**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, theref**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, child endangerment, death of a child, sexual abuse of a minor, suicide, psychological distress, graphic descriptions of body decay, & others.
Eliza Caine is 21 years old when her last remaining parent dies. She is orphaned in a house that does not belong to her, in a city that sees her roaming the streets without opportunity for a welcomed male gaze, working tirelessly in a school for girls. Eliza is something of a lost soul which is ironic for so too is her own father who wanders alongside her in all her future adventures. Coming to a head, the ghost of her father & the ghost of a homicidal mother fight head-to-head over Eliza; lest we forget the two children who wander the grounds of this abode at which Eliza was hired to be their governess but, like Eliza’s common sense, the children’s needs fall to the waste side in this gothic horror style novel wherein ghosts rule the world of the living & the abuse done on to children sees adults more perplexed on the repercussions of abuse than on the safety of the children around them.
I learned long ago to keep my expectations low when reading gothic novels. There are very few authors that can do the genre justice & these are outnumbered by those who grasp at the basic concept, once thought to be done right, & reproduce it to no end. Few readers have not become familiar with the plot employed within this book: a young woman accepts a job as a governess to children inhabiting a strange & secluded home. During her time employed at the house, she encounters ghastly things that make her question her sanity & those of the children, for surely young people might also be the demons haunting this house. In all, this is an overdone layout & one that rarely shows the fruits of the labour of writing.
While reading this book I found my mind wandering to all the other mediums in which I have come across this same story before. What differentiates this book from others is its disjointed framework, one that left me questioning the seriousness of this work. The primary example I would like to employ towards this point touches on the subject of linguistics. I am certainly not an expert on English, nor am I an expert on Victorian English, however, there was a significant disconnect between all previous works taking place during such a time period & the discourse presented in this book. The use of the word ‘trauma’, specifically, is misused.
When Eliza & Mr. Raisin are speaking about a series of abuses that Santina experienced during her childhood they reference that traumas affect us all our lives. However, the word ‘trauma’ was being utilized as a means of expressing distinct physical wounds per its introduction into English vernacular in 1690 & would only begin to be used to reference psychotic, psychological, & undo mental stresses in 1894, this being a total of 27 years after the story takes place. There are of course other such words that are whimsically tossed around & joining these with some of the personal approaches to gender, societal expectations, child-rearing, religion, etc. I could not help but feel put out. This book is not written in an authentic way so as to leave the reader with confirmation of the time period.
The plot of this story is seemingly nonexistent. Eliza comes to Gaudlin Hall to care for children & yet spends all her time pestering people for the story of something that does not concern her. Certainly, upon learning that she is the sixth governess in under a year, there might be some explaining that would need to be done but, this story takes place in 1867, people died of bizarre occurrences all the time — they still do — so what would lead Eliza to feel that the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the previous governess’ were abnormal? Truly, one could regard each of the incidents & conclude with justifiable reasoning that they were accidental. That would be the point of having the deaths take place as they did.
Yet for all her boasting of smarts & intelligence, Eliza amazes the reader by simply being able to place one foot in front of the other so little is she able to grasp at the straws of the obvious. I understand & appreciate that most gothic-style stories are written with just such a woman at the head. However, the extent to which Eliza’s character was without reason & made absurd decisions was overwhelming. This is a character who declares that she would never leave the children on their own, so much does she love them, while simultaneously running to the village on her first morning at the house to inquire about the whereabouts of the parental figures. She then spends hours in the village, eating scones, talking with people, & bullying others for information, all of which is none of her business. Finally, once she believes that there might be information to garner, she returns to the house to assume the role of a similar caretaker to the children as their own mother, with a little bit less psychosis & a bit more ego.
The aspect of this book that I found the most troublesome was the approach to abuse. The sexual abuse done to children was touched on quite a bit as several characters had been made aware of predators in their community & others had begun exploring the topic in conversation, profiting off rumours of such events. However, when it came time for characters to action their intentions, those primarily pertaining to the safety & wellbeing of children, the adults always proved themselves to be incompetent. Why did Isabella have to die? Why did we read an entire story in which Eliza was caring & kind to Eustache but seemingly ignored Isabella — a child who was long subjugated to the abusive tendencies of her mother & would have faced the repercussions of such abuse in the visual formats as her mother violently attacked two people.
This poor child is treated like a plague by all those around her & then finally ends up being crushed to death by the foundation of the house in which she grew up, only for the one person she had hope in, to leave the premises happy as a clam that she got to raise Eustache as her own child & be rid of Isabella’s weird tendencies. This is such a travesty. There were so many opportunities for the author to explore some depth of the subject matter as he employed the realities experienced by children so frequently that it left the absence of maturity a gaping hole. Throughout this entire book, we explore how trauma presents itself in various ways. Santina became crazed with the sole caretaker responsibilities of her children because she was worried that they would be subjected to abuse at the hands of others. Isabella was closed-off & emotionally stunted because her mother was oppressive & dangerous. The little girl who was abused by her teacher evoked behaviours of extremism. Yet, all the while Eliza never cared about that.
What Eliza cared about was men & their impact on her & within her life. She did not care for the well-being of women nor did she care for their friendship. She spent her time imagining being Eustache’s parental figure; Mr. Raisin’s wife; the loving companion to the male teacher who was a child predator; the list goes on. What did it bring to have her constantly daydreaming about what it would be like to be with a man in a romantic way? It brought nothing. This entire premise brought down the quality of the story significantly & rendered Eliza to be a most unlikeable character — more so than she already was.
At the end of the day, there are books of higher quality lining the shelves of libraries & bookstores alike. There are books that see action fulfilled by characters with forethought & depth; events transpiring due to logical series of movements; ghosts performing tricks that impacted those they haunted in dreadful ways. However, I could not find it in myself to care that Eliza stuck her hands into scalding water. I could not believe that there was no twist for surely it was obvious that the ghost of her father was pining for her safety against the attacks done by the obvious ghost of Santina? The trajectory of this story took no turns, held no twists & was just what one assumed it would be but, somehow lesser even than that....more
At the end of the day & when all is said & done; I’ve read this story before, split into other books. When I was making my way through this story I waAt the end of the day & when all is said & done; I’ve read this story before, split into other books. When I was making my way through this story I was hoping that something would transpire to set it apart from all the others but, nothing ever did & I was left disappointed.
I am glad to see a character who has physical impairments navigate their way through the world with a good head on their shoulders, familial support & a decent sense of self. Clara wanted to be a part of the world & worked very hard to realize that. Though she had a condition that made her subject frequently to broken bones, therefore rendering most things impossible, she still pushed herself to make her mark in society & I applaud Fletcher for writing the main character who was eager to surpass whatever (& anything) presented to them.
