One of the worst books I have ever read. I have to admit I skim read quite a bit of it in awful fascination. Plot - barmy and disorganised. Mad as a bOne of the worst books I have ever read. I have to admit I skim read quite a bit of it in awful fascination. Plot - barmy and disorganised. Mad as a box of frogs. Characters - barmy and wooden. Dialogue - pointless. History - ffs, have you no idea? It seems this is the first of a series? Someone should tell the author that it is customary to end the story in this book in this book and not go out on a cliffhanger. I am not sure she had ever read a novel; it seemed more likely that she was used to mini-series'. Hum. Perhaps the whole idea was to have it become a mini-series? Usually books that become a mini-series were worth reading in the first place. Just a thought....more
2 stars means 'it was OK'. I am not convinced that it was OK, actually. *Revises it to 1 star*
I was offended at many levels by the relationship of Cl2 stars means 'it was OK'. I am not convinced that it was OK, actually. *Revises it to 1 star*
I was offended at many levels by the relationship of Clare and Henry. Clare's very state of being is determined by Henry - because he told her so (and the Catholic Church lurks behind this). She has an idealised, romantic view of him and he is a controlling entity who knows her future but refuses to tell her about it. He is presented as unconditionally loving (is he, in fact, God?) but there's a clue in that term; unconditional means without conditions. Unconditionally controlling? The oxymorons are flying like confetti. Selfish pig, if you ask me!
The author seems to be utterly confused by her own premises for time travel. This book requires so much suspension of disbelief that it should come with inbuilt suspenders. The only disbelief I don't have to suspend is my own at the number of high starred reviews it has. Perhaps its just me :P...more
Unremittingly dreadful. Poor characterisation, unbelievable characters, stereotyping of King John in a way that defied belief - kids, what she said heUnremittingly dreadful. Poor characterisation, unbelievable characters, stereotyping of King John in a way that defied belief - kids, what she said he did is a big fat lie; no-one know what happened to Arthur and no-one EVER suggested John was literally raving mad apart from a few bad writers. Also writes 'forsoothly'.
I am sorry to write this as EC is much more capable than appears here, despite my last review. But then I notice this was first published in 1999 when she'd been writing 8 or 9 years. I take that back; it's awful. Bodice-ripping tosh....more
EC's debut novel. Rather a lot of historical howlers going on which greatly mars the flow for me. Never let it be said that EC can't write - she's excEC's debut novel. Rather a lot of historical howlers going on which greatly mars the flow for me. Never let it be said that EC can't write - she's excellently good at getting a flowing narrative going but she's so over-involved with the sex lives of her protagonists that it gets tedious. They are always in love (arranged marriages in despite) and the sex is always successful - unless one of the baddies is involved and then it's usually rape. Multiple feisty women too......I like her biographical novels better, even though the above complaints hold true there also....more
Weird book. I have broken my own rule on not reading others' reviews before writing my own because I was so bemused by this book that I couldn't even Weird book. I have broken my own rule on not reading others' reviews before writing my own because I was so bemused by this book that I couldn't even articulate what happened in it. I had been told it was about synaesthesia (it wasn't) and I read people calling it magical realism (it isn't). I will enlarge on both of these refutations:
Synaesthesia seems to be a flavour of the month theme recently and I can easily understand why it fascinates people; I have been synaesthetic all my life. To be fair to Ms Bender, she never used the word in the book so I have no idea if that concept was in her mind (along with a whole host of other things I have no idea about!)
Synesthesia is 'a perceptual condition of mixed sensations: a stimulus in one sensory modality (e.g., hearing) involuntarily elicits a sensation/experience in another modality (e.g. vision)' - that is, the senses collide and, say, a musical note shows as a colour in your head. Words, especially names, may have a 'colour', a texture, a sound or smell associated with them. Any or all of the 5 senses may be the predominant source of experience affecting another sense or more of them.
I have read that some form has been identified that relates to sensing others' emotions but I see that as nonsense - that is empathy, in some form. And indirect empathy is what Rose exhibits - that is, she feels others' feelings via food. It is interesting that it is indirect - why can she not empathise directly? It could be a safety mechanism of her personality's devising? Further, Ms Bender seems to find it hard to stick with her own theme of Rose's empathy-via-food and it keeps going off into an ability to taste the origins of the food rather than the emotions of the cook. I think Ms Bender has read Patrick Süskind and seems to have kind of morphed with him at times, leaving a very unpleasant taste in my mouth! As the book develops (kind of), we find that there are other 'special talents' in the mix, only one of which is ever articulated into any comprehensible form. And that character is dead.
