Reviews

The Archivist by Martha Cooley

dragonspy's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bookysue's review against another edition

1.0

I got about 40 pages into this and had to stop. Her writing style reminds me of a creative writing class I took in college. AKA, it sucks. This was like some library-ized version of The Da Vinci Code.

Haha anytime I hate the way a book is written, I compare it the DVC, I know, I know. But it's just the most well-known example of that kind of writing where it's like, I know I'm reading a work of fiction that some shitty writer spent a lot of time trying to make sound good. I don't like that. I like when they make it seem effortless, or if not that, then at least make the effort seem worthwhile.

slim_oysterhiatus's review against another edition

3.0

I was expecting and hoping for more about the T.S. Eliot archives and found Part One pretty dull, but Part Two recaptured my interest. I kept waiting for a big reveal that never came. I did like the dark, moody ambiance, but it's a character driven story with no character development.

stmchester's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the first part of this book, and then struggled to finish the rest. Much of the book is set in a psychiatric hospital. One of the main characters spends many years there and there isn't much action - only visits that don't work out too well. It was a sad book that covered tragic historic events - not for me.

nssutton's review against another edition

3.0

learned of the title on a goodreads list of librarian centric books. was surprised and a little pissed off to find out how much of it was about religion (snooze) but i liked the way the story wound itself out and the ending made me angry. feeling something towards a book has gotta mean something, you know?

samara_surface's review against another edition

2.0

While the characters were believable, the layout and movement of the story fell flat for me. However, I am now eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the some 1,300+ letters written by TS Eliot to Emily Hale in 2020.

wolfsonarchitect's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this novel, although I'm not sure it fully comes together. It has a lot of themes intertwined between the archivist, religious differences, and T.S. Elliot. It's as much a book of ideas as of plot. At times I wished for more plot.

michael5000's review against another edition

I got about halfway through The Archivist, enjoying it less and less for what seemed to me its stilted characterization and especially its structure, a regimented series of juxtapositions presented as first-person reminiscence. Because people just do not tell their own stories in such a stylized fashion, the narrator -- the eponymous archivist -- comes off as false and unnatural in this scheme. When the improbably information-rich diary entries began, I reached for the best escape hatch I know for exiting a mediocre book: I found a plot synopsis online and deliberately ruined the ending. What I saw there made me glad I had decided not to stick it out.

marthagal's review against another edition

3.0

Okay, but I don't think I like/get poetry enough to fully appreciate this book. I would only recommend this for people who really like T.S. Eliot. I read The Wasteland in college and everything, but both him and his work are everywhere in this novel and I kept feeling like I was missing something.

paige1947_'s review against another edition

No stars - this one was just not my cup of tea- great if you are a big fan T.S. Elliott