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ronanmcd's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I have a lot of problems with this book, and one with the other reviews.
The reviews first: they all say the character list is not diverse! That is the most superficial reading of the word "diverse" to only understand it as being racial. Yes, they are all white Europeans, but they are male and female, young and old, powerful and working class. They are pagan, Catholic, Protestant and theist in a world of magic-belief. Romany, French, Irish and English. They have lived sheltered lives or lives of hardship. The breadth of diversity is enormous!
Anyhow, the book itself. It is incredibly slow, pretty much nothing happens. But it's evocative, and rich. You fall into long, hazy, Alpine summer days. But still nothing really happens.
But then eventually the flow of nothing happening builds a head of steam, and things happen - or almost happen, being largely prevented from happening. And it's there that the whole story feels a bit off, morally.
You have one character, Terka, who has been ostracised from her community, and is now banished from a second community on the basis of little more than hearsay, and romantic misadventures. She is accused of witchcraft in 20th Century France, and astoundingly the writing is sympathetic to those with superstitious beliefs. René sets out to kill Terka, but only wounds her. The whole town and the not impartial narrator support him. Even the priest, whose words had been earlier misconstrued and hatched a lynch party that was foiled.
Everyone feels killing the gypsy is fine. She must have been doing bad things they feel, on the basis of no evidence. And anyway, it is argued, René was perfectly justified, as he only sought to kill Terka to protect his family from her spells.
And even more incredibly, Terka herself becomes a victim of justice for throwing a branch at the priest's horse. She is unjustified in this, despite the priest having led attacks on her from the pulpit, denouncing her and telling the towns folk to banish her and not trade with her.
It's all hugely problematic victim-blaming, which our naive heroine eventually also succumbs to.
The entire story speaks of the wisdom of the crowd. It tells of how old beliefs are there to help the community, and are justified. It feels fascistic, picking outsiders are blaming them for all a community's woes.
It's really not good.
And finally, the blurb on the back speaks of pre-War France, but the characters' pasts are in the RAF, the Maquis and accuse each of being Gestapo.
I love what indie publishers like Tramp Press do. It's hugely important, but overall this was a disappointment.
The reviews first: they all say the character list is not diverse! That is the most superficial reading of the word "diverse" to only understand it as being racial. Yes, they are all white Europeans, but they are male and female, young and old, powerful and working class. They are pagan, Catholic, Protestant and theist in a world of magic-belief. Romany, French, Irish and English. They have lived sheltered lives or lives of hardship. The breadth of diversity is enormous!
Anyhow, the book itself. It is incredibly slow, pretty much nothing happens. But it's evocative, and rich. You fall into long, hazy, Alpine summer days. But still nothing really happens.
You have one character, Terka, who has been ostracised from her community, and is now banished from a second community on the basis of little more than hearsay, and romantic misadventures. She is accused of witchcraft in 20th Century France, and astoundingly the writing is sympathetic to those with superstitious beliefs. René sets out to kill Terka, but only wounds her. The whole town and the not impartial narrator support him. Even the priest, whose words had been earlier misconstrued and hatched a lynch party that was foiled.
Everyone feels killing the gypsy is fine. She must have been doing bad things they feel, on the basis of no evidence. And anyway, it is argued, René was perfectly justified, as he only sought to kill Terka to protect his family from her spells.
And even more incredibly, Terka herself becomes a victim of justice for throwing a branch at the priest's horse. She is unjustified in this, despite the priest having led attacks on her from the pulpit, denouncing her and telling the towns folk to banish her and not trade with her.
It's all hugely problematic victim-blaming, which our naive heroine eventually also succumbs to.
The entire story speaks of the wisdom of the crowd. It tells of how old beliefs are there to help the community, and are justified. It feels fascistic, picking outsiders are blaming them for all a community's woes.
It's really not good.
And finally, the blurb on the back speaks of pre-War France, but the characters' pasts are in the RAF, the Maquis and accuse each of being Gestapo.
I love what indie publishers like Tramp Press do. It's hugely important, but overall this was a disappointment.
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/review-1556-dark-enchantment/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/review-1556-dark-enchantment/
lene_kretzsch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
helenfred's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Read for a university course. Compared to some other books I have read lately, I really liked this. It was pretty slow paced though, which is not really my style.
novel_eile's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ungildedlily's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
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