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celestialwillow's review against another edition
4.25
Quick, fun read. Inspired to read other books by Natasha Pulley.
rowboot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
handful_of_frogs's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
heather_boo's review against another edition
4.0
I felt like the entire book including the cover, type, and all was a cohesive work of art. The storytelling is original and imaginative. The only reason my rating isn’t higher is that the characters while good were not completely realized, and at times there is some disjointed writing.
joyfulreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shimmery's review against another edition
2.0
Set in Victorian London the lives of Mori (a clairvoyant Japanese watchmaker), Thaniel (a civil servant) and Grace (an Oxford graduate conducting obscure physics experiments in any basement she has access to) become intertwined.
When I first started reading this book, I found it charming. I really got the sense that this was a world the author spent a lot of time in; that she enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with it. However, the whimsy of the novel was also what let it down as it eventually left the novel feeling immature and unfinished.
The first half of the book I found engaging as I was willing to overlook a lot of the issues based on the assumption they would be resolved later. This wasn't the case, and so throughout the second half of the book I was rolling my eyes so much I could hardly read it.
Why?
1. Unlikeable characters. When I was reading I got the distinct impression that these characters were sort of imaginary friends of the author. I saw her doing spider diagrams of all their little quirks which were then shoehorned in to the story in a way that was a little annoying but forgivable for a debut author excited about and in love with her characters. What was not forgivable was the fact there was no differentiation in the way they spoke or the fact that the only female character we get any exposure to demonstrates a huge amount of internalised misogyny. This women hating sounded off the first real alarm bells that told me I was going to hate the book. I made myself persevere as I thought perhaps this was a set up for some character development later in the novel where Grace would realise the value of other women/the suffrage movement. Unfortunately not -- it really is just a misogynistic book. None of the characters are likeable. Maybe it would be OK to have one shallow, quirkily dressed, sarcastic character who thinks they're better than everyone else but this novel is annoyingly crowded with them.
2. Poor storytelling. I don't say poor writing because, especially near the beginning of the book, it was quite poetic. This was why it was disappointing to see a lot of showing not telling. I usually hate the term 'show don't tell' as I think it's fine to tell the reader things from time to time. What's less fine is undermining a rare subtle interaction or encounter between the characters by then spelling out exactly what just happened. I wonder if Pulley agrees with her Gilbert when she has him say 'the safest way to success is to write according to the capacity of the stupidest member of the audience.'
3. Too many ideas and not enough going on with any of them. The idea about the ether which seems to be the main preoccupation at the start of the book is really interesting and a good idea. It is sort of forgotten about when Grace turns from a budding scientist in to a jealous wannabe wife. The whole bomb thing which also starts out as a pretty big deal and is set up as a mystery to be solved also gets forgotten about in the middle of the book before the author suddenly seems to remember it again and come out with a copout villain. I was also left wondering what the significance was of Grace having one of Mori's watches. Did she need to have one? I didn't think so, but could have missed something in amongst the rest of the mess. This was just one example of a plot set up that didn't pay off. Basically, I get the impression the author wanted to write a gay love story but piled a load of other things on top of it and only brought the relationship out right at the end in a way that left a lot of readers (judging by reviews) feeling it was a bit of a random plot line. Personally I saw it coming a mile off and was kind of annoyed that the story had been dressed up as so many other things.
As you can probably tell I found this a really frustrating read, mainly because it had the potential to have been so much better and really good if only the self indulgence had been cut out of it. Wouldn't recommend.
When I first started reading this book, I found it charming. I really got the sense that this was a world the author spent a lot of time in; that she enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with it. However, the whimsy of the novel was also what let it down as it eventually left the novel feeling immature and unfinished.
The first half of the book I found engaging as I was willing to overlook a lot of the issues based on the assumption they would be resolved later. This wasn't the case, and so throughout the second half of the book I was rolling my eyes so much I could hardly read it.
Why?
