It's been a few months since I read this one, and I keep meaning to go back and review it, because I was absolutely captivated by the book from beginnIt's been a few months since I read this one, and I keep meaning to go back and review it, because I was absolutely captivated by the book from beginning to end.
But before I begin, I should acknowledge that this is not in any way shape or form everyone's cup of tea. Everything about this book takes its time. It meanders and grows and creeps along not unlike the plants that are at the center of much of the story, as it covers two generations of botanists during the 18th and 19th centuries. If you want STUFF to happen in your books, or if you don't enjoy pages of context and tone setting, then don't even bother with this. This book assumes you will be as interested in botany as the characters it brings to life. Yet, while that is not an area of science that would typically excite me in any way, shape, or form, I found it interesting and accessible rather than feeling excluded from the characters or their experiences.
It starts off with Henry, a poor English boy who through extraordinary efforts and grim tenacity earns his fortune and eventually settles in Philadelphia. His daughter, Alma, is as much a force of nature as her father, despite a secluded childhood. This story starts to feel like a typical historical romance with the introduction of a love interest for Alma, but the skillful way that the author transitions this from something formulaic to something altogether different was absolutely admirable in my mind. I was surprised and moved by the writing for pages and pages.
I don't want to give spoilers to those who might like to give it a try, so I'll leave this simple. While it will be a bit niche in terms of its appeal, for those who like this sort of thing, you'll REALLY like it. And I do think that it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gilbert is a real and skillful author. I'm very thankful to the dear friend who gave me the signed copy of the book as a gift....more
I picked this one up following a visit to London's Dickens' Museum, which is a really nicely restored peek into his house and life. I wanted to read sI picked this one up following a visit to London's Dickens' Museum, which is a really nicely restored peek into his house and life. I wanted to read something he had been writing in the house at the time, and my manager suggested this one over Pickwick Papers, as he felt it had more personality. I can't argue with his suggestion...I really loved this book. I'm not even entirely sure WHY I loved it so much, because it was a) not entirely my thing and b) clearly not Dickens' best work and c) not something I will ever want to read again. Maybe it's a testimony to this author that even a story just a teensy too drawn out (by nature of it having been a serial), and clearly meant to tug on the hearts of a particular kind of audience, that I still liked it. I enjoyed the historical take on things common to the time. I was taken in by Dickens' clear opinions about political issues of his day. And...well, there's something about people getting what is due to them that is appealing. It felt like I was reading my comfort food instead of eating it. It took me ages to read, because it was dull for long pages, but even the dull bits were well written, and so I persevered and was happy to have done so. There were hints of Dickens' greatness-to-come in passages at the end that I found completely exciting to have glimpsed, as if I was reading it as he wrote it instead of quite a number of years later. Silly, I know, but there you go....more
I feel as though I really need to go to confession before I start this review. Bless me for I have sinned...I initially gave Wool #1 a 3 star rating. I feel as though I really need to go to confession before I start this review. Bless me for I have sinned...I initially gave Wool #1 a 3 star rating.
I did! I know. I know! I need to hang my head in shame. Please forgive me!
Here's the deal. Someone mentioned the first book in this series was seriously discounted or possibly completely free. I picked it up. I read a few pages. I was HOOKED BEYOND BELIEF. Then, the book ended. I didn't know the book was a sequel, assumed it was a novella, and was exceedingly disappointed. Nothing written that good should end that abruptly with nothing tied off and finished off. And as a stand alone, it IS an excellent bit of fiction, but I don't LIKE short stories. Even when I know in my heart they are good, I resent them for their brevity. With this book being as amazing as it was, I was even more annoyed than normal with it. I gave it 3 stars, I moved on.
Or did I? No, I didn't if I'm honest with you. I TRIED to move on, but I kept thinking about it. And thinking about it. And disagreeing with certain aspects of how groups of people in the story coped with certain things that happened. But then I started to think maybe I wasn't giving it enough credit, changed my mind and started finding it plausible again. Rinse, repeat. The book got in my head, which meant that it filled one of my major criteria for a 5-star rating. When you keep thinking about a book long after you've put it down, there's something about it that is special. At least, for someone like me, who has the attention span of a gnat.
