Reading Retreat Reviews
Sep. 12th, 2023 10:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearJust back from reading retreat in Somerset - three books read in four days!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver:
I love Kingsolver's writing and David Copperfield is one of my favourite Dickens novels, so an amalgamation of the two seemed like an awesome prospect. And the writing was indeed mostly exquisite. Demon's voice is very distinct and realistic, but there is also the poetic description I expect from Kingsolver. The story of Demon's life is very immersive, with the Appalachian setting fully realised and almost a character in and of itself. And there are lots of great supporting characters. The last third got a bit grim and depressing (and a bit preachy on the message of the drug crisis in America) before it picked up again right at the end. But I did have a couple of issues with it along the way, so it wasn't a wholly positive reading experience for me. Still very impressive and mostly good, though.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell:
People kept on recommending this to me so I finally gave in - and I'm afraid I wish I hadn't... Don't get me wrong - it's very well-written and involving, with obviously a lot of research to bring the historical setting to life. But firstly - does the world really need another historical novel about a young girl forced into an abusive marriage? Given how much this book was recommended to me, I guess the world says 'yes', but I'm not sure I did... I also guessed how it was going to end a good 150 pages beforehand and was then very upset to be proved right, because it meant something very bad for my favourite character, whose fate was dismissed as distressingly unimportant... A definite 'no' from me, I'm afraid!
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson:
I've read a fair few books by Atkinson - loved some, disliked others - but never ventured into her detective series. Given my expectations of her literary prose, I was surprised to find it quite blokey and even offensive in places. But it was certainly pacy and I was very much drawn in by wanting to know the answers to all the mysteries. These ended up being very cleverly woven together - but pretty bleak. I'm somewhat intrigued to find out what Jackson Brodie does next - but I'm not sure if I want to put myself through it...
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver:
I love Kingsolver's writing and David Copperfield is one of my favourite Dickens novels, so an amalgamation of the two seemed like an awesome prospect. And the writing was indeed mostly exquisite. Demon's voice is very distinct and realistic, but there is also the poetic description I expect from Kingsolver. The story of Demon's life is very immersive, with the Appalachian setting fully realised and almost a character in and of itself. And there are lots of great supporting characters. The last third got a bit grim and depressing (and a bit preachy on the message of the drug crisis in America) before it picked up again right at the end. But I did have a couple of issues with it along the way, so it wasn't a wholly positive reading experience for me. Still very impressive and mostly good, though.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell:
People kept on recommending this to me so I finally gave in - and I'm afraid I wish I hadn't... Don't get me wrong - it's very well-written and involving, with obviously a lot of research to bring the historical setting to life. But firstly - does the world really need another historical novel about a young girl forced into an abusive marriage? Given how much this book was recommended to me, I guess the world says 'yes', but I'm not sure I did... I also guessed how it was going to end a good 150 pages beforehand and was then very upset to be proved right, because it meant something very bad for my favourite character, whose fate was dismissed as distressingly unimportant... A definite 'no' from me, I'm afraid!
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson:
I've read a fair few books by Atkinson - loved some, disliked others - but never ventured into her detective series. Given my expectations of her literary prose, I was surprised to find it quite blokey and even offensive in places. But it was certainly pacy and I was very much drawn in by wanting to know the answers to all the mysteries. These ended up being very cleverly woven together - but pretty bleak. I'm somewhat intrigued to find out what Jackson Brodie does next - but I'm not sure if I want to put myself through it...