This book is not Magical Realism. The clue is in the term itself - realism. No magic is imputed in the story and there is precious little realism as demonstrated by my confusion at the end of the book. Magical realism is a genre that, while encompassing a range of different concepts, holds an acceptance of magic in the rational world.
So, what is this book? There are pieces of real beauty in the writing - and there is a complete absence of proper punctuation which is happening regularly now and I think the authors doing this are trying to be 'innovative'. Actually, they are being irritating. Listen - it's not big and it's not clever to show off, ok? The mother's as nutty as a fruit cake, the father's scared he might be a healer (it would seem to me). Only George comes across with any amiability. I would ask how he came to be friends with Joseph but one of my nephews has a very similar relationship with a friend who Joseph reminded me of.
There are whole bits of the story missing. Almost nothing that is left hanging ever gets clarified. The end is simply bizarre.
Finally - the brother. (view spoiler)[He morphed into a chair. (hide spoiler)] WTF? How is that a 'special ability'? He actually comes across as probably on the autistic spectrum, he's sold to us as a genius but he seems to lose that status and fails in academia. He seems an OK character until we find out where he's been disappearing to and then I am left with concerns about the author's perceptions of reality.
Overall my response is something like......'what on earth was that? It's pretty unique for me to say I can't get head nor tail of it. It's readable though.
Perhaps Ms Turner was under a publishing time constraint? Whatever the reason this was in no way as good as the Sarah Prine books. The characterisatioPerhaps Ms Turner was under a publishing time constraint? Whatever the reason this was in no way as good as the Sarah Prine books. The characterisation was not sharp and, try as I might, I couldn't warm to Resolute. She was rather a ninny and a bit of a user. Also prone to deluded thinking. I became irritated by her.
Just as I experienced in Sarah's Quilt, the plot was a bit barmy: stolen by pirates from her home, then stolen by other pirates from the first pirates, she and her sister are sold into indenture. Her owners are an incestuous couple (literally) with knocked-off kids and cruel to her.....so she does what she can to be nasty in return. The settlement they are in decides to migrate into the wilderness, as you do. They are all captured by Indians and delivered to the Catholic Church to be 'saved' and held prisoner for 5 years, even though it is clearly not that hard to escape as people keep doing so. Finally they leave and the sister wanders off with an Indian brave she's managed to get involved with whilst held prisoner (and has been at it with another guy at the same time but the Indian is true love, apparently). And that was just the start. Throughout much of the book Resolute is blindly determined to get back home to her mother who died at the time they were abducted. Resolute was there but lives in denial even though her sister blatantly told her several time while I was listening that the mother is dead and Resolute was there when it happened. She battens off people along the way, steals a fiance or two from close friends and generally thinks 'it's all about ME!'
Besides this, there were any number of basic historical errors - she had Queen Anne on the throne 15 years after she had died and had her succeeded by Charles II who was actually her uncle and several monarchs before Anne. If you make such easily checked historical errors how am I to trust any historical data?
Hum. Readable but not the quality I had come to expect of the writer. I would have been more kindly disposed if I hadn't read the other books. I began to long for the end of the book by about page 250. Generally disappointing.
The least favourite of CMcC's books for me. It began ok but the plot became utterly bizarre. It wasn't helped by an edition featuring a winsome 20 yeaThe least favourite of CMcC's books for me. It began ok but the plot became utterly bizarre. It wasn't helped by an edition featuring a winsome 20 year old on the cover of a story about a middle aged woman (certainly 38 was considered well past it at that time - today, apparently, 60 is the new middle age.....sheesh! I am a mere stripling still!)
My willing suspension of disbelief faculty was so over-strained that I fear a hernia!...more
Not exactly your average police procedural.......Tarquin Hall is a very funny man! I love 'Chubby', it's official! May there be many more to come :PNot exactly your average police procedural.......Tarquin Hall is a very funny man! I love 'Chubby', it's official! May there be many more to come :P...more
There WAS some whispering that Elizabeth, The Winter Queen, had secretly married again but this version is so unlikely as to be preposterous. So, histThere WAS some whispering that Elizabeth, The Winter Queen, had secretly married again but this version is so unlikely as to be preposterous. So, historically - forget it. With that in mind, however, it is a well-constructed tale and reads both easily and engagingly. It's a nice idea; an optimistic dream....then I saw it becomes a trilogy and the third part reaches the Frankly Barking Mad category, so I will no more.
