in comparison -- suddenly Christopher comes to seem a lot more important, if everything he's saying is true, and yet there's something very childish about his mission.
Ultimately, Ishiguro is not, for example, Iain Banks, so the narration continues in the same sedate vein, and the end of the novel is almost tender. Apart from a couple of chapters in the second half of the book, this isn't a story where major things happen, and our narrator is not the key player he wants to believe he is.
I really enjoyed it, I have to say. I enjoy Ishiguro's skill with his narrators, and his style is just perfect to keep me reading. It was style more than plot that kept me reading this, that makes it worth it to me, but in this case, the style and the plot go hand in hand.(less)
It took me a while to get round to finishing reading this, even once I was a decent way into it and knew I wanted to finish it. It's a slow sort of bo...moreIt took me a while to get round to finishing reading this, even once I was a decent way into it and knew I wanted to finish it. It's a slow sort of book, one I suspect you will either get on with or not based on the narrator and setting. The idea is of a Victorian-era analogue in which dragons exist, and in which one young woman has the opportunity of a lifetime to go and study dragons scientifically after having obsessed over them all her life. The conceit is that it's narrated by her in the form of memoirs, in a very Victorian sort of style.
It's fascinating in its attempts to place a female character realistically in a society that is a Victorian analogue and have her still free enough to have this sort of story happen to her without it sounding far fetched -- it mostly works, I think. Unfortunately it's also pretty slow, and relatively uneventful when compared to so many other dragon books. I did get into it (or rather, back into it) eventually, but I can see it won't be to everyone's taste. I did, after all, also love Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.
The illustrations are, by the way, perfect. I spent quite a while examining each one in detail. And the world built up around this story is both frustrating in its close and quite naked similarities to ours and tantalising in details that aren't comparable, or at least instantly placeable.(less)
I had this on my Kindle somewhere, because I did like the concept, but I've read one of her other books already, so I was sort of wary about reading t...moreI had this on my Kindle somewhere, because I did like the concept, but I've read one of her other books already, so I was sort of wary about reading this. I'm afraid I got through a couple of chapters, but just couldn't stick with it. The writing is pretty bad. One minute the narrator is telling someone something because she knows he'll understand, and then immediately after he's responding with obviously no interest in it at all. And there are people exclaiming loudly and tall gangly young men with laughing blue eyes in the first page and I just -- not for me, thank you.
With a bit of editing, it might have held my attention, but. All the drama and so on might have turned me off anyway -- stereotyped nasty father and all. I can see how it would appeal to younger readers, though.(less)
I forced myself to finish this one because it counts for my WWE Women of Genre Fiction challenge, but I wasn't very happy about it. This isn't a great...moreI forced myself to finish this one because it counts for my WWE Women of Genre Fiction challenge, but I wasn't very happy about it. This isn't a great introduction to C.J. Cherryh's work, I think: it's a standalone fantasy-ish alternate history-ish story, which would normally be right up my alley. It's even a break from the medieval European fantasy that gluts the genre, based on Chinese culture and history (so far as I can tell). It has a strong female protagonist who becomes a swordswoman. And if she'd been the main character -- or more accurately, the point of view character -- I'd have loved it, I think.
I was encouraged to finish reading it, anyway, by Jo Walton's positive review. I do like her point about turning the traditional story around -- telling it from the female protagonist's point of view would be the expected way to do it. I like the realism of it, the military training that is described in a way that makes you feel it, but without detail where it can slip from lack of research. I did enjoy the world, the training, Taizu's determination, the details of caring for horses and sleeping on the ground and snatching sleep for fear of bandits.
But I didn't find the "love story" Walton mentions nearly so compelling. From the start, Shoka thinly veils from himself and the reader that he wants to rape Taizu, and that he believes it won't be his fault if he does. It's all the male excuses for rape ever -- "she tempted me just by existing", "I haven't had sex in so long I need it", "what did she expect when she shacked up alone with a lonely guy?" (despite his promise to her that he's not expecting her to have sex with him) -- and, just, ugh. A certain amount of it I can put down to culture, and a certain amount I can see as part of a character's journey, but I don't feel like Shoka really made that journey. He did develop as a character somewhat, becoming part of the world again, but his attitudes to women didn't change, only his attitude to a single woman.
Taizu is an amazing character in herself -- dogged, intelligent, brave, and at the same time not perfect, struggling with herself and with Shoka and with her past. She does have a journey, going from being a farmer-girl bent on revenge to being a swordswoman who is, quite honestly, more suited to the "Way" Shoka talks about than he is. He worries about her dishonouring him, but she would never. All the dishonour comes from Shoka himself.