Unfortunately, in that same breath, Clara was so beyond rude, that I really could not get behind her as a character. Imagine going to someone else’s house (for work, mind you) & spending all your time pestering everyone at the house because you have an over-active curiosity. I felt a lot of second-hand embarrassment because I could not imagine doing everything she did. Read the room for goodness sake; people are uncomfortable talking about the past residents of the house.
I understand that for the purpose of the novel much of the progression in the story comes from Clara being a busy body with no social skills & noting that everyone is a ‘loser’ because they don’t get along with her in the same way that her parents did but, holy cow give it a rest. By page 100 Clara becomes such a rude, self-centred prick I was surprised that I made it that far in the book.
Fletcher is a good writer but the way this story was written left a bit to be desired. A lot of the story is fillers; Clara ponders how everyone around her is a simple village person, how her mother has just died, she talks to herself about how she thinks people are acting strangely, etc. I didn’t feel as though the scenes were ever set & but, maybe that was intentional as Clara had little to no experience outside her house in London. However, I found a lot of her dialogue redundant & it was difficult for me to believe that everyone would be so blissfully accommodating to her annoying questioning. I certainly would have told her to eat crow & busy herself with her job.
This leads me to Clara’s reason for being at the house; to plant flowers. Maybe I’m missing something but it felt a little contrived to think that someone who could hardly maneuver themselves in an exchange of goods at a store, let alone someone who just learnt about the garden where these plants were coming from (the month before) was suddenly the plant expert & was going to plant (alone) all these flowers in this massive greenhouse.
There was a crew specifically hired to tend to the garden, the lawns, & the landscape as a whole & yet this random girl is hired on with no previous experience to tend to an entire greenhouse on her own? Again, maybe I’m missing something but, along with the fact that Patrick leisurely let her leave the house to go do physical labour, the whole thing felt improbable.
While reading this story I couldn’t help but recall a handful of other novels that approached the same topics in a way that left me wanting while reading this one. I think we could have done without the entire Veronique plot because truly, how many times do we have to utilize the abuse of women as plot points; it’s tried.
The story behind Mr. Fox & his random desire to focus energies on the outside of a beautifully decrepit house rather than the inside repairs was interesting enough; we had a lot to go with in terms of exploring the village, the house, even if we held a little ghostly intrigue, a plot point we needed not, the staff, Clara herself (we spent 100 pages on her backstory). We could have even benefitted from a perspective change to that of Charlotte (her mother) to reveal the final twist.
Overall, this book could have been a novella & would have benefitted from a shorter format & possibly a less unnerving main character....more
**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, theref**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, child endangerment, parental neglect, & others.
There was so much about this story that seemed improbable & quite frankly, impossible. Lucy is a character I've come across more than once, often enough for me to say that I'm unsurprised by her lack of development throughout the story & her overall shallowness. Having moved nearly 15 hours from where she grew up, Lucy is faced with the decision as to whether or not she should remain in Virginia. She gets a free mansion-like-house, doesn't have to pay for any groceries, gets free services from nearly everyone in town as a 'welcome' & spends the entirety of the novel referring to friends she never hears from & nostalgia that seems misplaced as the only true recollections we get of her time in Nashville are of her struggling to make ends-meat.
I wish we had read less about her indecision throughout the story. I can't imagine having $100 to my name, driving 15 hours & spending 5 days in a town where I constantly involved myself in things that didn't concern me, only to imagine myself back in a city where I had nothing to go back to. As well, $100 is barely going to cover her gas on her trip back so I'm unsure why she thinks moving back to Nashville is an option.
I cannot in my right mind understand how Lucy was able to involve herself so heavily in Natasha's life. This is a 12-year-old person who has a severely abusive parent & this stranger comes into town & suddenly everyone is okay with this kid staying with this lady whom no one knows anything about. How does even happen? I understand the convenience of Lucy becoming close with Natasha in such an indirect way given that they are revealed to be siblings but, come on, that makes no sense.
I feel like we could have done without the entire 'Natasha saga'. It was sad to see a kid have to go through so much turmoil & then really have nothing resolved for her except that she's privy to a whole bunch of bananas stuff that Lucy has have happen to her (i.e. bones on the property, a 'love' affair with Hank, etc.)
While we're on the topic of things I could have lived without; the whole 'romance' (if we can even call it that) aspect of Hank & Lucy felt so forced & dry. I kept expecting Hank to be revealed as the antagonist because he was always so present & so nice & so involved & so helpful, it was improbable & made me feel like I was waiting for the next shoe to drop. If Lucy & Hank had stayed at the 'getting to know you' stage, I would have felt that this was more authentic than whatever started happening near the middle of the story.
Claire's part of the story was alright. I appreciated how everything tied together & we weren't left with any unresolved situations. However, I was left feeling the same way that other reviewers did; Jimmy & Claire were not the ultimate romantic couple & it felt like something out of the left field to see Claire be totally enamoured by someone she met one time. Then, upon seeing him as an adult, she expects him to remember her & be as randomly in love with her & she has been with him for all these years.
Victoria had Jimmy's baby & Claire goes about her life as if she & Jimmy have been in love (deep down) this whole time & they just had missed opportunities. No, that is not what happened, Jimmy chose to go engage in extracurriculars with Victoria & then left for WWI. The end. That's the story. Claire was never a choice, she was never wanted & again, her character forced her way into situations that didn't concern her. I get pinning for someone but this man had a baby with someone else & then when he was a burn victim & suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the War, he settled for the fact that you had nothing else going for you.
The entire story is explained in the family tree at the beginning of the book so I felt a little cheated when nothing else but what I knew was going to happen, happened. Having the legend at the front to explain which character fits in where was helpful but it might have been better to fit that in as we went along so that we as the reader had to piece things together more on our own, rather than having Victoria & Jimmy's baby's name right there for us to see.
The secondary characters added too much confusion to the story because I never became invested enough in their storylines to bother understanding what the point was. Meghan was trying to renovate the house, why? She told herself she wanted to open a bakery but it was going to be a lot of work. But renovating a 100-year-old house isn't? Also, what's the point of that part of the plot? Lucy just kept meeting random people who were all weirdly related & conveniently had their own motivations for being involved with the house by the end I was wondering why we had to read about a town in which everyone seems to be related.
**spoiler alert** This is a dual timeline story in which Caroline travels to present-day London on what was meant to be her 10th wedding anniversary t**spoiler alert** This is a dual timeline story in which Caroline travels to present-day London on what was meant to be her 10th wedding anniversary trip. She stumbles upon the remains of an 18th-century apothecary that hosts similarities to the business ventures of real-life Italian Giulia Tofana.
I will attribute my enjoying this book so much to the fact that I was in the right frame of mind. The story is uncomplicated & pretty easy to follow (& predict) however, I just generally enjoyed the flow & the ease with which the story progressed. I played this audiobook during my evenings; while getting ready for sleep.
Though Caroline is a character that might make one easily annoyed I didn’t mind her storyline. She married someone she loved, decided against pursuing things she was passionate about & instead settled for an uncomplicated life which left her in the shadows of someone who always seemed to want to complicate things.
However cliche this might appear, Caroline did seem to redeem herself. She went off to a foreign country & makes it clear to her husband that she wants to have time alone. Many people would have caved at their significant other crossing the ocean to come & try to ‘win them back’. However, Caroline had truly put forth the effort to enjoy herself. She spent every day as fully as she could & in so doing, had little time to miss the husband who spent his own time being unfaithful.
As an aside; who drinks eucalyptus oil? That is insanity.
The 18th-century timeline was interesting, not incredible but, good. Nella had followed in her mother’s footsteps & ran an apothecary in London which catered to the needs of women. She then was wronged by someone she loved (someone who was married) & whom she decided to poison because she was hurt by his lies & an array of other reasons too, I’m sure. In the end, she loses the ability to carry children, never falls in love again & turns her apothecary into a shop of poisons so that women can murder their husbands for any which reason.
Her demise was revealed to the reader early on in the story. Having described how her own mother had suddenly died from what one might assume was consumption, Nella develops a cough & the reader can easily deduce that she carries the same illness that her mother did. Though I was a bit disconnected from Nella, I understood that to be a good thing. Her character was drained of almost all energy which felt like an accurate representation of a person living her lifestyle.
When Nella meets Eliza, I was glad for a different tone throughout the story. However, holy crow did I ever wish that someone would just tell Eliza that menstruation was not a demon, nor the ghost of her former ‘master’ haunting her. The poor kid went through over half of the book thinking that she was being punished & not a single person noticed that she was bleeding through her clothes. I would have liked to get a bit more detail as to how Eliza survived jumping into the river; could she even swim? Was it made possible for her to have learnt how to swim having been a maid of sorts since she was 12 & prior to that having lived in the country? I doubt it.
Regardless, I was glad when it was revealed that she survived. I thought that to be a nice reveal in an otherwise unfortunate scenario. As well, I gather that Nella died. I’m sure that Eliza’s pink potion might have soothed her for a bit but, I choose to acknowledge that a 12-year-old was not able to cure Nella of her lung disease.
I would definitely recommend this book. I would have only really changed the ending of the story; why did Caroline throw away the vile? What was the point of that? No one was going to come to her for it because no one knew it existed & even fewer people knew the significance. It felt kind of dumb to throw away something that she worked so diligently to understand & also, rude to contribute to pollution.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, & Sarah Penner for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
**spoiler alert** What an absolutely boring story.
The writing was what resulted in my inability to engage with the characters, the storylines (there w**spoiler alert** What an absolutely boring story.
The writing was what resulted in my inability to engage with the characters, the storylines (there were many) & the overall development of the plot as a whole. I felt as though I were reading this book via a poorly computerized recitation (you know the voice everyone is using to dub their Reels/TikToks). Seeing as the writing was so bland & honestly, not great, it made me feel very disappointed because the concept of the story was what drew me to try & read the book in the first place.
The reader is initially introduced to Margot who is the daughter of Mina, a Korean immigrant who is undocumented in the United States. Margot reads as a spoilt, immature, ignorant mess of a person & has very few redeeming qualities. She latches on to every small detail & we have to read about it over & over again as the story progresses. I understand repetition if a book is 900 pages long but this is barely 400 pages, we do not need the same information repeated in such a horribly redundant fashion.
I could comprehend where Kim was trying to go in terms of the relationship Margot & her mother has, but it felt tiresome to read about. We were meant to feel bad for Margot because she couldn’t speak Korean & had difficulty learning & understanding but then she reveals that she never cared enough to try. Knowing that her mother relied heavily on that language versus English, this feels insane. It’s weird to me that she had no comprehension of the language given Mina hardly spoke English.
I was interested in Mina & her experiences as an undocumented Korean immigrant. However, her chapters were plagued with repeating her sadness towards the loss of her husband & daughter in Korea. After the third time reading about the situation in nearly the same way, over & over, I felt a lack of empathy towards the situation. There is so much more to explore in terms of her experience coming to the United States, finding a job, being a mother for the second time over, falling in love, her experience learning a second language, etc. but we seldom saw much of that & instead we read about her sorrow (given, it was something to be very sad about) & how she continuously kept secrets.
I think what was missing was the ability to make the reader feel as though they were there with the characters; that what we were reading about was being felt, experienced, and seen, versus us being told what to feel. The redundancy in the text didn’t help with that at all.
I unfortunately would not recommend this book. I understood that a lot of what transpired was for the purpose of this story but so much of it felt annoying & unrealistic. For example, Margot grasped onto a passing comment that the landlord heard screaming, which he could not confirm whom it was coming from; Margot being certain that her mother was a quiet person & then pushed the police to investigate based on her slim knowledge of her parent.
There are other great stories that might explore the perspective of characters & people you may have sought to explore with this book....more
This was a story which follows a specific period of time in the life of a child in the foster care system. Much of what is written informs the reader This was a story which follows a specific period of time in the life of a child in the foster care system. Much of what is written informs the reader of a dark & almost socially disconnected train of thought of a child as he manoeuvres his way through his current home. I found that after reading some other reviews, namely that written by "Canadian Reader, I had a better appreciation & grasp of the story in full.
If you endeavour to read this book I advise you that some of what is presented are not enjoyable to read & Hobson hints at his narrator being the cause of the demise of other characters, which might leave one with deep feelings of discomfort & unease. If you don't mind that, then I would recommend this book. It's a quick read, off-putting & intriguing....more
**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, theref**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, psychological distress, physical assault, extreme violence, grief, & others.
The primary reason for which I write reviews is so that I am able to transfer my thoughts & better analyze my feelings. When one is writing, one is engaging a part of the brain that requires a second’s extra time before the letter becomes a word & that word a series of ideas. I do not write perfect reviews, languages set obstacles in my way; an eagerness to get the thoughts out of my head rushes my fingers; the process as a whole requires patience & time. We all encounter errors & stutter in our mannerisms. Yet, here is an author who had every opportunity in the world not to do that. Le Fanu sat & wrote nearly 500 pages of plot that had nothing of substance to offer but to rid the reader of an annoyance that I cannot rightly name.
I do not endeavour to read the Classics in ignorance. I am aware that times have changed & shifted. I recognize that what might have been a truly ghastly tale of horror upon publication may very well be a common occurrence in the society in which the reader lives at that moment. Unfortunately for me, this is exactly what has occurred in my case. I wanted to read this book because it is highly regarded & has been placed on the lists that boast the scariest stories ever told. I find myself once again, disappointed.
The reader meets Maud, the main character, as she sits in a gorgeous bourgeois house in the countryside of England. Maud is 17 at the beginning of this story but she is writing these recollections of her youth from an undistinguished moment in the future. Her recollections often include forethought & acknowledgement on her behalf that some of the events that transpired might be viewed differently by anyone else, anyone who had more life experience than she did. I appreciated this inclusion as it allowed both the author & their main character the liberty of exploring the banality of the story. Maud is an heiress to a grand fortune & her entire life up until the passing of her father is filled with blissful ignorance.
