Brat by Gabriel Smith is a strange trip of a book. It has a creepy, gothic vibe, mild moments of horror, a sense of humor, a quirky style of placing wBrat by Gabriel Smith is a strange trip of a book. It has a creepy, gothic vibe, mild moments of horror, a sense of humor, a quirky style of placing words on the page, and a unique exploration of grief. Some pages had only a couple of sentences, while others pull you from the events in the life of the protagonist and onto the pages of stories written by his parents. This book required more work than I expected, but it was worth the effort....more
The Cherry Robbers was sent to me by the publisher, and boy am I glad. This book is moody and dark, creepy and unique. I go into my books as blindly aThe Cherry Robbers was sent to me by the publisher, and boy am I glad. This book is moody and dark, creepy and unique. I go into my books as blindly as possible, and with this one it had a big payoff. I had no idea that the author would do such a great job creating both characters and setting that would immediately carry me into a mysterious, gothic world.
In this one we meet a large family of six sisters and their parents. We quickly see that while they are wealthy and spoiled, the girls are mostly ignored by both. Their father is the heir to a firearms fortune. He works a lot, and is a bit remote. Their mother seems to be completely detached. She screams for hours on end, and makes little connection to others.
The girls spend most of their time together, and share a close bond, but all of them dream of the opportunity to leave -- to marry so that she can leave home. Unfortunately their mother makes it clear that bad things will happen if they try to marry. The warning causes fear, anger and frustration. Some of the girls refuse to believe in the curse, believing their mother is crazy and not willing to give up on the hope of escape.
The fifth daughter, Iris, is the only one of the girls who takes their mother's words to heart. She will do anything to keep her sisters safe. Will it work?
Iris is also the narrator and I enjoyed getting to know about her very real emotions surrounding her sisters and mother. The end of the book jumps forward in time to meet Iris as an 80 year old woman who much confront her ghosts, which worked very well for me.
I always enjoy books that have descriptive worlds which bring to life time and place. While the book is not perfect, it evoked in me a desire to stay within the world found on its pages, and to sit down across the table from Iris, sharing tea and cookies, learning more about her memories and desires. For this reason, it deserves five stars.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for the #gifted paperback. The review is my honest opinion....more
Every Faulkner book I touch further solidifies my love. These books are extremely difficult for me. I find myself reading whole passages multiple timeEvery Faulkner book I touch further solidifies my love. These books are extremely difficult for me. I find myself reading whole passages multiple times, partly to admire the beauty of the language used but mostly to get an understanding of what Faulkner is doing. But the work is worth it!
Written in 1936, Absalom, Absalom is set before, during and after the Civil War. We meet Thomas Sutpen, a man born in poverty. He works to improve his circumstances, but because it is Faulkner, he will carry with him a lot of baggage, which is certain to destroy him. His story is told mostly by the grandson of his friend, a man named Quentin. And, of course, he isn't a completely reliable narrator.
I read this with two friends and am grateful for the experience, but I need to attack this one again soon....more
I started this book at least once before and it just didn't grab me, but I have included it on my list of 60 books to read before I turn 60 in OctoberI started this book at least once before and it just didn't grab me, but I have included it on my list of 60 books to read before I turn 60 in October 2022, so this time I stuck with it.
My rating is between 3 and 4, somewhere...
Henry James' prose is difficult for me. It is very structured and tight, which makes it difficult for me to connect. And the tone of the story is dramatic, emotional, and personal, which I find very interesting. The combination of very different style and tone is quite unusual for me, and I found myself alternately hating and loving this book....more
Brilliant book that I loved more than any other Bronte novel I have read. I found this one more modern, with stronger feminist vibes, than any other. Brilliant book that I loved more than any other Bronte novel I have read. I found this one more modern, with stronger feminist vibes, than any other. The gothic mood was rich and vivid. The characters felt very real. And the mystery was smart and unique....more
In A Wolrd of Love, Elizabeth Bowen created quiet love story, a moody gothic locale, and a ghost story, all encompassed in a carefully written book ofIn A Wolrd of Love, Elizabeth Bowen created quiet love story, a moody gothic locale, and a ghost story, all encompassed in a carefully written book of prose that comes in at under 200 pages. In this novel, Bowen takes us to the Irish countryside where she created a fading, once-beautiful house, and peoples it with four women, one child, one man and one ghost! Ironically, it is the ghost that propels the story and allows the others to live. Our characters are a woman named Antonia, who owns the home and is the cousin of the ghost. Lilia a woman who was once engaged to Guy the ghost, and her husband Fred who was once Guy's rival. Their children Jane (20 years old) and Maud (10 years old), and a full-time maid. But the most important character is Guy, who died during the First World War, and whose death created a vacuum in this home that sucked out all the air and caused them all to stop living. They stagnated. And it isn't until Jane finds a stack of letters written by Guy that anyone remembers to breathe. They begin to review the lives they are living -- or not living -- and to reassess what they want for themselves and for those around them. They start to see possibilities again.
It is a hopeful thing to realize that one person can have such a vivid impact on the lives of others. I found the book powerful in respect to its treatment of hope, love, and happiness. Whenever I have suffered the loss of a person I love I have learned through my grief that love is bigger than the person was. Antonia and Lilia (and to some extent, Fred) are learning this now. This book shows the people living in this home that loving is always worth more than being loved; that giving is better than receiving.
And for Jane, it is even more beautiful as the journey through the letters allow her to open her heart to her own love. The novel closes with the sudden and sharp moment where her world changes:
"They no sooner looked than they loved."