Anyway, once I got about two thirds of the way through, I began to enjoy it more. As Shoka begins to trust Taizu, he becomes that bit more likeable, the story that bit more dynamic, though I could've lived without him constantly calling her a fool or acting like she can't take care of herself. Clearly, she can.
So, in summary, it's worth reading for Taizu, if you like slow building stories about military training and eventual revenge. I think the closest comparison is to Across The Nightingale Floor (Lian Hearn), which I loved when I read it. But be warned: rapey!(less)
I was initially excited when I saw that this was based on the Breton lai 'Bisclaveret'. I studied that lai in my first year of university, and I've ha...moreI was initially excited when I saw that this was based on the Breton lai 'Bisclaveret'. I studied that lai in my first year of university, and I've had cause to go back to it fairly often since, and I rather like it. Perhaps especially because of the inevitable LGBT reading of it: it's homosocial at the least, and then the other details make it very easy to read it as a homosexual love story. Bisclaveret is betrayed by his wife, and ultimately everything is set to rights by the king, who loves him very much -- and the story includes a scene where Bisclaveret sleeps in the king's bed... If you want to read more about that analysis, I suggest William Burgwinkle's Sodomy, Masculinity and Law in Medieval Literature.
Anyway, so I was very disappointed when I looked closer and found that this story de-queers the original lai. It invents a whole new character, Marie, to be Bisclaveret's 'real' love interest. I was much less inclined to let myself enjoy this, at that point.
But Gillian Bradshaw has a way of coaxing me along anyway, and I found myself reading big chunks at once. She really is a good writer, and ultimately I found it just as compelling as the other books I've read by her, despite my initial resistance. The lai still limits her, in some ways -- Marie Penthièvre would be a wonderful heroine, but often we're limited to Eline and her paramour Alain, neither of whom exactly fill me with warmth. I felt like there was an attempt to understand Eline, at times, but what she did just made it impossible to like her -- and Marie's understanding of her made Marie seem ridiculously saintly.
But for the most part I loved the characters: Marie, the duke, the duchess, Tiher... Even minor characters. Tiarnán, less so, because he makes a silly mistake of judgement when it comes to women. But he does learn from what happens to him, it seems.
Looking forward to the other Gillian Bradshaw books I've got on my to read pile.(less)
I don't know what to think about this. I read about halfway through this, and then by chance read the reviews here on goodreads, and my suspicions wer...moreI don't know what to think about this. I read about halfway through this, and then by chance read the reviews here on goodreads, and my suspicions were confirmed. I was enjoying it in a way -- the world at least, the ideas -- but I couldn't enjoy the characters because there seemed to be very little to them. I never got an idea of what drove any particular character or why -- I didn't get enough of a sense of any of them to really like them.
Add to that the problems raised in other reviews, and I decided not to waste my time. I skimmed through and peeked at some of the bits other people highlighted. I suggest you read this review for a clearer idea -- for a start.(less)
I've been meaning to reread these for a while. I don't think I can improve on my first impressions: it's a believable enough portrayal of both medieva...moreI've been meaning to reread these for a while. I don't think I can improve on my first impressions: it's a believable enough portrayal of both medieval Welsh and religious life, from what I know of either, and I particularly liked the portrayal of the women of the story, even the dead woman. I like that there's a hint of mystery and sacredness, too, that things turn out alright and it might be human effort or there might be a hint of divine intervention as well. It suits the time period.
I also noticed the quality of the writing, this time round. There are some gorgeous bits.
The mystery itself -- well, I remembered how it panned out from before, so that wasn't exactly revelatory, but I think it was well done, and all the clues were there to solve it for yourself.(less)
Reread for my dissertation -- and all the more bittersweet this time because I knew how everything would play out. It's beautifully written, and it pr...moreReread for my dissertation -- and all the more bittersweet this time because I knew how everything would play out. It's beautifully written, and it pretty much exemplifies Rosemary Sutcliff's usual shtick about male friendships (and a sepulchral voice that sounds like my dissertation supervisor whispers the words "homosocial bonds"...), to the point where there is actually an explicitly gay couple in the story, and Arthur and Bedwyr's relationship is deep and intense -- perhaps not sexual, but the subtext is there.
Sutcliff handles Guinevere well, too, and I have a lot of love for her version of Gwalchmai, too. But of course for my dissertation I was looking at Cei: a big, larger than life figure who drinks and womanises and is always, always faithful to Arthur, like a big faithful hound. Some of his role from the Cymric stories seems to go to Bedwyr, complete with the betrayal part (in 'Culhwch and Olwen', Cei and Arthur fall out, and that event is referenced in some of the other Cymric material).
Interesting that I'd say this is the closest to a Celtic Cei I've read anywhere outside the Cymric stories, but nonetheless Sutcliff didn't find him interesting enough to do more than reference him as a faithful hound type character without much depth whenever she needed him.
