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aditurbo's review
2.0
DNF at 12%. Started out with a very engrossing epilogue and first chapter, but soon dwindled into no plot and no interest. A good idea badly developed. A shame.
isoney's review
Did not realise historical fiction. Probably wasn’t in the right mood. Did not enjoy the style - a lot of prose, little dialogue.
maryann_smith's review
3.0
The Goddess and the Thief is a work of fiction based in Victorian England and briefly at the beginning in Lahore, India. It tells the story of Alice Willoughby, who after living all her life in India with Her father Charles, is moved to England to live in the care of her Aunt Mercy whilst her father returns to Lahore were is works for the English residency as a surgeon. Her Aunt Mercy works as a spiritual medium and after events including the death of Alice’s father and the introduction of the enigmatic Lucian Tillsbury, Alice’s aunt endeavours for her to join the clairvoyant profession. All events lead to dramatic and catastrophic events for Alice.
Considering all the elements such as; gothic Victorian era, Hindu mythology, intrigue, drama and the paranormal I feel I should have liked this book more than I did. There is nothing particular wrong with the book, it works well and is written fine with no obvious errors that I have observed in other books. I just wasn’t my style of book. I have read other reviews that have liken Essie Fox’s writing style as similar to Sarah Waters, who I have read previously and also not found to my taste. Perhaps if books written in the style of Sarah Waters is your cup of tea you may appreciate this tale more. Having said this the inclusion of the Hindu mythology was really interesting and differently added a lot to the story development. There are twists and turns along the way and this is by no means a ‘bad book’ as said just not to my taste.
Considering all the elements such as; gothic Victorian era, Hindu mythology, intrigue, drama and the paranormal I feel I should have liked this book more than I did. There is nothing particular wrong with the book, it works well and is written fine with no obvious errors that I have observed in other books. I just wasn’t my style of book. I have read other reviews that have liken Essie Fox’s writing style as similar to Sarah Waters, who I have read previously and also not found to my taste. Perhaps if books written in the style of Sarah Waters is your cup of tea you may appreciate this tale more. Having said this the inclusion of the Hindu mythology was really interesting and differently added a lot to the story development. There are twists and turns along the way and this is by no means a ‘bad book’ as said just not to my taste.
girlvsbookshelf's review
3.0
Many thanks to Sophie at Orion Books, who sent me my copy of this book via a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Alice can't imagine anything better than her life in India. The glorious weather and lush, open landscapes are all she has ever known while growing up under the charge of her loving ayah. But her father is of the opinion that an English little girl should have a traditional English upbringing, and Alice is uprooted, sent away to live in the oppressive gloom of her aunt Mercy's London home. As she gets older, she becomes a reluctant participant in her aunt's business as a spiritualist medium, forced to co-operate with fraudulent operations and occult activities against her will.
Until one day an intriguing stranger arrives at the house and sparks memories of India, full of mysterious tales of the magnificent Koh-I-Noor diamond. Alice feels an instant connection to Lucian Tilsbury...but he has a sinister motive for visiting the two women.
Anybody who has read The Somnambulist or Elijah's Mermaid will agree that Essie Fox certainly knows her stuff when it comes to Victorian gothic. Her previous books have perfectly recreated the dark mystique of that age, and The Goddess And The Thief is no different. The characters and settings quite simply jump off the page and are vividly realised in the mind's eye.
For me, the biggest strength of this novel was the way Fox used magical tales from Hindu scripture and intertwined them with Alice's own experiences. Deities such as Parvati and Shiva were not previously familiar to me and I found their stories fascinating. It was a really enjoyable way to learn about a culture that I would never otherwise have taken the time to discover for myself. Lots of meticulous research has gone into the book, and it certainly pays off.
Having said all this, I have to admit that overall I just didn't enjoy this one and found it quite difficult to read. I think the problem is that I found the plot to be incredibly bleak and perhaps I wasn't prepared for that kind of reading experience before picking it up. Alice does have a truly dreadful time of it and the reader can do nothing but despair on her behalf as events unfold. As a single woman in Victorian London she is completely at her aunt's mercy and has no opportunity to fight back or do anything to improve her situation. I'm not usually someone who needs sunshine, lollipops and happy endings to enjoy a good book, but there is an oppressive mood that pervades The Goddess And The Thief and I found it almost stifling.
I have tried to be fair here as I have been left with a funny feeling that at another time, in another mood, I might have enjoyed this one much more than I did. Maybe it was one of those days when I just needed to read some cheerful fluff instead!
Alice can't imagine anything better than her life in India. The glorious weather and lush, open landscapes are all she has ever known while growing up under the charge of her loving ayah. But her father is of the opinion that an English little girl should have a traditional English upbringing, and Alice is uprooted, sent away to live in the oppressive gloom of her aunt Mercy's London home. As she gets older, she becomes a reluctant participant in her aunt's business as a spiritualist medium, forced to co-operate with fraudulent operations and occult activities against her will.