1. Unlikeable characters. When I was reading I got the distinct impression that these characters were sort of imaginary friends of the author. I saw her doing spider diagrams of all their little quirks which were then shoehorned in to the story in a way that was a little annoying but forgivable for a debut author excited about and in love with her characters. What was not forgivable was the fact there was no differentiation in the way they spoke or the fact that the only female character we get any exposure to demonstrates a huge amount of internalised misogyny. This women hating sounded off the first real alarm bells that told me I was going to hate the book. I made myself persevere as I thought perhaps this was a set up for some character development later in the novel where Grace would realise the value of other women/the suffrage movement. Unfortunately not -- it really is just a misogynistic book. None of the characters are likeable. Maybe it would be OK to have one shallow, quirkily dressed, sarcastic character who thinks they're better than everyone else but this novel is annoyingly crowded with them.
2. Poor storytelling. I don't say poor writing because, especially near the beginning of the book, it was quite poetic. This was why it was disappointing to see a lot of showing not telling. I usually hate the term 'show don't tell' as I think it's fine to tell the reader things from time to time. What's less fine is undermining a rare subtle interaction or encounter between the characters by then spelling out exactly what just happened. I wonder if Pulley agrees with her Gilbert when she has him say 'the safest way to success is to write according to the capacity of the stupidest member of the audience.'
3. Too many ideas and not enough going on with any of them. The idea about the ether which seems to be the main preoccupation at the start of the book is really interesting and a good idea. It is sort of forgotten about when Grace turns from a budding scientist in to a jealous wannabe wife. The whole bomb thing which also starts out as a pretty big deal and is set up as a mystery to be solved also gets forgotten about in the middle of the book before the author suddenly seems to remember it again and come out with a copout villain. I was also left wondering what the significance was of Grace having one of Mori's watches. Did she need to have one? I didn't think so, but could have missed something in amongst the rest of the mess. This was just one example of a plot set up that didn't pay off. Basically, I get the impression the author wanted to write a gay love story but piled a load of other things on top of it and only brought the relationship out right at the end in a way that left a lot of readers (judging by reviews) feeling it was a bit of a random plot line. Personally I saw it coming a mile off and was kind of annoyed that the story had been dressed up as so many other things.
As you can probably tell I found this a really frustrating read, mainly because it had the potential to have been so much better and really good if only the self indulgence had been cut out of it. Wouldn't recommend.
rogerb's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
H got this as we both like Pulley.
This is her first and I am glad it is not the first one I read, as I might have stopped. Her style is unmistakeable and good: dome deep research and a convincing historical tableau. This one was over-egged, however - too much going on, all of it high quality and interesting, but distracting.
She got better - I will continue to recommend her to others.
This is her first and I am glad it is not the first one I read, as I might have stopped. Her style is unmistakeable and good: dome deep research and a convincing historical tableau. This one was over-egged, however - too much going on, all of it high quality and interesting, but distracting.
She got better - I will continue to recommend her to others.
melonarte's review against another edition
2.0
This book just wasn't able to grasp my interest at all. I felt confused with the storyline most of the time. Things were unclear to me until the last few chapters. Also I didn't really bond with any of the main characters. (The octopus is cute though).
Maybe this just is not the style for me or did I have the wrong expectations of this book. It was just not the exciting mysterious novel I hoped it would be.
Can't believe I finally finished it after more than a year, hurray
Maybe this just is not the style for me or did I have the wrong expectations of this book. It was just not the exciting mysterious novel I hoped it would be.
Can't believe I finally finished it after more than a year, hurray
milena3's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
callienicole's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of those books that I enjoyed while I was reading, but I had no motivation to pick it up when I wasn't actually reading it. So I only got to page 219 before the library time clock won and I had to return it. So here are my thoughts on the 70% that I read, and I hope to pick it up and finish it when I can!
Genre: The most interesting thing about this book to me is that I had a hard time categorizing it in any one genre! I have never read anything quite like it. It's part historical fiction, part mystery, maybe part romance, and a whole lot of fantasy. Sometimes you thought these must be events that would be occurring in our real world, but then something fantastical would happen, like a mechanical octopus pet showing up in the story, and you would get the feeling that this must be some alternate universe, where the characters are set in London but it's not REALLY London. I really enjoyed how unusual it was!