The end is a tragedy, as it should be, with all the dignity Arthur deserves. I cried.(less)
Gah, I have no luck at the moment with books. Normally I enjoy Jeanette Winterson's work for the prose and the brief shining ideas, but nothing about...moreGah, I have no luck at the moment with books. Normally I enjoy Jeanette Winterson's work for the prose and the brief shining ideas, but nothing about this shone for me -- not even the prose. Based on a historical event, The Daylight Gate is a story of witches and spirits and poverty. It's the very typical view of the Middle Ages -- dirt and poverty and witches. And Catholics. Witchery popery popery witchery, as Potts puts it.
At least I'm getting all the meh books out of the way? And it was a quick read -- if you like Jeanette Winterson, I warn that this doesn't seem much like her other books, but it might be worth a try if you think everything she touches turns to gold.(less)
An Old Captivity is rather hard to pin down, in terms of genre. It's clumsy in places, too -- the frame story is okay to begin with, but then... doesn...moreAn Old Captivity is rather hard to pin down, in terms of genre. It's clumsy in places, too -- the frame story is okay to begin with, but then... doesn't really do anything. It doesn't match up properly with the rest of the story. That didn't bother me too much, though. I got really absorbed in all the concrete details of this book: the plane, Ross' efforts to get ready for the trip, his worries, his sleeplessness... the slow growing of understanding between him and Alix. Even the precise geography and the bits taken from sagas and so on.
It's slow paced, and there isn't much magic in it, but there was enough to go round for me. Nevil Shute won me over.(less)
Dissertation reread time! I acquired a distaste for T.H. White sometime during my MA, and I'm not sure exactly why: rereading The Sword in the Stone,...moreDissertation reread time! I acquired a distaste for T.H. White sometime during my MA, and I'm not sure exactly why: rereading The Sword in the Stone, I still rather loved it, with its gentle humour and the character of the narratorial voice and its understanding of each character. I note that in my first review I noticed the way it treats Kay, which is a good sign for this dissertation...
It's written in a conversational way, but it's also beautiful. There are descriptions of the natural world that are almost breathtaking, and Wart can at once be a silly little boy and a very noble one. And Kay can at once be a proud big kid, prone to bullying, and a scared boy who really just wants to hold his own. And Merlyn can be a mysterious wizard and a kindly old man.
I'm looking forward to rereading the rest of it now -- although I think the warm sympathy for Kay is less of a thing in the other books, and they're probably not going to be so useful.(less)
I didn't like this as much as Karen Maitland's other work. Maybe because I'm getting used to her style, or because this one had too long to build up i...moreI didn't like this as much as Karen Maitland's other work. Maybe because I'm getting used to her style, or because this one had too long to build up in my mind -- maybe because it seemed to be over too fast, and I didn't really like the characters. Isabela, yes, but Ricardo, ugh, and somehow the whole of it didn't have the same dark urgency to it as the other books.
Perhaps even because Iceland is one of my Things and I wasn't so sure about the depth of Maitland's research here. It's not my period, of course, but it just didn't feel quite right, somehow. Maybe there just wasn't enough of it, though: I expected a lot more of the Icelandic angle, but really the central characters were Portuguese -- there was one Icelandic main character, but she spent her entire life in a cave, so...
I really enjoyed the first books I read by Karen Maitland, but there is something that bit predictable about them now. Still definitely enjoyable, but not amazing -- not to me, anyway.(less)
The Snow Child is a book that strongly depends on its atmosphere: the wild, hard, lonely and beautiful landscape. It manages to capture both the dange...moreThe Snow Child is a book that strongly depends on its atmosphere: the wild, hard, lonely and beautiful landscape. It manages to capture both the danger and the beauty, and manages to balance the two as it balances the fairytale story, the magic, with the realism. There really are the realities of life: injury, cold, the guts and gore of hunting... but Eowyn Ivey keeps it balanced with the ephemeral unreality of Faina.
It's not a book to read for plot, because too many certainties would ruin it, to my mind. And for once I wasn't really kept reading by a character, unless you could call the landscape of the book a character.
It does well, I think, at being a modern fairytale, with both enchantment and wonder and a strong place in time and space.(less)
This is a fascinating idea, but I've tried to start it a few times -- I've read the first couple of chapters and shuddered at the abuse of imagery tha...moreThis is a fascinating idea, but I've tried to start it a few times -- I've read the first couple of chapters and shuddered at the abuse of imagery that just clogged it. I read the reviews and saw other people's objections -- weird elements of fantasy, slow pace, etc. I skipped ahead in the book and didn't like what I saw there any better, so I'm taking this back to the library. At least for now: maybe someday soon I'll have time for a long slow build.(less)
Loading...