Until one day an intriguing stranger arrives at the house and sparks memories of India, full of mysterious tales of the magnificent Koh-I-Noor diamond. Alice feels an instant connection to Lucian Tilsbury...but he has a sinister motive for visiting the two women.
Anybody who has read The Somnambulist or Elijah's Mermaid will agree that Essie Fox certainly knows her stuff when it comes to Victorian gothic. Her previous books have perfectly recreated the dark mystique of that age, and The Goddess And The Thief is no different. The characters and settings quite simply jump off the page and are vividly realised in the mind's eye.
For me, the biggest strength of this novel was the way Fox used magical tales from Hindu scripture and intertwined them with Alice's own experiences. Deities such as Parvati and Shiva were not previously familiar to me and I found their stories fascinating. It was a really enjoyable way to learn about a culture that I would never otherwise have taken the time to discover for myself. Lots of meticulous research has gone into the book, and it certainly pays off.
Having said all this, I have to admit that overall I just didn't enjoy this one and found it quite difficult to read. I think the problem is that I found the plot to be incredibly bleak and perhaps I wasn't prepared for that kind of reading experience before picking it up. Alice does have a truly dreadful time of it and the reader can do nothing but despair on her behalf as events unfold. As a single woman in Victorian London she is completely at her aunt's mercy and has no opportunity to fight back or do anything to improve her situation. I'm not usually someone who needs sunshine, lollipops and happy endings to enjoy a good book, but there is an oppressive mood that pervades The Goddess And The Thief and I found it almost stifling.
I have tried to be fair here as I have been left with a funny feeling that at another time, in another mood, I might have enjoyed this one much more than I did. Maybe it was one of those days when I just needed to read some cheerful fluff instead!
jessticulates's review
2.0
I was so prepared for this book to be amazing, but sadly I was disappointed. In fact I got until the half way point and then I basically skim read the rest of it. I feel as though it was an idea that had so much potential, but sadly I was just bored.
I'm still going to be checking out Essie Fox's other novels in the future, I just hoped I would enjoy this one because I love The Moonstone so much.
I'm still going to be checking out Essie Fox's other novels in the future, I just hoped I would enjoy this one because I love The Moonstone so much.
beatrizmallow's review
3.0
I really liked some parts of this book, the victorian setting was very good and I enjoyed the stories within stories about Indian Gods. The female characters were not bad but I really disliked the male character and I dind't understand his relation with the protagonist. All in all it was an OK book.
geertje's review
2.0
2.5/5 stars
I find it hard to give this book such a low rating, because there is much here that is done well. I mean, the writing is lush and makes it easy to immerse oneself in the story. Essie Fox also does her research well and the setting is compelling. The stark contrast between the exotic India, in which the main character Alice feels at home and is loved, and cold England, where she feels lonely and misplaced, makes for an interesting backdrop. Fox doesn't shy away from the darker side of Victorian England, which makes for an interesting read that isn't sugar-coated.
Yet, for all these great things, I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to finish it and that is mainly because of the characters. I've read two other books by this author and I'm starting to see a pattern here: the main characters are all young females who are pretty naive and then have to deal with violent or nasty situations in which they have little power. That in itself is nothing bad, but boy, do I hate the way these characters deal with it. They are all abused by an older male figure that they still find sexually attractive (which I find disturbing, though I get that relationships between victim and abuser can be strange and not clean-cut as we'd like to think), they whine and throw temper-tantrums (again, I get that they are in hard situations and that this behaviour, though it might appear immature, isn't all that abnormal) and they are just so goddamn passive. All of this makes it hard for me to root for them. I understand that they are sheltered girls in horrible situations and that their responses are natural, but it doesn't make them likeable. They are constantly waiting around for someone to act, for someone to rescue them, and that I cannot forgive. I think I'm not going to read other Essie Fox books anymore.
I find it hard to give this book such a low rating, because there is much here that is done well. I mean, the writing is lush and makes it easy to immerse oneself in the story. Essie Fox also does her research well and the setting is compelling. The stark contrast between the exotic India, in which the main character Alice feels at home and is loved, and cold England, where she feels lonely and misplaced, makes for an interesting backdrop. Fox doesn't shy away from the darker side of Victorian England, which makes for an interesting read that isn't sugar-coated.
Yet, for all these great things, I did not enjoy this book. I struggled to finish it and that is mainly because of the characters. I've read two other books by this author and I'm starting to see a pattern here: the main characters are all young females who are pretty naive and then have to deal with violent or nasty situations in which they have little power. That in itself is nothing bad, but boy, do I hate the way these characters deal with it. They are all abused by an older male figure that they still find sexually attractive (which I find disturbing, though I get that relationships between victim and abuser can be strange and not clean-cut as we'd like to think), they whine and throw temper-tantrums (again, I get that they are in hard situations and that this behaviour, though it might appear immature, isn't all that abnormal) and they are just so goddamn passive. All of this makes it hard for me to root for them. I understand that they are sheltered girls in horrible situations and that their responses are natural, but it doesn't make them likeable. They are constantly waiting around for someone to act, for someone to rescue them, and that I cannot forgive. I think I'm not going to read other Essie Fox books anymore.
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