Scan barcode
kaybee435b2's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
‘The Barrowfields’ is a debut novel in the literary gothic tradition from Phillip Lewis, a writer and lawyer from North Carolina. Set in current times in a dark and brooding Appalachian landscape, it tells a story of a brilliant but failed writer and his family. Told from the view of his son, Henry, it has moments of true eeriness, some warm and romantic interludes, and tragedy that is finally elucidated late in the story. I really loved the amazing, detailed descriptions of the “monstrous gothic skeleton” family home, especially the vast library. Book lover’s dream! Lewis does a good job of walking us through this enormous and complicated, horrible structure. However, I had a more difficult time understanding the motivations and actions of the people in the novel, especially the female characters. Henry and his father are flawed but described well; his mother, sister, and girlfriend just seemed flat and formulaic in some ways. I feel that this book could use some expert editing. For me, the impact of the writing style was bumpy and segues were uneven as Henry progressed through his life. It was a relief to land at the denouement of this brooding narrative.
‘The Barrowfields’ is a debut novel in the literary gothic tradition from Phillip Lewis, a writer and lawyer from North Carolina. Set in current times in a dark and brooding Appalachian landscape, it tells a story of a brilliant but failed writer and his family. Told from the view of his son, Henry, it has moments of true eeriness, some warm and romantic interludes, and tragedy that is finally elucidated late in the story. I really loved the amazing, detailed descriptions of the “monstrous gothic skeleton” family home, especially the vast library. Book lover’s dream! Lewis does a good job of walking us through this enormous and complicated, horrible structure. However, I had a more difficult time understanding the motivations and actions of the people in the novel, especially the female characters. Henry and his father are flawed but described well; his mother, sister, and girlfriend just seemed flat and formulaic in some ways. I feel that this book could use some expert editing. For me, the impact of the writing style was bumpy and segues were uneven as Henry progressed through his life. It was a relief to land at the denouement of this brooding narrative.
frenchiesquared's review against another edition
3.0
Greatly enjoyed the second half of this book but found the beginning to be disjointed. The writing is great and it is obvious that the author has a love or words and books as it spills through in his storytelling. Worth reading.
jamiereadthis's review against another edition
This gets compared to Tom Wolfe and Styron, so I should have known better. I didn’t read that comparison first. Going in blind does have its risks, although the risk is still worth it for the times it pays off.
veereading's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read too many literary fiction novels, and it's a shame because they are usually beautifully written and full of emotion. I was glad to have been given the chance to read this one by Penguin Random House through their First to Read program!
Just before Henry Aster was born, his father decides to move back home with his pregnant wife. It is with great reluctance that he does this, for his Appalachian hometown neither understands nor appreciates his literary ambitions. With his young family instilled in an immense house, Henry Sr. begins to embark on his literary journey. Henry Jr. grows up watching his brilliant father work towards his dreams.... but when tragedy strikes, his reverences for his father turns poisonous. As soon as he is able, Henry Jr. leaves home, promising to never return. And then, he does.
When I first began to read this novel, I spent a lot of time simply admiring the prose and the detailed story being cultivated. At the same time, I wondered where exactly the author was going to go with this novel. In the beginning, I was unsure about how I felt about the story's progression. But all of that changed as the story continued. Told from the perspective of Henry Aster Jr., this story shows how his family's past haunts him even as he distances himself from his childhood. We see Henry as he attempts to make friends, and become an individual in his own right ... all while he ends up following the exact same route as his father. We watch as he falls in and out of love, deals with his anger and guilt over his father's betrayal. By the time I got to the final chapter of this story, I was mesmerized - not only by the prose but also by Henry himself. We see how family can shape you, can drive you away, can bring out the best and the worst out of you. This novel made me think and it definitely made me feel. I'm finding it difficult to articulate my thoughts and feelings, because there are just so many! This novel made me reflect on my own relationships with my family and my friends, and it made me reflect on how these interactions have shaped me into the person I am today and the person I will become in the future. This is a wonderful debut novel, and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction!
