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deerisms's review against another edition
4.0
Darkly funny, sometimes just dark, and even a bit profound at times.
destruetetotum's review
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
rosekk's review against another edition
4.0
It's brilliantly written, and draws one in to the setting easily. There were a few moments where I felt the sense of the 1300s slip, and a more modern tone crept in, but that was very occasional. The characters are well rounded, and change subtly over the course of the story, in ways that are easy to follow and understand. I was hoping for a happy ending, but it's not the kind of story to give you that.
womanon's review against another edition
4.0
Whereas I really had to get in the book in the beginning, I soon began to understand the storyline, and I ended up enjoying it!
thearosemary's review
2.0
I'll be honest in saying it was the gorgeous cover enveloping this story that grabbed my attention. I read the synopsis before purchasing it, and though it didn't jump out at me, I still thought I would give it a go. As a writer, it's important to read any and all kinds of stories. But I'm afraid Vixen just wasn't for me.
• Writing
Garland has a very flowery writing style, words that make you squint instead of nod with understanding. I appreciate poetic writing, and it is fitting for a story like this. However, I did find it to be difficult to read and become invested in at times. But there were also some pretty pairings of words that made me stop and reread the sentence.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't an uplifting kind of book. But I could relate to words such as these. Garland created emotional turmoil that was relatable and understandable. Some of it wasn't, but I could appreciate the words threaded together throughout this novel.
There were a few fantastic pairings of words, but there were also many words that made the novel feel awkward and strange. (Please note I don't even like typing these words out, but this is the life of a book reviewer.) ANYWAYS, I lost track of how many times Garland dropped the words "turd", "cunny", and "fart".
This was a brash, blunt book, and I wasn't expecting that. I've read A Game of Thrones. I've read blunt books. I've read dirty words and I don't have an issue with them, if they're used in moderation.
It got to a point where it felt like the author was dropping these words for shock value. Maybe I adapted that improperly, but that's how it began to feel and it only continued to make me uncomfortable.
• Plot
The novel begins with Thomas arriving as the new priest in Brauntone (I think they mean Braunton?) in Devon, England. Anne, who's in desperate need of a change in her life *cough* a man *cough*, she offers to be Thomas's housekeeper. Then Vixen becomes entangled in all of their lives.
This is a tale of love and death and superstition. It's a depressing book that takes place during the time of the Black Death and focuses on the importance of love and strength, what it means to persevere.
The idea for the plot was a great, though I only wish it didn't drag on so long.
• Characters
Each character in this novel went through a significant development and had a strong arc, but I'm afraid I wasn't fond of most of them. I enjoyed Anne's development the most. Watching her grow from a lonely maiden into a strong woman was empowering. I do really like the direction the author took her in, especially with her love interest and how it was delivered. I think that was done well.
But when it comes to Thomas, I wasn't a fan. Thomas's chapters were the least interesting for me. He was meant to be unlikable, and he certainly was. Although, I felt like his chapters didn't heighten or bring anything to the overall story.
Again, I do appreciate Vixen's development and the direction the author took her in, but her first few chapters left me baffled and therefore unable to connect with her for a long while. Overall, I just wasn't able to gain a deep interest with Vixen, but her growth was amazing.
• Overall
It had some memorable sentences and scenes with a rich atmosphere, but once it was all put together, it was quite overwhelming. I think this is a good book and did enjoy parts of it, but overall, it wasn't for me.
• Writing
Garland has a very flowery writing style, words that make you squint instead of nod with understanding. I appreciate poetic writing, and it is fitting for a story like this. However, I did find it to be difficult to read and become invested in at times. But there were also some pretty pairings of words that made me stop and reread the sentence.
I need no one, I want no one and no one wants me. That is the finest way to pass through this world, running so swiftly even the air cannot stick. I shake off everything as a fox sheds its tail when the hounds take hold. I'll skip through this world tailless rather than not at all.
Yeah, it definitely wasn't an uplifting kind of book. But I could relate to words such as these. Garland created emotional turmoil that was relatable and understandable. Some of it wasn't, but I could appreciate the words threaded together throughout this novel.
If I can choose to be miserable, I can also choose to be happy. Perhaps I am not chained to my feelings. I can slip free.
There were a few fantastic pairings of words, but there were also many words that made the novel feel awkward and strange. (Please note I don't even like typing these words out, but this is the life of a book reviewer.) ANYWAYS, I lost track of how many times Garland dropped the words "turd", "cunny", and "fart".
