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arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars As far as I know, this is my first experience with this author.
The criticisms of the book are valid: it stalls out; there are inconsistencies Copperton's treatment of Ash, in relationship between Copperton and Diana (If they were getting along so well, why did he take her horse?), in the friendship between Priscilla and Diana; there are meanderings that lead to nowhere, it is fairly predictable.
Still, there is a lyricism and a languid pacing suitable for the setting, for the summer between youth and maturity, between the deed and paying the consequences.
The criticisms of the book are valid: it stalls out; there are inconsistencies Copperton's treatment of Ash, in relationship between Copperton and Diana (If they were getting along so well, why did he take her horse?), in the friendship between Priscilla and Diana; there are meanderings that lead to nowhere, it is fairly predictable.
Still, there is a lyricism and a languid pacing suitable for the setting, for the summer between youth and maturity, between the deed and paying the consequences.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a Goolrick fan and I really enjoyed this story, it has the darkness that characterizes Goolrick's other works; it has well-developed quirky characters (some who you come to hate, some who you come to love), and Goolrick's writing is lush and atmospheric. My only issue was the detached tone of the narration, as if you were spying on these people through a lens. Which makes sense since a reporter is the one uncovering the story, but it deadened the effect of the book. Still, a good book group selection. Recommend to people who like Goolrick's other work, to those who like the kind of darkness in novels that isn't of the "woman in the..woman on the..." type.
linneak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Sexual violence, Abortion, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Outing, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal cruelty
robinsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
If you are looking for a true gothic with the flavor of the south, complete with a moldering manor house and dysfunction galore, look no further than this atmospheric novel. Quite frankly, there aren't too many sympathetic characters and the writing was at times a little overwrought, but it didn't stop me from flipping the pages to find out what happened to Diana who debuted to "sell" herself to the highest bidder in the husband department in order to save the family manse. You know from the start that it's not going to be a good thing.
Fans of Christina Schwarz's DROWNING RUTH and/or John Berendt's MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL may find this a similar read.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital review copy. The publication date for this is July 3, 2018.
Fans of Christina Schwarz's DROWNING RUTH and/or John Berendt's MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL may find this a similar read.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital review copy. The publication date for this is July 3, 2018.
daybreak1012's review against another edition
2.0
I cannot think of a more aptly named book, in retrospect. This is a book devoid of light, of hope, of pretty much any good thing you might cling to...and somehow, as the story progresses, it is still a tale of the many different forms of the extinguishing of light and life, even though I am not sure how, since the former never appeared to be present in the first place and the latter only in the very barest sense.
What I liked about The Dying of the Light:
The description - This is a quality people either love or hate, but I am the former and the author successfully painted pictures in my mind. I could see the river and the house and the debutante balls. The visuals, when they came, were striking.
Priscilla and Clarence - Pretty much the only characters of redeeming value in the entirety of this novel. All the rest, even if I felt badly for their state of mind, were such secretive, self-centered, pathetic, loathsome, spineless messes that I couldn't bring myself to like them even for a half minute.
What I didn't care for:
The raunch - I noticed several reviews on this book attribute this to being written by a man, but I've encountered plenty of female authors equally capable of writing these scenes. It really was...a bit much, regardless. It may have been to prove a point about Diana's character but mostly it just read uncomfortably.
No sense of time - Because of the way the book was laid out, beyond a certain point, I no longer had any inclination of "when" I was in history. When Diana was younger, there were enough references to her age that it was easy to deduce what era the country was in, but once Ash was a young man, it suddenly felt more muddled, until the very end. Throughout the bulk of the pages, though, nothing really seemed to give me a concrete feel for what the world around them was like. Then again, perhaps that was on purpose, since they all acted as though nothing beyond the perimeters of Saratoga bore any significance.
If I were to sum this up? A dark tragedy from which I couldn't seem to disengage. Hopeless and empty, it felt very Gatsby-like to me, emotionally; no one came across as likable, just pitiable for their very existence. The relationships were all dysfunctional at best and more often outright profane. The decadence was a thin, cheap veneer for the brokenness that seethed just below it. Reminiscent of The Lost Generation (also aptly named), present in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, as well as Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this book had that same feeling of depraved lifestyles covering up the meaningless lives of vapid individuals. I had to keep reading to see how that trainwreck was going to conclude, but when I closed the book for the final time, I felt exactly after I did when I completed the aforementioned classics: utterly disheartened.
What I liked about The Dying of the Light:
The description - This is a quality people either love or hate, but I am the former and the author successfully painted pictures in my mind. I could see the river and the house and the debutante balls. The visuals, when they came, were striking.
Priscilla and Clarence - Pretty much the only characters of redeeming value in the entirety of this novel. All the rest, even if I felt badly for their state of mind, were such secretive, self-centered, pathetic, loathsome, spineless messes that I couldn't bring myself to like them even for a half minute.
What I didn't care for:
The raunch - I noticed several reviews on this book attribute this to being written by a man, but I've encountered plenty of female authors equally capable of writing these scenes. It really was...a bit much, regardless. It may have been to prove a point about Diana's character but mostly it just read uncomfortably.
No sense of time - Because of the way the book was laid out, beyond a certain point, I no longer had any inclination of "when" I was in history. When Diana was younger, there were enough references to her age that it was easy to deduce what era the country was in, but once Ash was a young man, it suddenly felt more muddled, until the very end. Throughout the bulk of the pages, though, nothing really seemed to give me a concrete feel for what the world around them was like. Then again, perhaps that was on purpose, since they all acted as though nothing beyond the perimeters of Saratoga bore any significance.
If I were to sum this up? A dark tragedy from which I couldn't seem to disengage. Hopeless and empty, it felt very Gatsby-like to me, emotionally; no one came across as likable, just pitiable for their very existence. The relationships were all dysfunctional at best and more often outright profane. The decadence was a thin, cheap veneer for the brokenness that seethed just below it. Reminiscent of The Lost Generation (also aptly named), present in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, as well as Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this book had that same feeling of depraved lifestyles covering up the meaningless lives of vapid individuals. I had to keep reading to see how that trainwreck was going to conclude, but when I closed the book for the final time, I felt exactly after I did when I completed the aforementioned classics: utterly disheartened.
weebleblue's review against another edition
3.0
I could not have told you where that plot was going at any point in time for a million dollars. Enjoyed it but was so scrambled
the_naptime_reader's review against another edition
3.0
I’m waffling between 3 and 4 stars on this one. Goolrick writes American Gothic. There seems to be a darkness to his subject matter. While this book is definitely a downer, not an upper there’s serious matter for consideration or discussion within the plot. The house is almost a character in the novel, and sets a clear mood. The prologue made me struggle to be interested in the book, but as soon as I met the characters I raced through the book. I think his author bio summarized the type of book he writes best-“complex anecdotes about the living and the dead.” This review is all over the place, and probably makes little sense to follow. If you like literary fiction this might be the book for you.
TW: marital rape; abortion; suicide
TW: marital rape; abortion; suicide