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deckofkeys's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Neil Gaiman said he saw ghosts in this book on his second read. I could feel them, but couldn’t quite see them yet. Which means I’m going to come back to this in a few years. Try and see them again.
stitch_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
windhover's review against another edition
4.0
First, I will tell you some things I know:
Peace has a lot of great writing in it. There are a lot of different types of speakers in this novel, from a well-read, retired engineer to a old Irish cook, but they all worked. Every person who spoke in a voice that was believable and distinct. Perhaps because of this, the characters are also interesting and distinct and believable.
Here is an example of a passage I liked:
The structure of the story is wonderful. On the surface, it is a draft of a memoir of a dying man, but it layers into that scope all sorts of stories, traditional ghost stories and fairy tales and (within the context of the book) true stories. And above all these stories is the voice of the dying man who narrates them all and filters them all for you, commenting on them and failing to tell them in full.
Now I will tell you what I don't know:
There is something strange going on in this book. The narrator is not particularly trust-worthy (or likable, by the way). He doesn't give you half of the information you want to know, especially not about him or the very strange house he lives in. The novel is full of strange houses and eerie, unfinished stories, and I'm not sure what to do with it. In the afterword, Neil Gaiman claims that this is a ghost story and I am inclined to believe him. I definitely will have to give this book another read. It is well worth it.
Peace has a lot of great writing in it. There are a lot of different types of speakers in this novel, from a well-read, retired engineer to a old Irish cook, but they all worked. Every person who spoke in a voice that was believable and distinct. Perhaps because of this, the characters are also interesting and distinct and believable.
Here is an example of a passage I liked:
I have sometimes thought that the reason the trees are so quiet in summer is that they are in a sort of ecstasy; it is in winter, when the biologists tell us they sleep, that they are most awake, because the sun is gone and they are addicts without their drug, sleeping restlessly and often waking, walking the dark corridors of forests searching for the sun.
The structure of the story is wonderful. On the surface, it is a draft of a memoir of a dying man, but it layers into that scope all sorts of stories, traditional ghost stories and fairy tales and (within the context of the book) true stories. And above all these stories is the voice of the dying man who narrates them all and filters them all for you, commenting on them and failing to tell them in full.
Now I will tell you what I don't know:
There is something strange going on in this book. The narrator is not particularly trust-worthy (or likable, by the way). He doesn't give you half of the information you want to know, especially not about him or the very strange house he lives in. The novel is full of strange houses and eerie, unfinished stories, and I'm not sure what to do with it. In the afterword, Neil Gaiman claims that this is a ghost story and I am inclined to believe him. I definitely will have to give this book another read. It is well worth it.
malnourish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is unquestionably the single best book I have ever read
feastofblaze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
abelikoff's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing labyrinth of stories within stories weirdly interconnecting with each other. Very difficult to start (it took me a lot of motivation to push through) but what a reward! I'm sure, I've only scratched the surface of this wonderful fractal - I will be definitely reading it again, probably more than once.
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
funfamilyvideos's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cheezvshcrvst's review against another edition
5.0
Quietly brilliant, though, I felt, brief. Either this will require much revisiting or else I enjoyed it too well to be satisfied. Wolfe never fails to captivate and impress me. (11/5/12)
*UPDATE 10/18/21:
Little did I know, almost a decade ago, that this novel absolute requires multiple readings. I was not wrong in that I enjoy Peace so much that I will never be satisfied with having read it at another point in my life. However, this brilliantly haunting, poignant, and breathtaking book is the horror story I have always wanted to be told: beware, here be monsters. The writing is superb, the omissions of the narrator exquisitely selected, and that angry, damning ending is perfect in its cynicism and misdirection. Peace will continue to humble this reader, as it should everyone, and especially myself as a writer.
*UPDATE 10/18/21:
Little did I know, almost a decade ago, that this novel absolute requires multiple readings. I was not wrong in that I enjoy Peace so much that I will never be satisfied with having read it at another point in my life. However, this brilliantly haunting, poignant, and breathtaking book is the horror story I have always wanted to be told: beware, here be monsters. The writing is superb, the omissions of the narrator exquisitely selected, and that angry, damning ending is perfect in its cynicism and misdirection. Peace will continue to humble this reader, as it should everyone, and especially myself as a writer.