Another impossible, at times infuriating book. Truly, Angela Carter has never written a boring sentence in her life, and this book is a mad, picaresquAnother impossible, at times infuriating book. Truly, Angela Carter has never written a boring sentence in her life, and this book is a mad, picaresque (as we're told to expect!) delight. Everything is to excess, glorious, florid excess, and while I don't think it will work for the vast majority of people, Carter's work is always singularly rewarding to those it does work for.
I can't deny certain aspects haven't aged well, but that's to be expected from a fifty-year-old book; the core is solid, delicious madness. ...more
Again! How am I so annoyed with Eugenides all the time! While also loving him!
I love the simplicity of Turner's writing; as someone who tends to be aAgain! How am I so annoyed with Eugenides all the time! While also loving him!
I love the simplicity of Turner's writing; as someone who tends to be a maximalist in all things, the spare, careful prose here is a thing of wonder. My heart hurts for Sophos, who just wants to read poetry and live a simple life, but who, by way of his family's machinations and his proximity to Eugenides, is destined for nothing close to a simple life.
I'm screaming at how good this book is. SCREAMING. It truly holds up on a reread, even knowing all of the twists and reveals to come. ...more
Just as much of a maddening, twisty delight as it was the first time. How can I be so annoyed at Eugenides, while also loving and pitying him as much Just as much of a maddening, twisty delight as it was the first time. How can I be so annoyed at Eugenides, while also loving and pitying him as much as I do? ...more
Yet again, Susanna Clarke mesmerizes and delights. While I miss the depth of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, and the power of Piranesi, those aren't Yet again, Susanna Clarke mesmerizes and delights. While I miss the depth of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, and the power of Piranesi, those aren't what this collection is about: it's about exploring smaller moments, less expansive stories, and Clarke does so with her customary grace and nuance. The delicacy of her writing can't be understated; I'm hungry for her words in a way I am with few writers, and each story is a different kind of feast.
Personally, I'm the most fond of the title story, because of how it fills in a throwaway reference in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell while also revealing an entire world of magic and rich life that is only glimpsed in the longer novel (and is disregarded, by the main characters).
Bethany Bee
>
Books:
readathon-2022
(5)
Loading...
