matthew's review
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke
very good, indeed. some of these short stories are workmanlike retellings of traditional tales, but the greater part are original (i believe, at any rate) and a pleasure to read. lovely illos by charles vess and an attractive cloth cover, to boot.
wow Matthew this does look live a very beautiful book. I like the artwork. Tres jolie.
i liked it.
Is the cover illustration by Charles Vess, too?
i do not know.
Do the illustrations on the inside look the same as the cover? That woodblock sort of look? To be honest, I'm interested in the illustrations probably more than the book (until I read it, I guess).
vess' style is more fluid than woodblocks, though it does have an antique flavour. it's really difficult to say if the cover matches the other illustrations, and i borrowed the book from the library, so i don't have it to hand. i'm pretty sure a google search'd turn up some of his work. you read the mabinogion, right? the stories hearken back to the fairies therein (though the storytelling is different).
I've read bits and pieces of the Mabinogion and listened to Robin Williamson perform selections from it.No, if I have it marked "read" it's a mistake. They're only "partially read". The more you tell me about this book, the more I want it!
Hi Matthew,Having googled Charles Vess, and from what I see, I'd say the illustrations are nothing like the cover art. His work falls into the "fantasy" (sorry to pigeonhole his work) and "comic book" style, which seems nothing like the woodblock on the cover. That's not to say he doesn't work in lot's of styles, many illustrators can, and do it with ease. I'll check The Ladies out; you can't judge a book by it's illustrations but they help IMO. Vess also illustrated Stardust which I own and have a recording of, read by an actor acquaintance/Gaiman fan in England.
Now back to reading "Wouldn't It Be Nice".
later,
Mon
