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3.05 AVERAGE
3.05 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this, but in the end I ended up not finishing it.
The good:
I thought the writing was very good, if a little too descriptive at some points. Curtis seems a fully fleshed-out character, though I can only sort of say that about Stanley and I can't say that about Crivano at all.
The bad:
There didn't seem to be a whole lot linking the three story lines; Curtis's storyline and Crivano's storyline would have worked as stand-alone novels.
The ugly:
When I'm not familiar with an author or their work, I buy books based on how intriguing the blurb makes the book sound. This one's blurb promised me an adventure in 16th century Venice centered around secretive glass making techniques but.... this isn't what the book was about. I wouldn't mind reading about a casino caper, though I'd probably pass on Stanley's story line if it was a standalone, but then I'd want the book to tell me that that was what it was about.
At some point I might try to go back and finish it, but mostly I'm just frustrated because there's so much potential with the proposed setting...
The good:
I thought the writing was very good, if a little too descriptive at some points. Curtis seems a fully fleshed-out character, though I can only sort of say that about Stanley and I can't say that about Crivano at all.
The bad:
There didn't seem to be a whole lot linking the three story lines; Curtis's storyline and Crivano's storyline would have worked as stand-alone novels.
The ugly:
When I'm not familiar with an author or their work, I buy books based on how intriguing the blurb makes the book sound. This one's blurb promised me an adventure in 16th century Venice centered around secretive glass making techniques but.... this isn't what the book was about. I wouldn't mind reading about a casino caper, though I'd probably pass on Stanley's story line if it was a standalone, but then I'd want the book to tell me that that was what it was about.
At some point I might try to go back and finish it, but mostly I'm just frustrated because there's so much potential with the proposed setting...
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
problem z tą powieścią jest taki, że a) czytałam ją prawie równo trzy lata temu b) czyli były to wakacje i słońce grzało jeszcze bardziej niż teraz
na pewno ciężko było mi przebrnąć przez początek, autor ma specyficzny styl (mnóstwo krótkich zdań o najróżniejszych detalach), faktycznie finał zaskakujący. ogółem, najwyższych lotów książka to to nie jest, choć opis miała obiecujący
na pewno ciężko było mi przebrnąć przez początek, autor ma specyficzny styl (mnóstwo krótkich zdań o najróżniejszych detalach), faktycznie finał zaskakujący. ogółem, najwyższych lotów książka to to nie jest, choć opis miała obiecujący
I have an Advance Reader Copy of The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay, due to be released in a week or two by Melville House. I read the entire thing yesterday, a feat of a certain sort since it clocks in at just under 600 pages. Melville House is quoting lots of indie booksellers & reviewers giving high praise to this one so I was anticipating a lot, I think. This is Seay's first novel &, as that, it is quite impressive. However, some of the descriptions are comparing it to David Mitchell's [b:Cloud Atlas|49628|Cloud Atlas|David Mitchell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406383769s/49628.jpg|1871423] & I found that to be misleading (& a bit disappointing as I absolutely love Cloud Atlas).
The Mirror Thief has three interwoven stories over multiple time periods & places (late 1500s Venice, Italy; 1950s Venice Beach, CA; present day Las Vegas, NV, w/ the "place connection" being The Venetian Hotel there). It's a bit of a mix of thriller, historical fiction, alchemy/magic, & philosophy. It was enjoyable enough & obviously kept me interested enough (otherwise I wouldn't have read 588 pages of it in one day), but it could have been more tightly told & edited, imo. I guess I was hoping for something deeper w/ more connections (a la Cloud Atlas), but I found it to be a lighter than that. For me, this is something akin to beach reading perhaps. A decent way to spend my reading day, though.
Recommended. And, I would look forward to future books from Seay.
The Mirror Thief has three interwoven stories over multiple time periods & places (late 1500s Venice, Italy; 1950s Venice Beach, CA; present day Las Vegas, NV, w/ the "place connection" being The Venetian Hotel there). It's a bit of a mix of thriller, historical fiction, alchemy/magic, & philosophy. It was enjoyable enough & obviously kept me interested enough (otherwise I wouldn't have read 588 pages of it in one day), but it could have been more tightly told & edited, imo. I guess I was hoping for something deeper w/ more connections (a la Cloud Atlas), but I found it to be a lighter than that. For me, this is something akin to beach reading perhaps. A decent way to spend my reading day, though.
Recommended. And, I would look forward to future books from Seay.
This book would have been 4 stars for me if the author had more neatly tied together the three storylines at the end. There was so much opportunity to actually connect the stories, and instead I was left feeling like they were loosely connected at best. I was also never entirely sure what was going on with the mirrors, which is a pretty big deal when the book is called The Mirror Thief. And what the heck was going on with Cynthia? Was she somehow conjured from the mirror or was it a more pedestrian type of hostage-taking?
Engrossing read but ultimately very unsatisfying.
Engrossing read but ultimately very unsatisfying.
I'm calling this book weird in the most wonderful of ways. I don't think I've read anything like it, and I certainly won't forget it.
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Intriguing. Very intriguing.
I think this is a book that would benefit from multiple reads, because the story lines are each so complex, even on their own, and the ways in which they are interwoven with each other so intricate, that I am sure I didn't even come close to picking up all that was going on. It admittedly took me a while to get into the book, in no small part because the story line that is primarily highlighted in the novel's description, the one taking place in 16th-century Venice, which is what had caught my attention and made me want to pick this up in the first place, doesn't show up until page 163.
Once I was able to read far enough to see all of the various story lines and try to piece together their points of intersection, the novel picked up considerably, and I ended up feeling like I had read something pretty magical. I'm still not really sure exactly what happened, but I can see myself coming back to this one again to try to figure it out.
I think this is a book that would benefit from multiple reads, because the story lines are each so complex, even on their own, and the ways in which they are interwoven with each other so intricate, that I am sure I didn't even come close to picking up all that was going on. It admittedly took me a while to get into the book, in no small part because the story line that is primarily highlighted in the novel's description, the one taking place in 16th-century Venice, which is what had caught my attention and made me want to pick this up in the first place, doesn't show up until page 163.
Once I was able to read far enough to see all of the various story lines and try to piece together their points of intersection, the novel picked up considerably, and I ended up feeling like I had read something pretty magical. I'm still not really sure exactly what happened, but I can see myself coming back to this one again to try to figure it out.