I found myself 'Google-ing' the author, wanting to know what else he had written, and BAM, I realized I was a moron and had overlooked that there was more to the series. Back to Kindle, found the omnibus, picked it up, and DEVOURED the book. I couldn't put it down! It was so well written, and yet so unclear what the final message would be, I read frantically with dread in my heart. Dread that the story would end on the same sort of cliffhanger, dread that characters that I cared about and had invested in would be tossed away, but most importantly..well...
Most importantly I worried about what exactly this author, who is so gifted at making the reader FEEL something, would decide was the *message* of this book. I didn't want it to be an act of futility, and I cared enough about it to hold my breath and read at a frantic pace to try to rush to the end. I NEEDED to know what the truth of humanity would be in this world.
What WAS the verdict? What was the message? I can't tell you that. I won't even tell you whether I found the ending disappointing or not. Spoilers. But I will say that this book is fantastically written, and it WILL become a classic work in this genre in the next 20 years, you can bet your bottom dollar on it.
Yup, go read it. It's cheap, it's fab, it's worth it....more
Update: January 2014...Re-read so that I was prepared for the sequel. I knew about the writing style change about halfway through and it made me more Update: January 2014...Re-read so that I was prepared for the sequel. I knew about the writing style change about halfway through and it made me more gentle with the book. I liked it more this time because I wasn't annoyed about feeling disappointed. It's really a pretty decent story. Looking forward to digging into the next one
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I totally understand now why the friends on my list have mentioned that the first part of this book differs quite significantly from the second half, and I'd have to totally agree. I started out thinking this book could do no wrong. The writing was so tight, and the storyline was so damned DIFFERENT from everything else I'm seeing out there at the moment. I thought, what are these people...crazy? Annnd then the love interest storyline was brought to the forefront, and it so completely took the shine off of it for me. The language, which previously had seemed so poetic and intelligent, started to feel sappy and overdone. Instead of hanging onto every page, I started skimming some of the more overworked sections. I got irritated that things started jumping around in the middle, even before the flashbacks, but felt that it did get back and track again by the end. So overall, great book. I really liked it. I'm not on the 'O MY GOSH, AMAZING' bandwagon, but neither am I letting a little bit of disappointment when it didn't live up to its absolute potential ruin the whole thing. That would just be silly. I will read the next one, and I am overall fairly excited and impressed to read some young adult stuff that uses big people words and doesn't assume the reader is completely clueless. Tra-la-la....more
This book was absolutely amazing. I was already a big fan of Patrick Ness's writing style, but this cinched it. He is one of the best authors I've reaThis book was absolutely amazing. I was already a big fan of Patrick Ness's writing style, but this cinched it. He is one of the best authors I've read in our time and I really don't care that I'm probably gushing here. This story, about a young boy whose mother is very ill, is written in the style of a myth or fable. Yet, it remains grounded in reality in the here and now at the same time. Not an easy task. The boy is pursued by a monster and at the same time deals with nightmares that he can barely admit to himself and which he finds 1,000 times scarier than the beast outside his window at night.
I can't say a lot without giving away the whole thing, except to say that this isn't an easy read. It's not supposed to be an easy read. But if you like books that grapple with real and difficult truths in the world, then this book probably can't be beat. It deserves every star and as difficult and scary as it can be, I think it's the type of reading that older children can and should be coached through with adult supervision....more
I reading this again after many many years and I can't understand why I didn't like it all that much on the first reading, because it is utterly gorgeI reading this again after many many years and I can't understand why I didn't like it all that much on the first reading, because it is utterly gorgeous. It's a fantastic parable, exciting and beautiful. For me, a real page turner and a work of art. Funny how sometimes a book needs to come to you at just the right time for you to get the most out of it. Huh....more
31/Dec/2023 - Reread this for the umpteenth time as it is a huge fav. Can't wait to try to woo my niece with it when she's old enough (soon!)
This was 31/Dec/2023 - Reread this for the umpteenth time as it is a huge fav. Can't wait to try to woo my niece with it when she's old enough (soon!)
This was my favorite series as a kid. I remain impressed by it as I attempt to reread it. It seriously makes Harry Potter seem insignificant on a literary level....more
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