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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this and enjoyed it until Valentina and Elspeth make some crazy decisions. I almost thought I had read it wrong. I like Martin, though and how Julia was a better person when she was interacting with him them when she was with her twin.
I shouldn't have continued reading, the first half of the book was better. The Martin & Marijke side-story was worth reading though, despite all the depressingly unrealistic stuff all over the place.
It wasn't good or bad...just OK. In the middle. Nothing really remarkable.
It wasn't good or bad...just OK. In the middle. Nothing really remarkable.
I thought this book was awful...plot was strange, characters were strange and didn't make much sense. It did not appear to be a well thoughtout book. If I could give less than 1 star I would!!
So, I actually read quite a bit of this. And it was alright- I liked Martin, I liked Robert, I even started to like the twins. (Spoiler) And then she ruined it all- Valentina decided she had to die and come back in order to have a life of her own? Wha? Why? Wait- what? That was my reaction. Maybe I'm not a twin, and I've never heard of this amazing "twin connection" (they sleep in the same bed? and dress alike? at age 21? what?), but it got way too ridiculous. And I can't lie- after getting so annoyed, I skipped to the end to see what happened to Martin and Marijke (they were likable!), and found myself in bewilderment and confusion about Edie and Elspeth. They switched places? What? Why? What? Very much like the TTW- not bad writing, and an interesting premise, and then she ruins everything. Very disappointing.
I really wanted to like this book, as Time Traveler's Wife is one of my all time favorite books. However, though the story was compelling at times I found it ultimately unfulfilling, I just couldn't care about these characters the way I did Claire and Henry
A gorgeous and moving piece centered on what truly makes one oneself and how much of personality is bound up in our relationships with others. Every twist of the ending was telegraphed from the beginning, but despite that (or perhaps because of it) each piece is still extremely poignant. If this book has a draw back it is that Niffenegger still has a somewhat heavy hand with the English language. Long passages in Portuguese are written in full and then occasionally translated below (a gimmick which smacks of arrogance), thoughts are typed haphazardly in italics and some sentences simply fall flat.
Overall, an extraordinary second novel.
Overall, an extraordinary second novel.
Since I can't do half stars, please consider that 1 a 1.5. I didn't hate it, but I can't say I found it "okay", much less enjoyable.
In all honesty? Her Fearful Symmetry reads like it's from the pen of an entirely different author than The Time Traveler's Wife. There is precisely none of the charm that the latter held for me, only an increasingly absurd storyline enacted by half-formed characters and caricatures. The 'plot' doesn't start until halfway through the book and when it does - I literally do not know where to start with that baffling, confusing and pointless mess.
Leaving that aside: had I not read in the thank you notes that Niffenegger worked in Highgate for a time, I'd have assumed that all the cemetary-related passages and characters were based on guide book reviews. None of her English characters sound or act like English people; having them use the words "bollocks" (which she spelt incorrectly - it's "bollocksed" in the past tense) and "sweet" a lot, and drink ubiquitous amounts of tea does not make them English.
All this really achieved was to make me want to wash my memory out with Martin's bleach and carbolic soap. My only thought when I closed the final page was 'What did I just read?' Definitely not joining its predecessor in my recommended pile.
In all honesty? Her Fearful Symmetry reads like it's from the pen of an entirely different author than The Time Traveler's Wife. There is precisely none of the charm that the latter held for me, only an increasingly absurd storyline enacted by half-formed characters and caricatures. The 'plot' doesn't start until halfway through the book and when it does - I literally do not know where to start with that baffling, confusing and pointless mess.
Leaving that aside: had I not read in the thank you notes that Niffenegger worked in Highgate for a time, I'd have assumed that all the cemetary-related passages and characters were based on guide book reviews. None of her English characters sound or act like English people; having them use the words "bollocks" (which she spelt incorrectly - it's "bollocksed" in the past tense) and "sweet" a lot, and drink ubiquitous amounts of tea does not make them English.
All this really achieved was to make me want to wash my memory out with Martin's bleach and carbolic soap. My only thought when I closed the final page was 'What did I just read?' Definitely not joining its predecessor in my recommended pile.
This was one of those difficult-to-rate books where the characters were irritating and the plot twists were predictable but I nevertheless found myself reading the entire thing in one sitting even though that meant staying up two hours past my regular bedtime on a work night. In those situations, I give credit to the writing.
