bookshelves: currently-reading
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bookshelves: currently-reading
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This book took me forever to finish! I typically love post-apocalyptic fiction, and the first 75 pages or so captured my interest. However, the rest of the book was drudgery to read. In its day, Earth Abides was most likely fresh and exciting, but I found it terribly dated by today's standards. ]]>
Having specialized in the study of poetry in graduate school, I have a soft spot for the way words sound when linked together, the subtle shifts in tone that reflect a narrator's changing mood, and the creative use of images and metaphors. All are present in Caitlin's Kiernan's The Red Tree, one of the best books I have read this year.
Kiernan's language flows in alternating waves of beauty and horror, describing various haunting scenes with the loveliest of language. Poetic, always. Heavy-handed, never. The first person narration, always a risk, emerges as pitch perfect. While unreliable narrators come a dime a dozen in fiction, Sarah Crowe's voice, which should come across more unreliable than most, rings of honesty: honest according to her worldview, a worldview in which she tries desperately to convey accurately (going so far as to remind the reader when she fears her memory might have failed her). That dichotomy of unreliable honesty makes Sarah Crowe all the more appealing as the narrator.
Lastly, Kiernan weaves not two but five stories within stories in this novel. Each story serves to add key information to the plot at the most opportune moments, adding psychological depth and insight into Sarah Crowe’s past and impending fate.
This may have been my first Caitlin Kiernan novel, but it will certainly not be my last.
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Spectre
read and liked
Beth's
review of Genesis:
"Set in 2075, this novel follows the four-hour entrance examination of a prospective student to the prestigious Academy. Anax has chosen to be tested on her knowledge of a historical figure who was imprisoned for defying the rules of the isolated Repu...more "
"Set in 2075, this novel follows the four-hour entrance examination of a prospective student to the prestigious Academy. Anax has chosen to be tested on her knowledge of a historical figure who was imprisoned for defying the rules of the isolated Repu...more "
Interesting concept, but the plot was very slow. ]]>
L-J Baker has become one of my favorite authors of late. The character descriptions and voices are beautifully presented on the page, and few are without redeeming qualities or failings. No character in this book demonstrates this complexity like Aveline, an ambitious priestess cousin of the lead character, who easily provokes both admiration and disdain. Add this level of complexity to the two main characters, Rhiannon and Eleanor, and mix in a healthy dose of consistent, witty dialogue, and the result is the well-written Lady Knight. Note--this novel is a brutally honest reflection of medieval times, so do not expect a fairytale here. ]]>