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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
For 76 generations the family Groan has ruled over the ancient and sprawling castle of Gormenghast. But two arrivals will shake up the Groans in their storied tradition and ritual: the birth of Titus, heir to Gormenghast, and the rise of the scheming and ruthless Steerpike, a kitchen servant with ambitions far above his current station.
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What I liked: Mervyn Peake's prose. Oh wow. His descriptions are as gorgeous as they are surprising. His turns of phrase are uniquely evocative and feel like nothing else I've ever read.
The lonely, ominous feel of this book also made this a perfect early autumn read.
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What I disliked: This book is slow. This is the kind of book that takes half a page to describe the expression on someone's face. It's very much a deliberate, stylistic choice, but sometimes I felt like I was wading through this book more than reading it.
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What I liked: Mervyn Peake's prose. Oh wow. His descriptions are as gorgeous as they are surprising. His turns of phrase are uniquely evocative and feel like nothing else I've ever read.
The lonely, ominous feel of this book also made this a perfect early autumn read.
---
What I disliked: This book is slow. This is the kind of book that takes half a page to describe the expression on someone's face. It's very much a deliberate, stylistic choice, but sometimes I felt like I was wading through this book more than reading it.
This is one of the most insane things I've ever read I'm a different person now
On the surface this book is a wonderfully atmospheric tale of gothic fantasy; but beneath that it describes how all great families, and perhaps nations, decay. The protagonist is the castle itself, which is described in all its disintegrating glory as if it were already a thing of the past. The characters grow organically from the castle -- the patriarch Sepulchrave, who gradually loses his mind; his wife, who has complete disdain for her own family (even her newborn son, Titus) and supplants them with cats and birds; daughter Fuchsia, who awakens to the madness of Gormenghast and is learning how to escape, when she can... all this should be terribly depressing, but the subject always goes back to the castle, the building itself, which somehow still stands as an anchor. The tone of the novel reminds me of Edward Gorey's drawings and stories -- a satisfying combination of doom and humor -- and there is enough action (including a murder plot) to keep the story moving. A dandy villain helps too. The book ends with a subtle indication that the young Titus will not continue in the family's grim path... and so I look forward to the next installment.
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to this because it was mentioned as inspiration for Neil Gaiman and Susanna Clark. It is a slow moving affair with the first 23 chapters or almost half the book just introducing characters and building the world, but, without realizing it over the next 5 chapters, I found myself commiserating with basically every unique character and was sucked into the vivid imagery of the dark and surreal Gormenghast. There isn't really that much that happens and not much of it very exciting (Flay and Swelter's rivalry climax the exception), but it pulled me in. I want to know what befalls this intriguing cast, but maybe most of all I just want to soak some more in the atmosphere of Gormenghast that Peake has created.
*carrying this story around like a stuffed animal*
*turning on my fireplace and imagining i'm in Gormenghast library*
*sitting all the characters in a circle for a tea party where no one's allowed to eat anything*
*climbing up on my mantle and pretending to be a death owl*
*turning on my fireplace and imagining i'm in Gormenghast library*
*sitting all the characters in a circle for a tea party where no one's allowed to eat anything*
*climbing up on my mantle and pretending to be a death owl*
dark
funny
mysterious
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:
No
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had heard that Titus was a significant influencer of the modern fantasy genre. So, it has always held a space of interest in the back of my brain. When someone I follow on YouTube started a buddy read, I eagerly joined in. All that is to explain why I read and actually finished the book despite it being a tedious task to do so.
Unfortunately, Titus Groan did not meet my expectations. The initial chapters held my attention as I wanted to know where the story was going. However, the book started to bore me (to the point of falling asleep several times). By the halfway mark, it became clear that the story wasn't going anywhere. The book's second half turned into a blur as I found myself speed-reading just to finish. I would not have finished Titus if not for the buddy read.
Even though this story has an imaginative setting and rich characters, that wasn't enough for me. I needed an equally imaginative and rich plot. This review is a self-reminder that for me to fully engage with a book, a captivating plot (or just any plot, really!) is crucial.
Unfortunately, Titus Groan did not meet my expectations. The initial chapters held my attention as I wanted to know where the story was going. However, the book started to bore me (to the point of falling asleep several times). By the halfway mark, it became clear that the story wasn't going anywhere. The book's second half turned into a blur as I found myself speed-reading just to finish. I would not have finished Titus if not for the buddy read.
Even though this story has an imaginative setting and rich characters, that wasn't enough for me. I needed an equally imaginative and rich plot. This review is a self-reminder that for me to fully engage with a book, a captivating plot (or just any plot, really!) is crucial.
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was confused by this book most of the time to be honest. The prose and turn of phrase were lovely and very vivid. The plot was slow I am not sure it was even there. I didn't like any of the characters much. I don’t think I’ll read the other novels.