This story is sectioned into three parts & though this may be used as a proper device to draw the interest of the reader & engage their levels of curiosity, in this case, it did nothing but leave me wondering when the action & bulk of the story might take place. As was likely to happen, I had a favourite part of the three & felt the weight of my disappointment more acutely because I preferred the first part over the second & third. Le Fanu did a phenomenal job of setting the scene in the first section; making life as cloistered & dull as it could be. All the while, the reader is reminded that Austin Ruthyn is a brilliant man of very literary pursuits.
This detail is important because it allows the reader to engage with the story as a whole. Austin, Maud’s father, is not hidden from the world like his brother, Silas, because of any forces outside of his control. He remains abreast of society because he does not necessarily agree with everything that happens & the choices those in charge make; never being able to reach the height of their positions. He remains well-respected, simply a person who enjoys their company so much that they do not feel lonely. Maud on the other hand suffers because of this isolation & goes through life completely out to lunch.
I find it difficult to reflect emotionally on this story because it wouldn’t have gone anywhere if the main character had any semblance of a clue. It truly wouldn’t have gone anywhere if the legal system that prevailed at the time was worth an ounce. Silas was accused of brutally murdering a man inside his own home, a man to whom he owed a great deal of money. Because the room appeared to be sealed from the inside, the courts deemed it a suicide & not a murder. We are so lucky to have been made aware of the fiendish practices of the unsavoury through the works of Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, & many others. I wonder if they ever chanced an opportunity to read this book & thought the premise a ridiculous crux at which to lean the entire plot.
This is where I remain at an impasse. Surely, for its time, this story allows readers to appreciate that the legal system could not be wrong. Who indeed could kill a person in an allegedly locked room? A locked room that was sealed from the inside, mind you. In today’s day & age, with all the literature, film & exposure to the reality that has filled our days since the publication of this book, the concept does not seem as impossible as it might have in 1864.
Let us pretend for a second that Silas didn’t actually murder anyone. He’s still a mean person. He remains a brute & someone to whom the gentile side of life does not appeal. Yet, knowing this, Austin still bequeathed his own daughter to his care, assuming that if she were to randomly die, Silas would get the entire fortune. This is a bizarre choice. This decision does not align with the person that we are meant to believe Austin to be. Why would someone so smart, aware, & cautious of details choose to place his child in the home of someone he knew was neglecting his own children? I suppose we all do very dumb & silly things from time to time but, this is a bit extreme.
I say this & remember that there is an entire section within this novel that hints at being more than what it is. The evil French governess who roamed the property, tormenting & thieving from Maud felt interminably long to me. So long, in fact, that I welcomed the second section with open spirits because at least then, the book was moving in a different direction. I could not find it in myself to care about the wildly peculiar ramblings of a woman who should not have been hired as the governess in the first place. Yet again I find myself questioning the man who is meant to be smart. Your child is crying & scared & all you have to say is, to get over it.
Given the fact that Maud is recollecting these events, it was safe to assume that she survived whatever befell her. Certainly, if she had been abducted by the people on the property her journalling might be indicative of an end-of-life testament. But in all, everything felt too quaint for that to be the case. Silas never read as a great villain. He was dependent on Opium the entire time we knew him & was constantly zoned out from reality because he consumed the drug at leisure & without measuring it before consumption. I failed to find the languid body of someone high on Opium to be as terrifying as it was meant to be.
At what point was I meant to look upon the decaying man before me & think that he was some looming demon in the night? We already know he’s capable of murder. I gathered by the brutality of the crime that he didn’t give a lick about committing cruel acts & so it was tedious for me to read through 445 pages of the same ramblings from Maud, trying to convince the reader that her Uncle Silas was a tender & good man. Again, Maud couldn’t grasp the intention of sentences told to her clearly in plain language so I do not put any weight into what she may or may not believe her uncle capable of.
Because of this, the story wound around in circles. Maud blushes, she is annoyed, she is studious, she cries all of the time & she wants Milly to be a more posh individual. Nothing really happens which is not necessarily bad but, when I am promised a tale of daring psychological thrill, I expect to find that within the plot, at least once. Unfortunately, this story felt interminably long. I paused quite often to wonder at what might possibly occur that was not already wagered from the synopsis or, to be kind, from the introductory chapter.
Overall, I do not begrudge reading this book but it was not what I had hoped for. This was long & drawn out in such a way that made me hope for one of the phantoms of the old houses to come alive in a vampiric way so as to draw some blood from the stone which this plot proved to be....more
This is a good, quick, slightly haunting read about villagers on an Irish island who vanish. I think the aspect I appreciated the most was the clear dThis is a good, quick, slightly haunting read about villagers on an Irish island who vanish. I think the aspect I appreciated the most was the clear double-entendres. It's easy to appreciate a mysterious vanishing but, what highlights Tolmie's writing abilities is the reasons she gives for the disappearances & how life is altered by the subsequent changes on the island. ...more
Following generations of a Vietnamese family through the many occupations & terrors they experienced highlighted this book as something I should read.Following generations of a Vietnamese family through the many occupations & terrors they experienced highlighted this book as something I should read. Having the opportunity to learn more about a country that has experienced far more dreadful things than I was previously aware of, is one of the primary reasons for my choosing to read this book.
After completing my read, I wish I could give a more detailed reason for my dislike of the story but, to be frank, there just wasn’t much that drew my attention & retention of the various events, characters, & information.
I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Quyen Ngo. I cannot sing her praises enough. She did a fantastic job at narrating this story. I was happy to hear the Vietnamese words pronounced accurately & with proper emphasis during the dialogue. I give her full credit for my enjoyment of this story. Should you have the chance to listen to the audio format of this story, I highly recommend it.
If I had to pin down one reason for not absolutely loving this book, it would be that there was a lot that transpired. Many different characters were introduced during the events & the points of view changed a decent amount. Though I actually enjoyed hearing the perspective of the grandma, I was left feeling as though her point of view of past events could have been cut short; we could have covered her journey & the land disputes in a single chapter rather than checking back on her stories in the middle of present-day events.
If her dialogue had been approached this way I might have been able to appreciate better all the things she went through as well as why her children were so frustrated & angry at her. Though I can understand that the story tried to cover events that transpired over a significant number of years—from the French occupation, Land disputes, Japanese occupation, & American war—there was so much happening that it made it difficult for me to become invested in all of it.
With the absolute devastation that was constantly being experienced, we were introduced to too many tertiary characters which prevented genuine connections to the main characters. I understand & appreciate that in real life we meet plenty of people who often play various roles in our lives. However, while reading this type of book, introducing random neighbours & an abundance of secondary characters who weren’t given any depth; makes it hard to read through the mass of the story & remain invested in the events.
