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Reviews (4)
04 November 2007
Not as 'Magical' as McKillip's Other Books
I discovered Patricia McKillip fairly recently, and quite by happy accident. I bought the book 'A Winter Rose' (though I have the feeling that may not be [though it may be] exactly the correct title, it's close enough that one can't mistake it for any other of her books) because the blurb sounded good, and because the covers of McKillip's books mostly feature the artwork of Kinuko Craft, whom I revere (to a point ;)). Haven't you ever bought a book because you liked its cover? I'm betting that you have.
The book I mentioned above ^ was so good (and there's a kind-of-sequel to it, too!) that I decided to buy many more of McKillip's works, which I did, on eBay of course. From older paperbacks to trade paperbacks to first edition hard bounds, these fabulous books poured into my house for a couple of weeks, and I read them as fast as I could; one might say I 'gobbled' them. They turned out to be uniformly beautifully (though never 'preciously') written and plotted fantasy tales, each as different from the other as Sun from Moon, except for one series and the aforementioned kind-of-sequel of course, with fresh, creative situations and characters so lovingly treated that they seem as real as characters can be. Those of us who 'gobble' books will know what I mean, I am pretty sure. I believe the term for it is 'Possible Magic', but could have imagined that.
So it is with a twinge of trepidation that I award this book, (Alphabet of Thorn), a 'Good' rather than the 'Excellent' I would award the dozen other of her novels which I have now read. The thing about this is that it may just be a personal taste (or slight distaste), but isn't that why we are asked to write these reviews? Some of you who have read this book and later read my review may think, 'Aw, she's nuts!', and that is fine, too :) However, to me, the book's plot was so much more contrived, even clumsy, than anything else of McKillip's I have read, that I never could settle in and 'live' in that world comfortably. This book I could pick up and not pick back up for days, and actually considered not finishing it.
The premise is wonderful, if complicated. You like the 'story people', but don't quite love them. The Library is a place I think any bibliophile would want to at least visit. I'm not giving away any more plot hints, and you can't make me ;) I have to recommend the book anyway, though, because Patricia McKillip's writing is so far and away finer than many and many other fantasy writers in every way. Perhaps, if I had read this one before so many of her other books I wouldn't see the book this way. But I doubt it.
Thanks for reading my review, and please understand that I'm not being pedantic on purpose, lol. Just 'trying to keep the conversation lively' :)
mildred/agathax
03 March 2007
I never received my item (or a refund)!! However...
I had bought this wonderful wonderful movie for my godson on VHS back in the dark ages before DVD! He watched it so many times that we all knew the music by heart and we all ("we all" being Ryan, Andrew [my godsons], their mother, Karen, and me) loved the whole "Snowman" experience :) The animation is just like the drawings in the book, very beautiful. The story is touching and joyous, though a little sad at the end. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough; in fact, it's so wonderful that I wanted my new crop of children friends to see it last Christmas. Sadly, this was not to be. So, while i recommend the product i will not recommend the sellers.
03 March 2007
A Sad Day for Me.
I bought this book because Ruth Rendell is my favorite British mystery writer, and because I buy all of her Inspector Wexford books. I read it the day it arrived, and was so disappointed. The plot is weaker than usual (I knew who the murderer was and some other things I can't share without giving away major plot points, almost right away), and the writing seemed to me to be rushed and just a little sloppy, as if Ms. Rendell had to finish in a hurry due to some kind of contract deadline.
You have probably all read books that have this particular 'feel' to them, but I was frankly shocked. Ruth Rendell just writes so beautifully as a general rule; her plots are tight, her characters fully drawn, her sense of place well-communicated. However, in this book, she seemed to be making the attempt to be clever about these things without actually achieving this. Then she kind of jammed all of the most important/interesting plot devices at the end of the book. I might add that there were very few surprises.
This experience won't keep me from buying her books in the future, but if the next one is as disappointing as this one, Inspector Wexford will have to go along without this fan.