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camillecf's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
georgiat24's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
lland's review
3.75
I actually liked this book a lot more than I initially thought I would! I am a sucker for gothic style books and historical fiction though so this was def down my alley. Kind of had similar vibes to The Picture of Dorian Gray which gave it more points in my book. Loved the intertwining of different stories, I also really enjoyed Helen's character and her story. Overall the characters were not necessarily likeable but they were charming in a way, and they felt very human. The writing was lovely, it felt very literary and descriptive yet still had a nice flow and I didn't find myself getting bored by long descriptions or overly extravagant words.
I do wish the question of whether or not Melmoth was real was left with a more ambiguous answer, I think that would've been more impactful. Also, the Cairo Journal and the Testimony of Nameless and Hassan felt kind of unnecessary at the point in the plot at which they were inserted. I didn't dislike those stories themselves but I felt bored reading them because they didn't seem relevant whereas all the other Melmoth documents contributed much more to Helen's plot. The book was also predictable at parts but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of it too much. Overall I def liked this one, makes me want to read Sarah Perry's other books :)
I do wish the question of whether or not Melmoth was real was left with a more ambiguous answer, I think that would've been more impactful. Also, the Cairo Journal and the Testimony of Nameless and Hassan felt kind of unnecessary at the point in the plot at which they were inserted. I didn't dislike those stories themselves but I felt bored reading them because they didn't seem relevant whereas all the other Melmoth documents contributed much more to Helen's plot. The book was also predictable at parts but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of it too much. Overall I def liked this one, makes me want to read Sarah Perry's other books :)
sirxetra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
revisins's review
4.0
Haunting and evocative. The writing just seeps into your brain and lingers long after the final page is turned. Like the titular figure Melmoth is a stalking specter of a story that creeps up on you and embraces you with a ferocity that many books cannot muster. I am glad that I was able to obtain an ARC from the Goodreads First Reads program. It is well worth the read. Just be warned, you may end up becoming fully taken in
pauline_b's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not what I thought it would be. And I mean that in a good way. I was getting ready for a spooky story, but this is so much more.
This was a real rollercoaster: textbook gothic novel atmosphere, beautiful, heartwrenching, hopeful. I just didn't know what to think of it until the end. It deals with guilt, punishment, atonement and hope and spans through different cultures, places and time, while all these stories are bound together by the enigmatic Melmoth figure.
It feels more matured and developed than Sarah Perry's previous book "The Essex Serpent" while still blending reality and myths. I really liked it.
The only small thing that did annoy me: I didn't get along with the structure of narrative within narrative in the first half of the book, because one subplot was a bit too long and pulled me out of the overarching plot.
This was a real rollercoaster: textbook gothic novel atmosphere, beautiful, heartwrenching, hopeful. I just didn't know what to think of it until the end. It deals with guilt, punishment, atonement and hope and spans through different cultures, places and time, while all these stories are bound together by the enigmatic Melmoth figure.
It feels more matured and developed than Sarah Perry's previous book "The Essex Serpent" while still blending reality and myths. I really liked it.
The only small thing that did annoy me: I didn't get along with the structure of narrative within narrative in the first half of the book, because one subplot was a bit too long and pulled me out of the overarching plot.
alecrigdon's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
saranies's review against another edition
3.0
This book looks at the horrors of normal people doing what they think is right but instead is an atrocity. Melmoth is the witness to it all. It was tough to read; it's bleak and cold and I'm not sue that I got everything from it that the author wanted me to.
Spoiler
I felt like the Helen storyline was actually unsatisfactorily resolved. The man who took the blame for her misdeeds in the Philippines went to a pretty horrific prison and sought her out in Prague upon his release. He said he wanted to see that it wasn't a waste but... it was? She tortured herself and didn't do anything big picture to atone for what she did, just took on personal suffering. I'd be pretty pissed if I had taken on this huge sacrifice, refused to give up hope, and then came out of it to find the person I sacrificed it for had wasted her life.angelabewick81's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75