It was more gothic than I expected, which helped give it substance. I really couldn't tell whether I was supposed to like the twins or not, nor whether they were supposed to be insane rather than simply immature. When reading about younger characters (and there are more and more of them) I am careful to recall myself at that age before passing too much judgment, but these two were creepy as often as they were obnoxious. I'm sure I wasn't the only reader to keep thinking of The Shining. And even a little bit of V.C. Andrews, which no book should ever do.
Among the supporting cast, some started out annoying and became likable while others went the reverse. The OCD subplot was handled better than anticipated; I tend to hate those gimmicks. Still not entirely sure where one of the characters went, or what they did, at the very end.
I've never read [b:The Time Traveler's Wife|8603017|The diary of Mrs. Arabella Davies, late wife of the Rev. E. Davies, A.B. Rector of Coychurch. Printed from her own manuscript.|Arabella Davies|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1279575422s/8603017.jpg|13473055], so comparisons weren't an issue. I received this as an advance reader copy from the publisher but the managed to replace it. Bought a real one for our library regardless. Demand was inevitable.
It was more gothic than I expected, which helped give it substance. I really couldn't tell whether I was supposed to like the twins or not, nor whether they were supposed to be insane rather than simply immature. When reading about younger characters (and there are more and more of them) I am careful to recall myself at that age before passing too much judgment, but these two were creepy as often as they were obnoxious. I'm sure I wasn't the only reader to keep thinking of The Shining. And even a little bit of V.C. Andrews, which no book should ever do.
Among the supporting cast, some started out annoying and became likable while others went the reverse. The OCD subplot was handled better than anticipated; I tend to hate those gimmicks. Still not entirely sure where one of the characters went, or what they did, at the very end.
I've never read [b:The Time Traveler's Wife|8603017|The diary of Mrs. Arabella Davies, late wife of the Rev. E. Davies, A.B. Rector of Coychurch. Printed from her own manuscript.|Arabella Davies|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1279575422s/8603017.jpg|13473055], so comparisons weren't an issue. I received this as an advance reader copy from the publisher but the managed to replace it. Bought a real one for our library regardless. Demand was inevitable.
I read it because I loved "The Time Traveller's Wife". I didn't like "Her Fearful Symmetry" as much, but it was an enjoyable read.
Ugh.
Well, this book pulled off a 3-star rating right at the end. The ending was so totally unsatisfactory. And, I really hate that. You have this great story and these great character and THAT's how you end it? In fact, it seems a cop out.
This is really a story of two sets of twins, some secrets and a couple of seriously weird love triangles. Oh. And the ghosts.
When Elspeth dies, she leaves nearly all of her wordly possessions to the twin daughters of her twin sisters. Elspeth and Edie have been estranged for decades, both of them refusing to talk about the rift between them. Elspeth decrees that the twins Julia and Valentina must reside in her apartment for one year. Then, they may sell it. Julia can't wait for the adventure of a year in London and Valentina is nervous, but since Julia calls the shots she heads to London.
Of course, Elspeth is haunting the apartment and is trying to make contact with her downstairs neighbor and lover Robert. Robert is busted up by Elspeth's death. He's depressed and keeps hanging around her mausoleum hoping to make contact. When the twins move in, he finds he's interested in Valentina and Elspeth gets jealous.
Of course, there are a few plot twists and a very serious betrayal. But, it is a very interesting take on the ghost story that I really liked until the very end.
Well, this book pulled off a 3-star rating right at the end. The ending was so totally unsatisfactory. And, I really hate that. You have this great story and these great character and THAT's how you end it? In fact, it seems a cop out.
This is really a story of two sets of twins, some secrets and a couple of seriously weird love triangles. Oh. And the ghosts.
When Elspeth dies, she leaves nearly all of her wordly possessions to the twin daughters of her twin sisters. Elspeth and Edie have been estranged for decades, both of them refusing to talk about the rift between them. Elspeth decrees that the twins Julia and Valentina must reside in her apartment for one year. Then, they may sell it. Julia can't wait for the adventure of a year in London and Valentina is nervous, but since Julia calls the shots she heads to London.
Of course, Elspeth is haunting the apartment and is trying to make contact with her downstairs neighbor and lover Robert. Robert is busted up by Elspeth's death. He's depressed and keeps hanging around her mausoleum hoping to make contact. When the twins move in, he finds he's interested in Valentina and Elspeth gets jealous.
Of course, there are a few plot twists and a very serious betrayal. But, it is a very interesting take on the ghost story that I really liked until the very end.