This was a brash, blunt book, and I wasn't expecting that. I've read A Game of Thrones. I've read blunt books. I've read dirty words and I don't have an issue with them, if they're used in moderation.
It got to a point where it felt like the author was dropping these words for shock value. Maybe I adapted that improperly, but that's how it began to feel and it only continued to make me uncomfortable.
• Plot
The novel begins with Thomas arriving as the new priest in Brauntone (I think they mean Braunton?) in Devon, England. Anne, who's in desperate need of a change in her life *cough* a man *cough*, she offers to be Thomas's housekeeper. Then Vixen becomes entangled in all of their lives.
This is a tale of love and death and superstition. It's a depressing book that takes place during the time of the Black Death and focuses on the importance of love and strength, what it means to persevere.
The idea for the plot was a great, though I only wish it didn't drag on so long.
• Characters
Each character in this novel went through a significant development and had a strong arc, but I'm afraid I wasn't fond of most of them. I enjoyed Anne's development the most. Watching her grow from a lonely maiden into a strong woman was empowering. I do really like the direction the author took her in, especially with her love interest and how it was delivered. I think that was done well.
But when it comes to Thomas, I wasn't a fan. Thomas's chapters were the least interesting for me. He was meant to be unlikable, and he certainly was. Although, I felt like his chapters didn't heighten or bring anything to the overall story.
Again, I do appreciate Vixen's development and the direction the author took her in, but her first few chapters left me baffled and therefore unable to connect with her for a long while. Overall, I just wasn't able to gain a deep interest with Vixen, but her growth was amazing.
• Overall
It had some memorable sentences and scenes with a rich atmosphere, but once it was all put together, it was quite overwhelming. I think this is a good book and did enjoy parts of it, but overall, it wasn't for me.
boundtwobooks's review
4.0
I read this book on my flight from Switzerland to Australia. Usually long haul flights tend to soften the sparkle of most reading experiences, in fact one could argue that they soften the sparkle of almost every experience. It is something about the snoring, the crying babies… not to mention the recycled stale air and the horrible reheated plane food. Despite all of that going against my time with Rosie Garland’s book, I found myself not just enjoying it, but loving the book.
I bought Garland’s novel on a whim. I was in the book store, looking for something, unsure what exactly, and came across the book wedged at the back of the shelf. I bought the book based on the cover and while I am well aware of all the sayings that go with this action, I was not disappointed at all. Thank god for whims!
This book is written from three perspectives, Thomas, Anne, and Vixen/the maid (although her ‘real’ name is never actually given and throughout reading the book I often wondered if she knew her name at all), and what I like about the novel is that it teaches you something without being too overt with the message. For me, Garland was telling me: to check my beliefs, find out ‘who I am’, and once you know who you are hold on to it tight.
Thomas is a priest in a small rural town called Brauntone. He is conservative, pious, and a strict follower of the ‘word of god’. And I deliberately use quotation marks here, because Thomas is essentially a follower of his own conservative interpretation. His beliefs make him a frustrating paradox. He wishes that his fellow villagers see his as kind and caring, yet he will beat Anne to show her how wrong she is in the ‘eyes of god’. He cannot receive any criticism, but is good at dishing it out, and although he seems secure in his beliefs he is actually quite an insecure man.
Anne goes to work as the housekeeper for Thomas in the hopes that he would take her as ‘wife’. Although he isn’t allowed to officially marry, Anne had hoped they could live together as husband and wife. Thomas, however, is completely against this and uses Anne as an almost slave in his house. Anne, is a very naive woman at the beginning of the novel. She is unsure of herself and believes that a life of quasi-marital bliss will bring her everything she has desired. The fact that she ends up being on a different end of the sexual orientation spectrum at the end of the novel is just one obvious example of how she changes as a person.
The catalyst of the story is Vixen, who is described as having magical powers to transform her appearance, although it is never quite clear how she does it. She comes to Brauntone to escape the plague and death. When she is found by the townspeople, Thomas proclaims her a miracle maid sent from god. Her disguise as an uneducated animal-like girl has everyone bar Anne convinced. And eventually they start to talk. It is Vixen who questions Anne’s blind submission to Thomas and it sparks a change in Anne. Simultaneously, Anne’s kindness and patience spark a change in Vixen and her attitude to not only Anne, but the world.