This being said, I also found that the interactions between characters were too quaint. I can’t imagine that every single day I would be a positive ray of sunshine while living through yet another war/occupation which killed off people that I loved & destroyed my homeland. Yet, the majority of the dialogue felt vapid & surface-level.
I was intrigued by the events that happened to our narrator’s mother but, it took an eternity to get there because every secondary character had to first come through & say their peace, only to disappear into the storyline & not be seen again except for chapters later when they still had nothing of value to give. For me, the halfway point of the story leads me to a lack of interest & investment in the unravelling of the plot.
Though this was not my most favoured book, I would still recommend it to others. The subject matters that are covered are interesting & are of value to learn about in greater detail. Living in North America we hear so much about the Vietnam War (American invasion) but not so much about everything else that transpired prior to that (unsurprisingly).
The writing in this book is easy to understand but I wouldn’t say that it was incredible. The storyline is somewhat intriguing & vast. If you are looking for a good autumnal read, I would say you have found it in this.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, & Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
I want to first start out by saying that I really appreciated how Willig properly referenced “Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus”(1818) by Mary WI want to first start out by saying that I really appreciated how Willig properly referenced “Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus”(1818) by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. It was so refreshing to hear an author reference the work without mixing up the characters (i.e. Victor Frankenstein & the Monster). To me, this really set the tone for the reading experience.
Willig introduces the reader to a group of women from the Smith College Relief Unit who participate in the war effort during WWI. While this aspect was what originally drew me to the book, given the fact that we read historical works about WWII, more frequently, the vast array of characters & swift changes in the chapters did make it hard for me to keep my interest piqued.
I listened to an audiobook version of this story & very much appreciated the stellar performance of the narrator—Julia Whelan. However, some parts of the character interactions (ex. male to female) felt awkward due to the fact that a single voice was performing all the roles. For some, this might not be an issue but, due to the fact that I visualize stories as they play out, I found it harder to connect to the characters & their life events.
I appreciated how all the women we were originally introduced to at the beginning of the book had greatly differing origin stories. Some had even previously connected prior to the events we were about to read. I can’t imagine having done what these women did; moving abroad during wartime to try & bring some comfort & aid to those whose country was in the middle of the attacks.
This was another reason for my wanting to pursue reading this book; I think it’s important to read about very real situations in a way in which we might be able to put ourselves in the shoes of the characters without necessarily reading stories riddled with horror, though we knew consciously that terrible things are transpiring. My only true complaint is that this story felt rather long after the halfway point was reached. I often lost track of what happened previously but then, we were on to something else & it didn’t really matter if I was on track or not.
Should you choose to read this book, you would not regret it. The story is easy to appreciate. The characters are diverse & approach a very big event in world history which I feel we should read more about, especially in the historical fiction genre.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, & Lauren Willig for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!...more
**spoiler alert** I cannot even fathom where to begin this review. This book was one of the very worst stories I have ever come across both in terms o**spoiler alert** I cannot even fathom where to begin this review. This book was one of the very worst stories I have ever come across both in terms of writing & plot. Being a total of 200 pages I was flabbergasted by my own struggle to make it through without repeatedly stumbling in my reading & wanting to abandon the book every couple of pages.
I should say that, if you are someone for whom Horror is not the preferred genre or if you are young & seeking something that is light; both in terms of storyline & the paranormal, then you might very well enjoy this book. My full support to you if you do.
I have read that some people really disliked the introductory chapter wherein Arthur, our main character & narrator, is introduced to us on the eve of Christmas; sitting in a large country-side estate, while his family shares spur-of-the-moment ghost stories. My reason for enjoying this chapter so much was because it was the only instance that felt authentic.
Arthur is a very boring, bland, sullen type of character & everything he encounters & pursues follows suit of those characteristics. However, him sitting idly by, as his step-children (which is most often emphasized in a way that makes me assume that this might be due to the time period or culture), share stories by a dying fire, fits his character in such a way as to make him almost likeable.
His simple tendency to not actually share anything with his family, of whom he has been a part for over 14 years, instead of making the decision to wander off alone & write down his past experiences with the paranormal, is fitting & overall makes sense for his character. Unfortunately, we are meant to rely on this person to share a gruelling story of terror & dread. Therein lies my main issue; nothing happens because Arthur is invaluably unable to recount anything in any effective way so as to render the weight of his experiences anything other than far-fetched ridiculous memories.
Hill spends a great deal of time wandering in circles throughout her writing; we read about ambiance & setting, often. This is not necessarily a bad thing but, I understand that the mist is looming, I understand that you cannot see through it. I understand what mist is & if I were truly uncertain, having it described to me four (4) different times was not going to make it any clearer.
After the scene was set, we have to read about Arthur’s interpretation of the weather in every chapter as though we couldn’t gauge for ourselves how unpredictable the weather would be in the English countryside; as though this isn’t, in current times, well-known for the majority of us. We spend so much time on weather, environment, & Arthur’s observations of meteorology that the actual girth of the story was lost in the process.
Seeing as Arthur doesn’t have many redeeming qualities about him when the ‘Woman in Black’ appeared to us I was so underwhelmed that I couldn’t even bother to care. We walk in circles about a sickly woman appearing at random & then read about Arthur being kept in the dark as to who she is & the impact she held over society. Then, that’s it, we’re at the end of the 200-page book where, you guessed it; everything happens within a couple of pages & voila, fin. Stella dies, his son dies & everyone is riddled with dread & guilt & sorrow.
There was no tension built-up throughout this book, no sentiments summoned to hint at looming terror, no foreshadowing of horrors; there was mist, marshes, a big house & rooms filled with the scent of damp.
I wish that this book had been edited in a different way. There was potential for the story to be scary but, we required a different narrator—one who underwent some form of distinguished regression throughout the story. Arthur reads as being exactly the same in his youth as when he is writing the story in his midlife. I appreciate that his self-reflection could impact the translation of his personality over the years however, even when he was being fully honest with himself about his innocence; was he really young & innocent or was he always glum & dull?
In any case, Hill’s writing of a character with few redeeming characteristics was well-done. I felt absolutely nothing for Arthur save annoyance. He would tell us about something happening in the house only to, a couple of phrases later, recount that same event or go over an action to counter something he had done (here’s looking at you—opening all the curtains only to close them again several moments later as though we couldn’t have filled those lines with other things).
To conclude, this was not a book I enjoyed in the least....more
**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, theref**spoiler alert** It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on abuse, child endangerment, animal abuse, death of an animal, & others.
I very much appreciate & long for good Gothic Horror. I would wager to say that it takes a very specific kind of author to execute the perfect story of this genre. Purcell did a great job at initially introducing the reader to Elsie, the main character who is writing per her doctor’s request, in a bid to unearth her lost memories.
