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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Jonathan Carroll's first novel sets the stage nicely for a career of literary mind blowing. Prep school teacher Thomas Abbey is obsessed with eccentric children's author Marshall France and especially France's book "The Land of Laughs." When Thomas meets the equally obsessed Saxony Gardner, the pair decide to go to France's hometown in Missouri and write their hero's biography. Naturally the idyllic little town hides a shocking secret. Call it slipstream, magical realism, or modern fantasy, nobody does it quite like Jonathan Carroll. You might never look at a pit bull the same way ever again.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
This was an eerie book in a quiet, not knock you on the head way. As you slip further into the story it becomes slightly more off balance until all the odd things are revealed. It kind of reminded me of Shirley Jackson stories--which I'm a big fan of--the way she uses innocent people and situations to set up her tension and suspense. This book by Carroll has that same kind of feel to it.
I'd never read Carroll before but liked this hard to describe book--it's kind of science fiction, kind of light horror I guess, it has twists and turns and a trippy ending. Good stuff.
I'd never read Carroll before but liked this hard to describe book--it's kind of science fiction, kind of light horror I guess, it has twists and turns and a trippy ending. Good stuff.
2.5 stars
Interesting concept, flawed execution. Billy Mummy did it better in The Twilight Zone.
Interesting concept, flawed execution. Billy Mummy did it better in The Twilight Zone.
fast-paced
Wow - This is my first book by this author who I hadn't heard of until I picked this book up off the shelf in my families cabin. I have to thank whoever bought this one because I don't think it is anyone in my families usual style but it is mine.
The build up of this book is SLOW - it is very much two people on a road trip writing/ researching an autobiography. Sure small stuff is odd but not enough that would have really kept my interest if I hadn't read the book jacket that promised me shit was going to go down at some point. It feels like reading a murder mystery when you don't really know what the murder is.
In the end I LOVED how out of nowhere everything flips on its head, you feel slightly unsettled for a long time but then IT REALLY takes a left turn. Even when you're expecting it - even when you know what is happening - its still haunting.
The ONLY gripe I have is I COULD NOT STAND the main character half the time - he was such an asshole of person when you are listening to his inner thoughts - particularly about Anna - and that made me want to slap him. I just wanted to hear everything from Saxony's POV instead. He was also constantly "poor me"-ing about his Dad - however I do realize that is part of the point of the narrative them so I will let that one go.
Sometimes stories about stories and writers can be hard - especially when the writers are supposed to be 'GENUIS' however I love the fantasy Genre that France's books are supposed to be a part of and totally grew up with a lot of those books so I loved it -- Interestingly enough elements of this reminded me a lot of the Magicians and also Narnia (that one is no so surprising as I think France is probably a direct comparison to the likes of those authors).
The build up of this book is SLOW - it is very much two people on a road trip writing/ researching an autobiography. Sure small stuff is odd but not enough that would have really kept my interest if I hadn't read the book jacket that promised me shit was going to go down at some point. It feels like reading a murder mystery when you don't really know what the murder is.
In the end I LOVED how out of nowhere everything flips on its head, you feel slightly unsettled for a long time but then IT REALLY takes a left turn. Even when you're expecting it - even when you know what is happening - its still haunting.
The ONLY gripe I have is I COULD NOT STAND the main character half the time - he was such an asshole of person when you are listening to his inner thoughts - particularly about Anna - and that made me want to slap him. I just wanted to hear everything from Saxony's POV instead. He was also constantly "poor me"-ing about his Dad - however I do realize that is part of the point of the narrative them so I will let that one go.
Sometimes stories about stories and writers can be hard - especially when the writers are supposed to be 'GENUIS' however I love the fantasy Genre that France's books are supposed to be a part of and totally grew up with a lot of those books so I loved it -- Interestingly enough elements of this reminded me a lot of the Magicians and also Narnia (that one is no so surprising as I think France is probably a direct comparison to the likes of those authors).