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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
N/A
Oh man, what a book! This isn't your ordinary fantasy--in fact, forget that it has anything to do with fantasy. Peake has an incredible way with words, and so much of Titus Groan feels like masterful poetry. The way he describes the characters, settings and scenes of Gormenghast are unique, odd and somehow perfect. As only the best "fantasy" can do, the reader is transported into the world of Gormenghast and all its strange, dark mystery.
Be warned though, this book is not for the faint of heart. I usually read voraciously, devouring books in every spare moment. Titus Groan, though, needed to be spread out and slowly digested. The dark majesty of Gormenghast seemed to seep from the book and weigh on my mind with each reading, so that after a chapter or two I was done for the day. Some days I wasn't emotionally prepared to wade into the oppressive gloom of the ancient home of the Groans. But when my mood was right, I was oh so rewarded by Peake's masterful writing. I think this book, more than anything else in my life, has embodied the idea of finding Joy in the Journey.
Be warned though, this book is not for the faint of heart. I usually read voraciously, devouring books in every spare moment. Titus Groan, though, needed to be spread out and slowly digested. The dark majesty of Gormenghast seemed to seep from the book and weigh on my mind with each reading, so that after a chapter or two I was done for the day. Some days I wasn't emotionally prepared to wade into the oppressive gloom of the ancient home of the Groans. But when my mood was right, I was oh so rewarded by Peake's masterful writing. I think this book, more than anything else in my life, has embodied the idea of finding Joy in the Journey.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
So much description, so little plot. Beautiful prose but not for me. All of the indiscriminate focus on each character's 'whimsical' internal dialogue no matter their importance to the story made this difficult to finish. I wanted to know so much more about what the Groans preside over, who the people are...and I got nothing. I also have a sinking feeling there is some misogyny behind the descriptions of the women of Gormenghast. One may say all characters have similarly flawed depictions, but there's something sinister about the way femininity in particular is skewered in terms of intelligence (the Groan sisters and the doctor's sister particularly). Having said that, it was beautifully atmospheric. I won't be continuing this series, but maybe I'll watch the miniseries to see how the Steerpike/Groan feud evolves.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
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
It's clear reading Titus Groan that Peake was a visual artist. There is a constant, exacting attention to detail in every scene, and, alternating between the audiobook and the illustrated hardcover, it was remarkable how closely Peake's sketches resembled the text. He has created and detailed a particular space and filled it with a particular collection of grotesques, and much of the book exists to showcase these above all else. This is a book for wandering and meandering, a chance for Peake to show his stylistic chops for better (a glimpse into the reveries of bored breakfasters) and for worse (the overwrought excursions outside of the castle walls). All this is, of course, a polite way of saying that it's often as dull as it is gripping. In a castle where nothing changes, change arrives...in fits and starts. It's both an experience like no other and also a story that feels like 400 pages of groundwork for Part 2.