The environment for this story & the plot was very well explained. I could see myself riding in the carriage down a muddy road, in a poor village, on my way to a home that my husband hadn’t known existed until shortly before his death. Purcell leads the reader into a gloomy & large country-esque estate where Elsie is meant to fend for herself. Unfortunately, there were a couple of points that made me stumble in my enjoyment of this book.
Elsie is introduced to us as she sits in an asylum. While she writes we read through the past events which led her to be institutionalized. I felt that Purcell did a wonderful job at distinguishing voices; Elsie came across as a rude & out of touch person in the flash-backs but as someone who was almost a shell of themselves n the present. That’s not something that is always easy to convey. However, I was somewhat confused by Elsie & her tendencies.
For someone who grew up non-rich (based on her recounts, possibly middle class) I was surprised at how demanding she was. She expresses that by marrying Rupert she was moving up in the world so I would have assumed she might have shown more understanding towards the staff & people of lower means than herself. I often found it difficult to connect with her; she goes on to hint numerous times about familial abuse but only ever really gives one morsel of detail; being beaten so badly that her eardrum bursts.
Other reviewers have stated that her brother was, in actuality, her son, who was raised to be her sibling. Maybe I was not paying close enough attention but I interpreted her protectiveness of her younger brother as being a natural reaction after the extent of the physical abuse she alludes to.
I can appreciate saying something without full-on coming out & saying it but, I felt that this aspect of her backstory wasn’t truly utilized to its full potential. Elsie hints at maltreatment but it only ever plays a role when she smells sawdust or remembers her parents. She otherwise appears to be highly adjusted & throughout all the terrors that transpire at the house, her childhood abuse doesn’t play a role. Part of me felt that it might not have needed to be mentioned at all as it was an extra plot piece that wasn’t fully developed.
If you could mentally picture the ‘silent companions’ you might have felt a bit of fear at the idea of them wandering around the house. I was unable to think of what they might look like so, to me, they were giant wood carvings that slid across the floor when no one was watching & that wasn’t very scary. The fact that they were locked behind a closed door for years to then suddenly decide that they could wander at their leisure felt a little odd. Why hadn’t they come out before if Helen was the child of Rupert’s father? If they were looking to take over the body of a descendent they could have taken over hers?
I know it’s been said a million times but I didn’t like the ending. I felt as though the storyline happening in the 1600s was wasted dialogue because Hetta was simply evil for the sake of being evil. What was the point of that? Why did her spirit (through her blood) enter into all of the ‘companions’? What was her motivation for anything?
I felt that I needed more of an explanation than simply being told that she was born without a tongue because her mother really wanted a daughter & her parents refused to allow her to sit at the festivities with the royal couple. Those things made her violently kill an animal? They made her assassinate members of the staff who were friendly & caring towards her. That seems like a stretch. Her whole plot line felt weird & forced, as though we were meant to believe that because she had a special connection to nature she could use her ‘gifts’ against humanity on a whim.
Also, what was with the disappearing shop? That felt like such a left-field decision. If the ‘silent companions’ were already possibly spiritually inhabited etc, why did Hetta need to be a murderer? & if not, are we to believe that Hetta manifested this shop so that her parents would buy these ‘companions’?
Maybe if the companions had been the haunted spirits of the staff I would have felt better. But having Hetta enter her descent’s body after she cut her hand, only to leave Elsie in the asylum was dull & didn’t leave me with any fond feelings. She could have easily told the truth & both of them could have walked away.
Up until it was obvious that Purcell was going to pursue making Hetta a demon child for no reason & the spirit that haunted the house, I did enjoy this book. I would still recommend it to others as there are good plot points & it does well at encompassing the Gothic Horror genre....more
Overall, quite an enjoyable read! I hadn't really known what I was getting into when I started this book but, I was pleasantly surprised with everythiOverall, quite an enjoyable read! I hadn't really known what I was getting into when I started this book but, I was pleasantly surprised with everything I learnt while making my way through this (nearly) 600-page book. Would definitely recommend it!
My only qualm & the reason for the loss of one (1) star is the secret which is constantly hinted at throughout the book but whose reveal was less than groundbreaking or shocking. Perhaps I feel this way because what else could it have been but that? With all the build-up I felt let down. It would have been nice to have the secret plainly explained & possibly cut some of the overall lengths of the book. However, it wasn't the end of the world to have the extra pages....more
**spoiler alert** When I first started reading this book I was surprised by the tone employed to drive the plot forward. To delve into historical fict**spoiler alert** When I first started reading this book I was surprised by the tone employed to drive the plot forward. To delve into historical fiction that doubles as a mystery enticed me. When the premise was revealed to be the dealing of antiquities I was doubly excited. However, so much of my disappointment is attributed to poor characters.
Emily, the main character, who has lost her husband of only a couple of months, & is now very wealthy, stumbles upon her husband's possessions & become aware of the fact that he wasn't the single-minded hunter of wildlife that she knew him to be.
As the book progressed I became more & more irritated with her character. She's not very bright which one might discern from the opening chapters as she makes wild assumptions & has no ability to actually read people (which is highlighted throughout the story). Her single-mindedness toward "The Iliad" by Homer, is mind-numbing to read about.
I've personally read both "The Iliad" & "The Odyssey", having to read about a group of people who seemingly had nothing better to discuss than a work which was translated, misunderstood & over-hyped, gave me the impression that they didn't have much going for them. These wealthy people of English society had ample pieces of literature at their disposal but instead decided to focus on a piece that might grant them the appearance of one who is enlightened & culturally intellectual. I understand that "The Iliad" is referenced in terms of its symbolism but, it was overdone & lead to my feelings listed above.
I grew so incredibly tired of hearing Emily try to be witty & snarky all the while totally ignoring the red flags which were posted everywhere around her. Though there's always a part of me that's secretly happy when I can guess the plot of a story, there was nothing to feel proud about with regard to guessing this one; it was profoundly obvious from the start.
One didn't need to understand the concept of a red herring to know where this book was going. The fact that Emily had to constantly reassure herself of the validity of her assumptions, based solely on her own vapid motives, was dull.
The actual concept of this book was great but the way that it was written, the characters & the layout made the read feel very long & drawn out....more
**spoiler alert** The concept of this book is fascinating, though I do admit that I sometimes struggle with reading historical fiction due to the dial**spoiler alert** The concept of this book is fascinating, though I do admit that I sometimes struggle with reading historical fiction due to the dialogue, I thought that this story would explore a concept that I was unfamiliar with before hearing about the book. To quickly summarize; a sin-eater is a person who, as the name suggests, eats the food placed on deathbeds to consume the sins of the dying/dead.
The sin-eater literally consumes another person's sins, therefore those sins become her own. Obviously, that isn't how 'sins' work. I'm not sure if the fact that Campisi is a playwright affected the way that the dialogues flowed but, I found it excruciating to try & get through this book. There was a lot of repetition & we were constantly going over how sins were the focal point of this society but never delving into how the practice came to be or why certain foods were chosen, etc. I felt as though we were given little information or substance with which to build this scenario in which the main character, May, finds herself.
