This came up "recommended", which seemed odd...seeing as how I've read the book at least three times and actually met Brother Andrew in my misspent yoThis came up "recommended", which seemed odd...seeing as how I've read the book at least three times and actually met Brother Andrew in my misspent youth. So, anyway, great book, captivating story. ...more
Honestly, I've actually read this book at least 6 times since I was 9. It's an enchanting novel with a central character who is by turns admirable, enHonestly, I've actually read this book at least 6 times since I was 9. It's an enchanting novel with a central character who is by turns admirable, enviable, pitiful, irksome, charming. It's such a wonderful book, and Bess leaps off the page. ...more
I'm giving this 3.5 stars but rounding them down in the display in order to communicate just how disappointed I am.
I had never read the book--didn't I'm giving this 3.5 stars but rounding them down in the display in order to communicate just how disappointed I am.
I had never read the book--didn't even realise there WAS a book--but I saw the movie and didn't care for the characters. Then when the book was recommended by an author I enjoy I grabbed it from the library and started reading.
I hated all the characters but the writing was so gripping I couldn't put it down. What happens next? Will Mildred find work? I was devouring the story in spite of the spiteful people.
And then Veda happened.
Words cannot fully illustrate how awful Veda is. She's perhaps the vilest villain I've ever encountered. Not only is she an over-the-top vile creature she's smugly proud of her awfulness.
I've read other reviews where people love Veda because as far as villains go you can't help but love to hate her. And there's a truth to that. But for me Veda ruined the story. What had made the book so compelling was Cain's ability to draw a meaningful story from an ordinary life. So when Veda comes along and is anything but ordinary the book starts to lose its way.
Even worse, there's no explanation for why Veda is the way she is. She's just THERE. And awful. ...more
I don't know why I bother with William Golding's dank and misanthropic books. He's a good writer who writes about bad things very well. I'm torn betweI don't know why I bother with William Golding's dank and misanthropic books. He's a good writer who writes about bad things very well. I'm torn between wanting to read his skill and wanting to run from his story.
This novel, with its disdain for everyone in its pages, is both beautiful and horrid. Mostly horrid. ...more
I should've remembered this fondly and not tried to reread it. What had once seemed vivid now feels overwrought. It just wasn't any FUN. I should've remembered this fondly and not tried to reread it. What had once seemed vivid now feels overwrought. It just wasn't any FUN. ...more
This book was written out of the author's fevered desperation for money. His home was destroyed by fire in February, 1968. He wrote the three novellasThis book was written out of the author's fevered desperation for money. His home was destroyed by fire in February, 1968. He wrote the three novellas-- gathered here in one volume-- for a science fiction magazine.
This is very much a relic of the Science Fiction of the time, focusing on philosophical utopia and the transcendence of difference and conflict.
At its most basic level it is a retelling of the birth of Christianity.
It is undeniably a strong story, but it is also very much a piece of its time. The over emphasis on psychedelic transformation seems quaint and underdeveloped from the standpoint of a post-millennial reader. I enjoyed the anthropology of the story, but could honestly have done without all the "We are star-stuff" magicoscience that forms the story's conclusion.
I'm giving it 4.5 stars because it is a good, compelling read. I'm docking the half-star because it is far from timeless. The obvious aura of 1968 detracts from the story's power. ...more
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