Historical fiction is a difficult beast - is the emphasis on 'historical' or on 'fiction'? To my mind the story must at least be possible - believable - with regard to the historical context. Otherwise it is simply fiction or belongs in the fantasy genre - a clear example of that is A Natural History of Dragons. Thus I deduce that the emphasis is on 'historical' rather than 'fiction' as that is the genre. If it wants to be fiction or fantasy or whatever it can be - but it should not call itself 'historical' if it isn't at least possible.
Pelagius would have been considered a witch in the real historical context and the rest of it would have been so profoundly shocking it cannot be overstated - not to mention the number of cultural and personal mindsets a very proper princess, deeply conscious of her rank, would have had to ride roughshod over to even feel an attraction. And probably that would have been true of him also. In fact, the number of cultural liberties taken in the context of that time-frame is quite breathtaking....more
Read to complete the translated set - very frustrating as the other 'half' of this was never translated.Read to complete the translated set - very frustrating as the other 'half' of this was never translated....more
I was less taken with this episode - the plot was becoming very odd and Vespasian was coming across like a bit of a prat - and thought the se3.5 stars
I was less taken with this episode - the plot was becoming very odd and Vespasian was coming across like a bit of a prat - and thought the series might be going off the boil already; however, by the end I was enrapt again and Caligula is about to be assassinated. So, I continue!...more
I was quite enjoying this until suddenly the ship sank and it became really bizarre. Man Booker strikes again; I never like these books but I think I I was quite enjoying this until suddenly the ship sank and it became really bizarre. Man Booker strikes again; I never like these books but I think I should read cos everyone says they are wonderful......it was marginally better than some Man Bookers of the past. A lot of it was just boring. I loved Pi being Christian, Hindu and Muslim, that is right up my alley and why this got a 3 stars instead of a 2 or even a 1 star, which was possible. But his religiosity and failure to see why he couldn't be all three was so very much my way of thinking that I could not go below 3 stars. Power to the people. The scene with 3 religious teachers quarreling over him was priceless.
NB In fact, I liked that concept of having several faiths so much that I would like to nominate it as my favourite concept of the year - and I place it in the running for favourite lifetime concept also! ...more
Absolutely dreadful. I know it is about the Dark Ages (just) but it's simply fantasy. Please be honest, as an author, if you made it up. No part of thAbsolutely dreadful. I know it is about the Dark Ages (just) but it's simply fantasy. Please be honest, as an author, if you made it up. No part of this struck me as historical, much seemed rather hysterical (and not in the funny ha ha way!)
If you enjoy the era covered - don't read this it will just make you feel somewhere between angry and peevish :)...more
Lo-Melkhiin has been possessed and it - the demon or whatever he is, must be a male one - is killing all the women. Nameless, like the narrator, the wLo-Melkhiin has been possessed and it - the demon or whatever he is, must be a male one - is killing all the women. Nameless, like the narrator, the women are dying at his behest. Yes, there is only one named character in this book; all the rest are anonymous. Which renders them voiceless because how can you have a voice if you don't have a name? And how can you exist? Fortunately, the women do exist (at least in this story) and the powerless and non-existent, voiceless women win when finally one of them pacifies the possessing demon and peace breaks out.
A slow, odd and rather bravura performance - it's almost reckless to write from anonymity as narrator. How this got tagged as YA I cannot say, that's a batty event if I ever.....read one. I usually dislike fantasy but this is more allegory than fantasy.
"Done with being the silent many Every voice rings out and carries. No we won't just go back Home without you hearing The sound when the many say We are done"
This novel is a lesson to all HF authors on what not to do. Not only does the author disregard both historical progression and historical minutiae andThis novel is a lesson to all HF authors on what not to do. Not only does the author disregard both historical progression and historical minutiae and insert a fantasy of her own but her plotting is on a level of unfeasibility and wild imagining that makes Bernard Cornwell look positively restrained and cautious! It opens with a young girl in end stage labour being pursued with murderous intent by soldiers. It is not immediately clear why this is so - why they wish to seize the putative child - and when we do find out it is an even more ludicrous notion. I imagine this author believes that Princess Diana was murdered by MI5 (or whoever), that Elvis lives and breathes and that Dan Brown writes factual books. She may also have given birth by proxy.
I have to say, she has a very vivid imagination! Anyway, she had stretched my willing suspension of disbelief faculty to snapping point within the first chapter. And that was without any historical criticism though the book is littered with errors like leaves in an autumn wood.
I confess to skim reading (in horror) due to being a) nosy enough to want to know whose child it was and b) because it was like watching a car crash. I won't be reading any more of the series - or anything else by this author, who is Australian and much talked about here as a good writer.
*stunned mullet look*
To those who kindly read my maunderings - this is another one not to read if you want a soupçon of authenticity....more
Loading...
