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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Once again I am disappointed by a Poe-themed novel. I can't say it was awful, but I was forced to question my rationale in continuing to read the book much more frequently than one should to say I liked it.
Set at West Point Academy during Poe's short stint there, the story tells of a retired NYC police detective who is called in to investigate the suspicious death of one of the cadets. The narrator enlists the assistance of a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe, and in the process of solving the crime befriends the misfit poet. The plot itself is unexceptional, and seems to save all the interesting facts for the denouement. The bulk of the book seems to be taken up by the author/narrator using a lot of words (liberally borrowing a number of recognizable "Poe-isms") to simultaneously emulate and criticize the language and themes of E.A. Poe. It seems a mean-spirited homage, however, in which the fictional Poe is granted only a weak, begrudging sort of dignity - and that only after exposure and ridicule. Kind of like the bullies who steal the nerdy kid's clothes while he is in the locker room shower, but are merciful enough to leave a towel behind.
The book is written in first-person, and one must always be a little suspicious of the narrator, I think, when Poe is involved. I suppose it is possible that the issues I have with the story - a recurring sense of the clumsy and implausible - belong to the narrator, and not to the author. If this is so, however, you might say the author was successful - but what kind of success is there to be had in creating unlikeable characters to forward an unlikely plot to an unsympathetic conclusion?
Set at West Point Academy during Poe's short stint there, the story tells of a retired NYC police detective who is called in to investigate the suspicious death of one of the cadets. The narrator enlists the assistance of a young cadet named Edgar Allan Poe, and in the process of solving the crime befriends the misfit poet. The plot itself is unexceptional, and seems to save all the interesting facts for the denouement. The bulk of the book seems to be taken up by the author/narrator using a lot of words (liberally borrowing a number of recognizable "Poe-isms") to simultaneously emulate and criticize the language and themes of E.A. Poe. It seems a mean-spirited homage, however, in which the fictional Poe is granted only a weak, begrudging sort of dignity - and that only after exposure and ridicule. Kind of like the bullies who steal the nerdy kid's clothes while he is in the locker room shower, but are merciful enough to leave a towel behind.
The book is written in first-person, and one must always be a little suspicious of the narrator, I think, when Poe is involved. I suppose it is possible that the issues I have with the story - a recurring sense of the clumsy and implausible - belong to the narrator, and not to the author. If this is so, however, you might say the author was successful - but what kind of success is there to be had in creating unlikeable characters to forward an unlikely plot to an unsympathetic conclusion?
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i thought i had the murderer figured out…. and then the twist at the end completely got me. i love a good unreliable narrator
MY MIND IS LITERALLY BLOWN AGAIN. One shouldn't read back-to-back Bayary and expect to come out of it the same person you went in. HE AGATHA CHRISITED IT AGAIN, AND I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING AT ALL. I loved it, so, so much. Go read it now. Not only do you get a chance at a great historical thriller, you gain a whole new apprechaition of Edgar Allan Poe
I find myself on a Louis Bayard binge. I quite enjoyed The Black Tower, and just finished this one and was impressed as well. In the historical fiction crime mystery genre (which I often find myself gravitating towards a la Matthew Pearl and Caleb Carr), these are excellent. The Pale Blue Eye includes a young Edgar Allen Poe during his short time at West Point. Always read to the very last page with Bayard.
The dead haunt us because we love them too little. We forget them, you see; we don’t mean to, but we do. And so they clamor for us. They wish to be recalled to our hearts. So as not to be murdered twice over.
this is absolutely insane, i love it
this is absolutely insane, i love it
Very interesting story; one the real Edgar Allen Poe would approve of, I think.
I'm still mulling over the ending and will need to read the last 20 pages or so again (not a bad thing). This is a great book discussion read... lots to hash out.
I'm still mulling over the ending and will need to read the last 20 pages or so again (not a bad thing). This is a great book discussion read... lots to hash out.
challenging
slow-paced
Imagine having the ego to think you can emulate Poe and depict events that would inspire some of his most famous works.