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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
2.5 out of 5 stars
I don't quite get the high ratings for this book. The structure is very interesting, no doubt, and some of the stories are pretty good, but a large portion of Midwinterblood just serves the path it laid out for itself. I enjoyed about half of it, and there were two stories that I thought were excellent, but there were a few points at which I kind of had to force myself to keep going (which shouldn't happen in a book under 300 pages).
I don't quite get the high ratings for this book. The structure is very interesting, no doubt, and some of the stories are pretty good, but a large portion of Midwinterblood just serves the path it laid out for itself. I enjoyed about half of it, and there were two stories that I thought were excellent, but there were a few points at which I kind of had to force myself to keep going (which shouldn't happen in a book under 300 pages).
I don't know how I feel about this book. More than half way through I was trying to understand the point of the stories. By the end I understood want Sedgwick was doing, unfortunately I don't think he did it successfully. Sedgwick writes beautifully, he tells interesting tales, I just think this fell short.
Riveting. Beautiful. I was a little disappointed at the end.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While reading the Printz 2014 winner, Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick, I learned the novel is based on/inspired by a real painting that hangs in the Swedish Nationalmuseum-- Midvinterblot. The painting is a controversial scene out of Nordic history based on the Sagas; it presents the moment before the sacrifice of king Domalde, who is being "blessed" (sacrificed) in order to avert a long famine. Sedgwick starts with this theme of sacrifice and draws it out into a work both beautiful and dark without pretense.
There is a practice of drinking a certain tea that plays a major role in the story, and results in drinker becoming soothed, forgetful, and tired (not to mention the other issues)-- a kind of nepenthe. Reading this book often made me feel the same way, it lulled me into a comfortable, familiar reading-space and then the story subtly took a turn to something strange, startling me so I had to go back and reread the passage, like when you're watching a film, you blink and then miss something.
This is a story told in reverse, but we don't discover the resolution until the very end, thus laying most of our concerns to rest. Some have compared it to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and there are similar themes, yes-- love, fate, reincarnation, adversity, and interpretation of the past; however, Cloud Atlas is a nestled tale with each story told in a different literary style, whereas Midwinterblood is a series of stories told in reverse, all with the same beautiful prose, language sparse and stark as if the words were describing scenes from a Ingrid Bergman film.
The book is chilling, dire, and many answers are left unanswered, but I enjoy that because it keeps me obsessing over the plot, turning it over and over in my head.
Chelsea Wolfe's album "Pain is Beauty" is an appropriately dark and cold album to listen to while reading Midwinterblood, though some may find it too bleak, especially during the long, icy winter the Northeast is currently having. It just happened, by chance, to be on rotation when I picked up this book.
Review originally posted on my blog.
There is a practice of drinking a certain tea that plays a major role in the story, and results in drinker becoming soothed, forgetful, and tired (not to mention the other issues)-- a kind of nepenthe. Reading this book often made me feel the same way, it lulled me into a comfortable, familiar reading-space and then the story subtly took a turn to something strange, startling me so I had to go back and reread the passage, like when you're watching a film, you blink and then miss something.
This is a story told in reverse, but we don't discover the resolution until the very end, thus laying most of our concerns to rest. Some have compared it to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and there are similar themes, yes-- love, fate, reincarnation, adversity, and interpretation of the past; however, Cloud Atlas is a nestled tale with each story told in a different literary style, whereas Midwinterblood is a series of stories told in reverse, all with the same beautiful prose, language sparse and stark as if the words were describing scenes from a Ingrid Bergman film.
The book is chilling, dire, and many answers are left unanswered
Spoiler
(do the dragon orchids have something to do with the creation of the vampire? Is Tor also being reincarnated in attempt to keep Merle & Eric apart? etc)Chelsea Wolfe's album "Pain is Beauty" is an appropriately dark and cold album to listen to while reading Midwinterblood, though some may find it too bleak, especially during the long, icy winter the Northeast is currently having. It just happened, by chance, to be on rotation when I picked up this book.
Review originally posted on my blog.
Drīzāk baisene padsmitniekiem ar nolemtās mīlestības motīvu. Daudz daudz par sausu un vienkāršu, lai spētu novērtēt literāro kvalitāti.
Good Book, easy to follow if you pay attention! I am hoping to one day teach it to High Schoolers in an English classroom. The ever changing stories and missing puzzle pieces make you want to read more.
This is just a very interesting read. It will not answer any questions and will only raise more by the book's end. Still, its present tense, imagery-rich style makes it an enchanting, eerie read.
I do not know what to say about this book. I was utterly perplexed by a lot of it. But it kept pulling me forward. I had to know what was going on, and what had happened, what was going to happen. It's not always an enjoyable read, but it was always fascinating. And really, really well done. Seriously, very weird but good.
Update:Midwinterblood just won the Printz award! Like I said, such a well done book.
Update:Midwinterblood just won the Printz award! Like I said, such a well done book.