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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty
Hands down the greatest horror epic ever written!
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Why did no one ever tell me about the Blackwater saga?
On Easter Sunday morning in 1919, Elinor Dammert is rescued from a flooded hotel by the eldest son of the influential Caskey family and is inspired to make her stay in Perdido a permanent one. As the years pass, she learns about the politics of small town Alabama life, adapts to the matriarchal society that surrounds her and uses her wits and manners to challenge those who would prefer her gone. She also turns into a flat-headed river monster and eats people.
I'm not convinced anyone has ever asked for a crossover between Middlemarch and The Creature from The Black Lagoon but I am grateful that McDowell took the time to knock one up. It's a Southern Gothic classic.
On Easter Sunday morning in 1919, Elinor Dammert is rescued from a flooded hotel by the eldest son of the influential Caskey family and is inspired to make her stay in Perdido a permanent one. As the years pass, she learns about the politics of small town Alabama life, adapts to the matriarchal society that surrounds her and uses her wits and manners to challenge those who would prefer her gone. She also turns into a flat-headed river monster and eats people.
I'm not convinced anyone has ever asked for a crossover between Middlemarch and The Creature from The Black Lagoon but I am grateful that McDowell took the time to knock one up. It's a Southern Gothic classic.
Holy crap. This is one of the best books I've ever read. Soapy Southern family dramas and pulpy horror are two of my favorite things, and this book was a pitch-perfect combination of them that was like pure heroin to me. There are long stretches of this book that feel like you're reading, say, Cold Sassy Tree, or perhaps an extra-long Tennessee Williams play, and just when you get lulled into the familiar rhythms of dysfunctional family drama, ~boom~ there's a nice bloody dismemberment to shake you up. This book was so addictive that I easily could have ripped through its almost-900 pages in a few days (I read parts 5 and 6 in their entirety in a single evening) but it was such a huge, rich reading experience that I had to force myself to take some breaks and really take it all in.
Au final, les tomes sont vraiment courts, ils s'enchaînent ultra rapidement. Beaucoup de choses que j'ai aimées : le style d'écriture avec de la distance et un peu fantastique comme dans un conte, l'ambiance un peu gothique, le cadre de Perdido et le corridor de Floride, les personnages. Mais pas mal de trucs que j'ai moins appréciés aussi, la répétition des schémas des personnages qui fait certes partie intégrante de la saga mais je ne sais pas, un peu trop facile à mon goût, le manque de développement de la rivière qui est pourtant intrigante. Mais à part ça, vraiment Elinor est une excellente héroïne, c'est bien réfléchi comment avec les années la perspective diverge un tantinet à chaque fois. Je n'ai pas trop compris le phénomène et la hype autour pour la traduction française, alors c'est sûr, les couvertures sont très belles, mais ce n'est pas non plus transcendant. Ça se lit facilement, ça oui.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
800 pages later and I still want more Caskeys.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. We follow several generations of a family in Alabama and the "monster" who married into them. You've got their creepy house, the creepy swamp, the family's tumultuous relationships, lots of baby stealing. It's a southern gothic saga. The scares aren't the focus but when they do hit, they hit. The gory scenes are so well written and impactful. Highly recommend if you like gothic fiction.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. We follow several generations of a family in Alabama and the "monster" who married into them. You've got their creepy house, the creepy swamp, the family's tumultuous relationships, lots of baby stealing. It's a southern gothic saga. The scares aren't the focus but when they do hit, they hit. The gory scenes are so well written and impactful. Highly recommend if you like gothic fiction.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes