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Sara's Reviews > Lost
Lost
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by
I wrote this review a couple of years ago over at amazon.com. I was a little snarky back then (ha!), but I still feel the same way:
I couldn't put this book down. Found myself . . . "Lost" in it! There are lots of kinds of people in the world and from the reviews here it appears that they fall into two categories: those who would like the wheel to be reinvented consistently every time, and those who enjoy variety and evolution. If you wanted this book to be Wicked all over again, you're in luck, books are reusable. If you go back to the first page you can read it . . . again! I've read Wicked three times!
This author is on a journey. He has taken a stab at using is own story line in this book rather than relying on someone else's. I have to say that Wicked was one of the best books I've every read, and no, this is not Wicked, but it was a damned good read. It was very literally apparent that he took a lot of influence and ideas from A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, etc. But there are some more literary influences at work here that he did not spell out. I was reminded of "The Yellow Wall Paper", "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall", "Pedro Paramo" and some other experimental styles of writing.
If you cannot tolerate constant stream of thought style literature this is not for you. If you need the structure of small chapters, punctuation, clear dialog, the distinction between voices, etc this book is not for you. Some people like to cozy up and read a good book, others enjoy the intellectual challenge of digesting literature. The thing about Maguire is that he demonstrated his ability to write and combine pulp fiction and literature when he wrote Wicked. All the pulp fiction, Wicked fans that jumped aboard the Maguire band wagon are disappointed because they don't want to have to think too hard, they just want to sit back and enjoy. I'm really not trying to pass judgment here; just figure out what you want out of your reading experience before you buy. The negative reviews you see here are largely from people who couldn't figure out how to re-read Wicked!
I couldn't put this book down. Found myself . . . "Lost" in it! There are lots of kinds of people in the world and from the reviews here it appears that they fall into two categories: those who would like the wheel to be reinvented consistently every time, and those who enjoy variety and evolution. If you wanted this book to be Wicked all over again, you're in luck, books are reusable. If you go back to the first page you can read it . . . again! I've read Wicked three times!
This author is on a journey. He has taken a stab at using is own story line in this book rather than relying on someone else's. I have to say that Wicked was one of the best books I've every read, and no, this is not Wicked, but it was a damned good read. It was very literally apparent that he took a lot of influence and ideas from A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, etc. But there are some more literary influences at work here that he did not spell out. I was reminded of "The Yellow Wall Paper", "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall", "Pedro Paramo" and some other experimental styles of writing.
If you cannot tolerate constant stream of thought style literature this is not for you. If you need the structure of small chapters, punctuation, clear dialog, the distinction between voices, etc this book is not for you. Some people like to cozy up and read a good book, others enjoy the intellectual challenge of digesting literature. The thing about Maguire is that he demonstrated his ability to write and combine pulp fiction and literature when he wrote Wicked. All the pulp fiction, Wicked fans that jumped aboard the Maguire band wagon are disappointed because they don't want to have to think too hard, they just want to sit back and enjoy. I'm really not trying to pass judgment here; just figure out what you want out of your reading experience before you buy. The negative reviews you see here are largely from people who couldn't figure out how to re-read Wicked!
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 19, 2008
– Shelved
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thank you! I feel like people are so harsh on here, don't they know a good book when they read it?
this sorta boosted my eagerness to read it. I also have confessions of an ugly stepsister.... hmm which to start.
A lot of people wanted a straight retelling, as obvious as Wicked or Confessions. But I feel Maguire did a wonderful modern retelling, my spoiler wrought summary ties Lost in with Christmas Carol very well. Even identifying the three ghosts lol
Great comment! I share the sentiment. There is nothing confusing about Maguire's prose; perhaps I am accustomed to reading certain literature others may find a little less "tidy". Solid book for the avid reader of strong writing styles.
yes, you're so right. people expect things. i enjoy maguire's writing avidly. even when the story is not the best, i love to read his writing. i care more about the writing than the story, honestly, that's just me. i love his word choices--what he risks. so, thanks to you i will definitely give this one a try, as well. thank you!
I didn't want Wicked, I wanted what the blurb promised. Sadly, I may just not have made it far enough to find out if Maguire fulfilled the blurb. The first part of the book is nothing like that, so I didn't finish it. Good to know this is true to Maguire's style, though; I probably won't read his other books either. No big deal; we all have our different preferences!
I started reading it three days ago, but I can't seem to put it down!