Thank you to Penguin Random House and the publisher for this advanced review copy, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Just before Henry Aster was born, his father decides to move back home with his pregnant wife. It is with great reluctance that he does this, for his Appalachian hometown neither understands nor appreciates his literary ambitions. With his young family instilled in an immense house, Henry Sr. begins to embark on his literary journey. Henry Jr. grows up watching his brilliant father work towards his dreams.... but when tragedy strikes, his reverences for his father turns poisonous. As soon as he is able, Henry Jr. leaves home, promising to never return. And then, he does.
When I first began to read this novel, I spent a lot of time simply admiring the prose and the detailed story being cultivated. At the same time, I wondered where exactly the author was going to go with this novel. In the beginning, I was unsure about how I felt about the story's progression. But all of that changed as the story continued. Told from the perspective of Henry Aster Jr., this story shows how his family's past haunts him even as he distances himself from his childhood. We see Henry as he attempts to make friends, and become an individual in his own right ... all while he ends up following the exact same route as his father. We watch as he falls in and out of love, deals with his anger and guilt over his father's betrayal. By the time I got to the final chapter of this story, I was mesmerized - not only by the prose but also by Henry himself. We see how family can shape you, can drive you away, can bring out the best and the worst out of you. This novel made me think and it definitely made me feel. I'm finding it difficult to articulate my thoughts and feelings, because there are just so many! This novel made me reflect on my own relationships with my family and my friends, and it made me reflect on how these interactions have shaped me into the person I am today and the person I will become in the future. This is a wonderful debut novel, and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction!
Thank you to Penguin Random House and the publisher for this advanced review copy, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.
tapsandtomes's review against another edition
3.0
I am fairly certain that to qualify for the genre “literary fiction” there is only one requirement: that your book must be as morose as possible. Look up Literary Fiction in the thesaurus and you will find the words Depressing, Melancholy, Miserable, Sulky, and Sullen. I cannot name a single book from the genre that does not fit this description. Maybe I’m wrong. But all the examples I can think of are just this.
The Barrowfields is all of these. It starts out interestingly enough–almost reminiscent of Cold Mountain in its descriptions of Appalachia. You can hear the mountain twang in the narrator’s voice as he speaks about his father’s family history. Only later do you realize you’re no longer in the 1800s, but in modern times.
That shift really confused me–as did the change in the narrator’s voice. At some point, he loses that twang and gains a snobby upper class air. To be fair, his father raises him in literature, but the vocabulary used is a bit obnoxious. Words like excrescence, deliquesce, and indomitable are commonplace in his story.
We lose characters a lot in this book too. People just drop off for no discernable reason–his mother, his school friends. People come into his life and then he moves on without them. Time passes, and he isn’t interested in waiting on it.
I feel very melancholy about The Barrowfields. I didn’t dislike it, nor did I particularly like it. It’s literary fiction, so I suppose I am meant to feel SOMETHING…and I do. I’m just not entirely sure what that SOMETHING is.
The Barrowfields is all of these. It starts out interestingly enough–almost reminiscent of Cold Mountain in its descriptions of Appalachia. You can hear the mountain twang in the narrator’s voice as he speaks about his father’s family history. Only later do you realize you’re no longer in the 1800s, but in modern times.
That shift really confused me–as did the change in the narrator’s voice. At some point, he loses that twang and gains a snobby upper class air. To be fair, his father raises him in literature, but the vocabulary used is a bit obnoxious. Words like excrescence, deliquesce, and indomitable are commonplace in his story.
We lose characters a lot in this book too. People just drop off for no discernable reason–his mother, his school friends. People come into his life and then he moves on without them. Time passes, and he isn’t interested in waiting on it.
I feel very melancholy about The Barrowfields. I didn’t dislike it, nor did I particularly like it. It’s literary fiction, so I suppose I am meant to feel SOMETHING…and I do. I’m just not entirely sure what that SOMETHING is.
More...