That being said I don't wish the book to be any longer than it is. This story dragged on. I spent some time wishing we had further details regarding the position of the sin-eater, I also just wanted to get to a point in the story where something (anything) happened.
Yes, May does randomly become a sin eater but the minimal amount of information we are given as to her transition & her learning about the actual practice (i.e. daily tasks vs. her simply following the elder sin eater), rendered me frustrated with the flow of the story. I quickly became annoyed at the silly nicknames that May gave the secondary characters. This is a point in the story where we could have been given some form of detail regarding the characters & their positions in the Queen's court. Instead, we have the babbling of a young girl who is clearly going through it, to lead the reader through these experiences. I understand that May is a young person who lives in the slums of England during a period when there was a lot of insecurity within the social structure. However, as the reader, I wanted to understand more about the environment & the scenery.
One final point I would like to highlight is May's tendency to speak to inanimate objects. This aspect of her character would have been great had we had an exterior perspective of her character in the story. Had the reader been able to understand the struggles of May's life in poverty, of her social standing, her parent's death, her devastating solitude; her conversing with objects would have given the story a unique perspective. However, given the fact that May seems to kind of float through life (i.e when she discovers a giant murder plot without really doing anything to untangle the web), her conversing with inanimate objects felt ridiculous.
The plot of this story had a lot of potential & had it been written differently it might have been an exceptional story. However, with little detail given to build the surroundings of the characters, little information is provided regarding the 'profession' of sin-eating, with the only real interesting point in the plot being the probable murder….which we don't ever read about except when May isn't talking to gravel…this story was a dud....more
**spoiler alert** The first time I read this book was when it was first published & I was very young. I decided to purchase the book for myself & read**spoiler alert** The first time I read this book was when it was first published & I was very young. I decided to purchase the book for myself & read it with an adult lens as I was left with very little recollection of the story. Unfortunately, I would say that this fact is foreshadowing many instances in the storytelling which left me with questions of accuracy, plausibility, authenticity, etc.
Hill is a good writer. Words flow well in this book & events are hinted at with enough information given to leave the reader with an appropriate conclusion & perhaps even some dread. I do not debate Hill’s ability to craft a decent story. However, my first qualm arises with the characters.
As many other people have stated, the characters never feel very fleshed out. Aminata, our protagonist & narrator, is introduced to us at the opening of the book however, by the end of the story I was left feeling as though I didn’t really ‘know’ her. I understood what happened to her & I deduced how that might leave someone to feel (i.e. sadness, anger) but, I didn’t feel as though we were given insight into Aminata’s actual feelings about the events.
For example, upon leaving South Carolina she learns of the death of two of her closest friends. We spend all of two seconds receiving & processing this information. Let me state that I understand how Aminata must have been flushing through bad events to be able to present herself in the next moment; never dwelling on things because who has the chance when one is a slave? However, we are reading these events in the future & not when they actually transpired. Therefore, it might have been to the benefit of the character to have her footnote a brief description of her emotions.
Some other reviewers have stated that a third-person perspective might have increased the enjoyment & depth with which we might have explored the events in this book & I agree. To use the example of the theft of Aminata by the slave traders, the beating-to-death of her mother & the death by firearm of her father; we never actually know how she feels, we are left to deduce these emotions ourselves based on how we might feel had we witnessed our parents being brutally murdered in front of us at the age of 11.
This is not to say that we need deep & profound descriptions of everything. Hill is very capable of leading the reader to their own conclusions, however, I think a third-person perspective on the narration might have been able to grant the story the destructive level of dread that I am sure Aminata felt in that moment & every moment onward.
On its own, it is terrible enough to be captured by slave traders, brought to the United States (13 Colonies at the time) & enslaved. Not even taking into account the fact that the language spoken is not one with which our main character is familiar, to a climate which is different than the one she lived in for 11 years, the physical violence experienced at the hands of grown adults who seemingly fit right into their surroundings & the rollout of deaths that she witnessed from the moment of her capture; the physical labour that awaited Aminata in South Carolina was gruelling & an incredible violation of human rights. However, from the beginning, she is beyond lucky in a way that I cannot quite comprehend. Of course, much of her luck is to the benefit of the story, but the authenticity of the events feels lacking in that I highly doubt that the majority of these things might have happened.
The fact that Aminata was able to hang around the Doctor on board the slave vessel for months but swiftly escape physical harm because she spoke two languages makes me feel as though we’re missing the mark. I’m certain that a Chief or another member of society might be able to speak more than one language. We proved this with King Jimmy. The fact that Aminata seems to be the only person from Africa, in all of the people captured for slavery, to be able to speak more than one language leaves me feeling like we’re downplaying how intelligent people were & highlighting that we really don’t know how their societies worked. For all we know, every other member of a tribe could speak three languages, maybe even four.
Aminata’s ability to read & write does set her apart from many in America, South Carolina, a Plantation, etc. However, I don’t know that this was a good crux for the advancement of the story. Understandably, intelligence is not a one-way street but a spectrum & as proven by Georgia who was seemingly able to prevent Smallpox, Aminata fell short in comparison to many other people she encountered yet, here she was being bought by Lindo to do his bookkeeping.
She then makes friends everywhere she goes & runs away without any trouble, & finds herself in a community of trustworthy people with whom she lives for a couple of years before deciding to (without reason) trust the British. As someone who is viscerally familiar with the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada, reading Aminata’s reaction to the promise of a land grant & ‘all the possibilities of farming development & land for all’ was difficult. I just wanted to tell her that she was never going to get any of the things she was being promised because the people who were already caring for those things were being genocided into oblivion so that the same man who was promising wealth & prosperity in ‘the new world’ could have a house to speak of back in Europe.
The end of the book left me wondering why Aminata was acting so stupidly. After living in Nova Scotia for many years, having her daughter kidnapped by a wealthy White family, & gathering a very in-depth understanding of where Black people stood on the social scale; she jumps at the opportunity to trust a White man who promises her land & freedom in the same land in which she lost her freedom.
I understand that Hill was placing Aminata in every landmark situation for the benefit of the story but at that point, it felt as though our protagonist had no head on her shoulders. Clarkson even tells them that there are still slave posts in Africa & they all jump at the opportunity to go. Do you not recall the British not helping you after you spent months perfecting the ledgers in the Book of Negroes? Do you not recall the actual slavery which you endured for years? Do you not recall how you were promised freedom for assisting the British only for them to surrender & not fulfill their promise? Come on.
Not surprisingly when we are reading about the events in Sierra Leone, Aminata is drawn to the place where she grew up & seeks to return. I can understand that this would be a very pivotal moment in her life but she actually goes with slave traders & believes they’re going to lead her back to her village. Are you joking? After everything, she is shocked when they speak about selling her for their own profit. At this point, Aminata is in her 50s & she’s ignorant enough, after everything she’s just lived through, to jump in a boat with people who trade in human beings & trust that they’re telling the truth.