Plot: Thaniel Steepleton comes home one day to find a mysterious watch with sophisticated clockwork - he can't break it, and he can't get rid of it, and he has no idea how it got in his room. As the story unfolds, the watch saves him from an explosion, and he then tracks down the maker, a man named Mori, a mysterious character who seems to know more than he should. Is he the bomber or not?
Characters: I really loved Mori in this book - he was just so lovable, and I love the friendship that was forming between him and Thaniel. This is the main reason I will pick the book back up, because I want to know how that plays out. There is also a character named Grace, a female scientist who doesn't want anything but to continue her research. I had a REALLY hard time liking Grace though. She came off a little emotionless, and wasn't relatable to me.
Language: Mild cussing, but several uses of Jesus's name in vain.
Spiritual Content: If I am remembering right, I think one of the characters mentions a seance, which I don't like. One of the main characters is supposed to be a "clairvoyant", but in the context of the book it didn't seem weird. One of the scientist characters gave a scientific explanation for it, and the whole book had a fantasy kind of feel even though it occurs in London - so rather than being a weird spiritual element, like it would be to me in other books, it came off like part of the fantasy genre of the book. Normally I would probably put a book down if clairvoyants started showing up, but this one seemed more like a fanciful scientific explanation, so it didn't bother me as much.
My Thoughts: The writing in this book is the part that has me the most torn. The progression of the story often gets hazy...I had a hard time keeping up with where the characters were and what they were doing, because the transitions from one scene to another were either very tiny and easy to miss or foggy. I honestly couldn't decide if it was intentional or unintentional - if these hazy transitions were intentional, then it was brilliant, because it really added to the overall mysterious/fantastical elements in this story. If it was unintentional, then it was just bad writing. I think this was part of why I felt unmotivated to pick it back up, because the writing could get a little confusing...but at the same time, a part of me wants to finish it for the friendship I see developing and to see where this whole crazy thing is going.
Genre: The most interesting thing about this book to me is that I had a hard time categorizing it in any one genre! I have never read anything quite like it. It's part historical fiction, part mystery, maybe part romance, and a whole lot of fantasy. Sometimes you thought these must be events that would be occurring in our real world, but then something fantastical would happen, like a mechanical octopus pet showing up in the story, and you would get the feeling that this must be some alternate universe, where the characters are set in London but it's not REALLY London. I really enjoyed how unusual it was!
Plot: Thaniel Steepleton comes home one day to find a mysterious watch with sophisticated clockwork - he can't break it, and he can't get rid of it, and he has no idea how it got in his room. As the story unfolds, the watch saves him from an explosion, and he then tracks down the maker, a man named Mori, a mysterious character who seems to know more than he should. Is he the bomber or not?
Characters: I really loved Mori in this book - he was just so lovable, and I love the friendship that was forming between him and Thaniel. This is the main reason I will pick the book back up, because I want to know how that plays out. There is also a character named Grace, a female scientist who doesn't want anything but to continue her research. I had a REALLY hard time liking Grace though. She came off a little emotionless, and wasn't relatable to me.
Language: Mild cussing, but several uses of Jesus's name in vain.
Spiritual Content: If I am remembering right, I think one of the characters mentions a seance, which I don't like. One of the main characters is supposed to be a "clairvoyant", but in the context of the book it didn't seem weird. One of the scientist characters gave a scientific explanation for it, and the whole book had a fantasy kind of feel even though it occurs in London - so rather than being a weird spiritual element, like it would be to me in other books, it came off like part of the fantasy genre of the book. Normally I would probably put a book down if clairvoyants started showing up, but this one seemed more like a fanciful scientific explanation, so it didn't bother me as much.
My Thoughts: The writing in this book is the part that has me the most torn. The progression of the story often gets hazy...I had a hard time keeping up with where the characters were and what they were doing, because the transitions from one scene to another were either very tiny and easy to miss or foggy. I honestly couldn't decide if it was intentional or unintentional - if these hazy transitions were intentional, then it was brilliant, because it really added to the overall mysterious/fantastical elements in this story. If it was unintentional, then it was just bad writing. I think this was part of why I felt unmotivated to pick it back up, because the writing could get a little confusing...but at the same time, a part of me wants to finish it for the friendship I see developing and to see where this whole crazy thing is going.