When the plague reaches the gates of Brauntone, Anne and Vixen try to save as many people in the town as possible by using horse urine (I am not sure if this is an actual historical fact that Garland picked up somewhere or an invention from her own mind).
Thomas never actually learns from his mistakes or his misbeliefs and in the last pages of the book he is a shadowy old figure ignored by everyone in the town. Anne and Vixen, each in their own ways, learns that the time to be who you are is now. And, each in their own ways, pays the the price for not being who they wanted to be sooner. They say that books come to you when you need them most, and I felt that this book was fitting to read at the end of 2015 when new year’s resolutions are always on the tip of everybody’s tongue.
I bought Garland’s novel on a whim. I was in the book store, looking for something, unsure what exactly, and came across the book wedged at the back of the shelf. I bought the book based on the cover and while I am well aware of all the sayings that go with this action, I was not disappointed at all. Thank god for whims!
This book is written from three perspectives, Thomas, Anne, and Vixen/the maid (although her ‘real’ name is never actually given and throughout reading the book I often wondered if she knew her name at all), and what I like about the novel is that it teaches you something without being too overt with the message. For me, Garland was telling me: to check my beliefs, find out ‘who I am’, and once you know who you are hold on to it tight.
Thomas is a priest in a small rural town called Brauntone. He is conservative, pious, and a strict follower of the ‘word of god’. And I deliberately use quotation marks here, because Thomas is essentially a follower of his own conservative interpretation. His beliefs make him a frustrating paradox. He wishes that his fellow villagers see his as kind and caring, yet he will beat Anne to show her how wrong she is in the ‘eyes of god’. He cannot receive any criticism, but is good at dishing it out, and although he seems secure in his beliefs he is actually quite an insecure man.
Anne goes to work as the housekeeper for Thomas in the hopes that he would take her as ‘wife’. Although he isn’t allowed to officially marry, Anne had hoped they could live together as husband and wife. Thomas, however, is completely against this and uses Anne as an almost slave in his house. Anne, is a very naive woman at the beginning of the novel. She is unsure of herself and believes that a life of quasi-marital bliss will bring her everything she has desired. The fact that she ends up being on a different end of the sexual orientation spectrum at the end of the novel is just one obvious example of how she changes as a person.
The catalyst of the story is Vixen, who is described as having magical powers to transform her appearance, although it is never quite clear how she does it. She comes to Brauntone to escape the plague and death. When she is found by the townspeople, Thomas proclaims her a miracle maid sent from god. Her disguise as an uneducated animal-like girl has everyone bar Anne convinced. And eventually they start to talk. It is Vixen who questions Anne’s blind submission to Thomas and it sparks a change in Anne. Simultaneously, Anne’s kindness and patience spark a change in Vixen and her attitude to not only Anne, but the world.
When the plague reaches the gates of Brauntone, Anne and Vixen try to save as many people in the town as possible by using horse urine (I am not sure if this is an actual historical fact that Garland picked up somewhere or an invention from her own mind).
Thomas never actually learns from his mistakes or his misbeliefs and in the last pages of the book he is a shadowy old figure ignored by everyone in the town. Anne and Vixen, each in their own ways, learns that the time to be who you are is now. And, each in their own ways, pays the the price for not being who they wanted to be sooner. They say that books come to you when you need them most, and I felt that this book was fitting to read at the end of 2015 when new year’s resolutions are always on the tip of everybody’s tongue.
klaratoll's review
3.0
3,5 stars!
I really enjoyed this for a lot of reasons. The characters where interesting and their development was great, the writing was really nice and I've also just always been very fascinated by this historical period.
The things I didn't particularly like was that it dragged a little throughout and that the ending then almost felt a little rushed to me. Also I just wasn't a big fan of the ending overall, but I guess that was a bit of the point as well.
I really enjoyed this for a lot of reasons. The characters where interesting and their development was great, the writing was really nice and I've also just always been very fascinated by this historical period.
The things I didn't particularly like was that it dragged a little throughout and that the ending then almost felt a little rushed to me. Also I just wasn't a big fan of the ending overall, but I guess that was a bit of the point as well.
lacywolfe's review
3.0
Beautiful language, engaging story of the plague in an English village and the "Maid" who comes to save the villagers.
sawyerbell's review
4.0
4.5 stars. What a gorgeous, moving and atmospheric story to start the year with! Highly recommended for those who love lush prose and medieval settings.