Overall, I did enjoy this story but by the end, especially the ending itself, I was left feeling as though the events in this single person’s life were unbelievable. On their own, I very much believe these things have happened (i.e. The Atlantic Slave Trade, Indigo Plantations, Slave owners, etc. etc. etc.) however, jammed into one person’s life (a person who lives until they’re about 57) seems a bit implausible....more
I absolutely adored this book. I bought this book while perusing the tables of my local bookstore. There are often stories I haven't heard of stacked I absolutely adored this book. I bought this book while perusing the tables of my local bookstore. There are often stories I haven't heard of stacked with stickers for purchasing deals & seeing as I spend so many hours in the store as it were, I always have extra time to look through discounted items.
There's so much that I want to praise when it comes to this story. Tey truly blew me away with the number of details placed within the plot, which I'm sure takes a significant amount of time to research. This is an aspect of stories that I deeply appreciate; when I read a book & I can tell the amount of effort that the author put forth into creating the story.
When it comes to this book I would advise you to go into it not expecting a riveting crime novel. The main character is bed-bound throughout the entire book & so the reader only receives information or movement in the story when an outside character comes to visit the detective. Though this may appear to complicate any forward movement in the plot, Tey found a way to write about a character who goes nowhere physically all while filling the dialogue with pertinent information & valuable secondary characters.
If you enjoy history & crime & reading a story in which both of these genres are explored, I would recommend you this book. Though I will admit that some of the historical aspects flew over my head—I was never very invested in English history—I remained enthralled in the detailing which lead to the climax & plot reveal. Overall, I just really loved this book....more
**spoiler alert** I don't even know what to say about this book or where to begin. The first 100 pages were not horrible, though the writing was juven**spoiler alert** I don't even know what to say about this book or where to begin. The first 100 pages were not horrible, though the writing was juvenile & corny, the main character unreliable & the surrounding circumstances somewhat unbelievable; I was still interested to see where the story would go. However, after reaching the halfway point, the story was not interesting & no longer held any intrigue.
The main character was so overly focused on his dead wife that he didn't have anything of value to bring to the story. The fact that he was constantly distracted by women (thinking about them physically & becoming aroused) rendered him an unreliable narrator & I was annoyed with him throughout the entirety of the book. We could have actually gotten somewhere 100 pages prior, had he not constantly felt the need to talk & talk & talk about his dead wife's apparitions & then about how turned on he was by the woman in front of him & the imaginary woman he pictured Ada to be. Waldherr had the chance to make the main character truly fascinating; the death of his wife was crazy (to say the least) yet all we see from him is his desire to have sex, kiss his dead wife's apparition, take pictures of dead people & then be horny the rest of the time.
Isabelle was another character (out of the two in which the novel follows) that I hated. It felt as though there was no room for actual dialogue or any dialogue which would advance the plot because she kept reiterating snarky comments & jumping to assumptions about everything. Then, we would have our vapid main character not contest anything that she said & we would have to read about the misconceptions & miscommunications for another chunk of pages.
When the reveal at the end was announced I could not have cared less. I skimmed the last 20 or so pages because the writing of the conversations was so basic & uninteresting that I couldn't stomach it any longer. It would have made more of an impact if Isabelle were revealed as being the daughter earlier on. Instead, we hear about her telling a story, in which she wasn't physically present for half of the time & then acting as though her revealing these intimate details about an ailing woman were somehow a giant power move. She was a nuisance & I didn't care for her at all.
There was real potential for this story to be interesting, disturbing, scary & distinct. Instead, we end up with a storyline that kept taking wild left turns & never went anywhere. There was too much going on with what appears to be little thought for how the story would read when all the ideas, concepts & twists were put together....more
If you're looking for a book to read on a gloomy afternoon, this would do the trick.
The Seer of Shadows is not a complicated story to follow. I would If you're looking for a book to read on a gloomy afternoon, this would do the trick.
The Seer of Shadows is not a complicated story to follow. I would say it's a great starter for those who are looking to begin exploring the world of literary paranormal. The characters do not hold a great deal of depth but, for the purpose of the plot, it worked well.
This was a story that leaned on the shorter side & quickly followed the progression of a scheme that originated from a photographer who is followed by his young apprentice. Though I cannot say that the story had no plot holes or finished on a believable note, I think I was in an appropriate mood to endeavour into a simple story. For that reason, I didn't judge it too harshly.
If you choose to read this book I advise not going into it thinking that you'll be reading the most extraordinary ghost story of all time. If you begin your read with the thought in mind that this story is short, sweet & attempts to be a little scary; you might enjoy it more than not.
A seasoned reader of crime, mystery & the paranormal might not find this story riveting but, I think that every once in a while it's nice to read something that's not too complicated & ends on a high note, however unrealistic that note might be....more
Though this book was not what I was expecting & was pretty bad, I'm more so surprised at myself for finishing the entire thing. I cannot begin to imagThough this book was not what I was expecting & was pretty bad, I'm more so surprised at myself for finishing the entire thing. I cannot begin to imagine how, & why, this book is so highly rated.
This is in no way a romantic story according to today's standards. Lucy develops an acquaintanceship with the ghost that inhabits the house she recently began renting after she decided that she no longer wanted to associate with the family of her deceased husband. She moves her children to the rental after spending the night deep-cleaning. Though she has an encounter (if you can call it that) with the ghost on her first night at the house, Lucy still endeavours to bring her children after making the ghost promise he would never interfere with them.
This story follows the style of "The Turn of the Screw"(1898) by Henry James, wherein the reader might interpret Lucy's experiences in two ways. Given the fact that Lucy seems to only hear the ghost in her mind —no sights except for a dream she has after seeing the portrait of the original owner —& almost no one else ever does, one might almost be tempted to say that Lucy is not having conversations with a ghost but with her own imagination.
Save for an experience Lucy & a pawn-shop owner share, I would have been tempted to state that this was what was actually happening. However, there's ultimately so little substance to this story that one can't help but feel that, of course, she's talking to a ghost in her mind because what else could possibly be happening in this boring woman's life?
Lucy is a very bland character. She always second-guesses herself & her decisions. She rambles about things very frequently & her total lack of personality & backbone really made me not give two cents about her. Her desire to jump into the arms of a random man & agree to give her children away to a family that she didn't trust, or like, made me loathe her.
The ghost is annoying, and an overly macho-type of character & truly didn't bring anything riveting to the story.
I can't say that there was any particular moment of the story which enticed me to continue reading. I suppose that such a short book might have held a twist or a turn at some point & after having seen such high ratings, I wanted to give it a fair chance. Suffice it to say that you would not be missing out on a Classic if you decided to skip this book....more
Loading...