The story between Jane and her future lover is left untold except in your imagination. And of course this beautifully mirrors the untold story of Guy and Lilia.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I went into it blind, knowing nothing about it except that it was on Boxall's list of 1001 Books4.5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I went into it blind, knowing nothing about it except that it was on Boxall's list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. The only other book I had read by waters is Tipping the Velvet which I also liked a lot but I didn't know if it would be at all similar to this one. I am so glad that I went into it with no expectations as it made for constant surprise.
Fingersmith is in Victorian London, and although is a modern novel of historical fiction Waters created the charm of Dickens and the the suspense of Bronte. It feels as though it could have been written by their contemporaries. I loved that the novel is so full of intricate nuggets of suspense and that nothing is as it first appears. Two women are the focus of the novel: Maud and Sue. One is raised in house full of thieves and the other is raised as a Lady, in a mansion 40 miles from London. But everything changes in the lives of both women when the con, Richard Rivers comes into the picture. From there the book takes you on a twisty path full of complex, shocking surprises. It is a wonderful.
One of the things that makes the book most successful is that it is told from each of the two women's perspectives. In the first two parts of the book we learn the story of the same time frame as told by Sue first and Maud second. Each part gives new pieces to the puzzle due to this switch in narrator. When I got to the second part and realized what was happening I was enthralled and read this part of the book at warp speed. When I got to part three I was entirely gripped and ready for the two women to learn the truth. Then tension built in those first two parts was so good that it had me hooked for the rest of the story.
None of the characters were entirely good. All of them were flawed and the way that Waters drew the was intriguing because it allowed you to have empathy for each woman despite the fact that both did things that were nearly evil. I also liked the exploration of love between the two women and how that affected everything else that they thought, felt and did. ...more
I found this book a bit odd, a bit funny, a bit spooky. It felt older than it is. Although the stories are not similar and the structure of the books I found this book a bit odd, a bit funny, a bit spooky. It felt older than it is. Although the stories are not similar and the structure of the books are different, in my mind it compares well to Bram Stoker's Dracula. It is a gothic tale. And it was a fun, unique read. I liked it a lot. But I didn't love it. I may, or may not read the next two in the series. More likely though is that I will give this one a second read and see if I feel more strongly about it one way or the other....more
The Manbooker is new to me. I have never paid much attention before. But recently I became engaged in the Pulitzer which led me to this award. I like The Manbooker is new to me. I have never paid much attention before. But recently I became engaged in the Pulitzer which led me to this award. I like the idea that they release a long list and then a short list before giving the award as it lets the reader be part of it... it lets us participate and root for favorites. While I await April when the 2018 list is generated I am trying to read the 2017 longlist books.
This one is wonderful! Mozley wrote a tale in which the setting is so vividly described and so essential to the telling of the tale that it becomes a character itself. I always love when the locale is so beautifully described that I can actually see it. Her writing is brilliant and melodic. A few reviews that I read complained of the ending, stating that it was too violent. However, I found it appropriate to the book. It was dark and painful, sad and tragic. It was shocking. And it was strongly, violently climactic. I liked it.
I finished reading this book a couple weeks ago and if I had reviewed it immediately I would have given it 3 stars, maximum. HoRead for Victober 2017.
I finished reading this book a couple weeks ago and if I had reviewed it immediately I would have given it 3 stars, maximum. However in the intervening days the book has grown in my esteem. I cannot explain why that happens -- books grow or fade in my esteem as time passes and I often cannot explain why that is. But this book in particular has made me think about the themes and motifs which is something I don't always do. Stoker played a great deal with my impressions of life in the 1800s, with the views of people in the west of those living in eastern Europe and the Far East. He made me think about the views of Christians regarding things of a gothic nature. He made me think about how writers in the Victorian era could paint images that tell so much of the story with little need to have a plot-heavy story. He made me think about how we can use voice and tense and the intricacies of language to tell a deeper story. I am often not a fan of the epistolary form of storytelling and yet it seems the perfect form for this book as it gave so many viewpoints of Dracula.
If you had asked me the day after finishing this book whether I would ever consider reading it again I would have said no, but I think I would have been wrong....more
Until two months ago I had never read a book written by the sublime Daphne du Maurier. Until two months ago I considered myself a fan of suspense and Until two months ago I had never read a book written by the sublime Daphne du Maurier. Until two months ago I considered myself a fan of suspense and mystery. Until two months ago I had never been so enthralled and enchanted. I am quickly rectifying that problem and have now read 8 of her novels and they are all beautifully written with complex characters, vividly described settings and a meticulous underpinning of suspense and tension. These books live in my thoughts for weeks after I finish reading them and I am slowly and quietly raving about them to all the readers in my life. I am on a mission to share the wonder that is du Maurier.
This book is no different. I loved it.
I will not be posting spoilers or summaries as I cannot do either justice. I will just say this. You will not be disappointed....more
Daphne du Maurier enthralls and enchants me again. This book is less foreboding than others but is still wonderful. What is not to love about French pDaphne du Maurier enthralls and enchants me again. This book is less foreboding than others but is still wonderful. What is not to love about French pirates wooing an English woman and then allowing her to live a moment as a pirate herself? What is not to love about beautifully written prose and a very feminist slant? There is very little about which to complain in any of du Maurier's books. I have now read 8 of them and am on the hunt to find her others....more
Daphne du Maurier enthralls me. I have inhaled 8 of her books in the last few weeks, and this one ranks among my favorites. I love her ability to writDaphne du Maurier enthralls me. I have inhaled 8 of her books in the last few weeks, and this one ranks among my favorites. I love her ability to write eerie, foreboding and brooding stories without any gore or sensationalism. I love that she writes stories about obsession and intrigue, and builds tension deftly and simply through her magical prose. I love that the locations in her stories are vividly described allowing me to see the places with accuracy and ease. All in all, I love everything about the way she tells me stories!...more
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