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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
boring forced myself to finish to out of my stubbornness, too many characters I was lost after 20 chapters
爱伦坡去世前的迷之举动成了作者的灵感来源。不过这个故事中，爱伦坡只是个不知情的旁观者，偶尔或许会承担起无辜的导火索的功能。实际上，他身世成谜的亲生父亲的戏份要重得多。从风格上来说，我喜欢这本远多于《天使安魂三部曲》。狄更斯式的、有点哥特感的氛围格外适合神秘案件的发生——厚重的伦敦雾气里，淌着污泥的小巷子里一条手杖突然举起然后狠狠落下……男主人公有点像个孤身的福尔摩斯（只是一种类比，他并没有福尔摩斯的神通，甚至没有固定的“华生”），用普通人的头脑试图破解谜团，直到他自己似乎也成了谜团的一部分……
Essentially DNF'd at about page 185. The "unpardonable crime" of this novel is that it's almost 500 pages long, and you don't even get to anything resembling a mystery till sometime after page 100. If this book was meant to be historical fiction and was taking 100 pages or more to get to any real themes, that would be one thing, but for a mystery novel, hmm...
I see others have very much enjoyed the book, but I might have also, as the story certainly looked like it had a lot of potential. But ultimately, I would say this book had a "failure-to-launch," at least, within a reasonable window of time. Moving on.
I see others have very much enjoyed the book, but I might have also, as the story certainly looked like it had a lot of potential. But ultimately, I would say this book had a "failure-to-launch," at least, within a reasonable window of time. Moving on.
First of all, I must say I like the British title, The American Boy, more than the title we Americans got. There are a multitude of crimes that take place during the course of this novel, but I'm not sure which one was supposed to be unpardonable.
It's obvious, on the other hand, exactly who the American boy is. That would be young Edgar Allan Poe. Don't get your hopes up, though. He's only a side character in the novel and could have been replaced with any other young boy of any nationality without affecting the plot one iota.
The book this most reminded me of was [b: The Unburied|661208|The Unburied|Charles Palliser|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347358827l/661208._SY75_.jpg|1208482]. Both are mysteries only in the sense that the narrator is a naïve, clueless man who doesn't understand the things that are going on all around him. That's not to say that I understood all of it myself. There are red herrings all over the place, and I didn't guess all of the twists until the very end. Still, I wouldn't read this as a mystery, but as an entertaining historical novel, and in that respect, it delivered in spades. I can tell that the author knows the world of 1819 England very well. I keep having to look up items of furniture, clothing, etc. to figure out what they were. It was obvious that he's read a lot of primary sources from the era and not just other historical novels.
I really enjoy Taylor's writing style and hope to read more of his work one day. I'd recommend this to fans of Jane Austen and mysteries, but if you're reading it for Poe, expect to be underwhelmed!
It's obvious, on the other hand, exactly who the American boy is. That would be young Edgar Allan Poe. Don't get your hopes up, though. He's only a side character in the novel and could have been replaced with any other young boy of any nationality without affecting the plot one iota.
The book this most reminded me of was [b: The Unburied|661208|The Unburied|Charles Palliser|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347358827l/661208._SY75_.jpg|1208482]. Both are mysteries only in the sense that the narrator is a naïve, clueless man who doesn't understand the things that are going on all around him. That's not to say that I understood all of it myself. There are red herrings all over the place, and I didn't guess all of the twists until the very end. Still, I wouldn't read this as a mystery, but as an entertaining historical novel, and in that respect, it delivered in spades. I can tell that the author knows the world of 1819 England very well. I keep having to look up items of furniture, clothing, etc. to figure out what they were. It was obvious that he's read a lot of primary sources from the era and not just other historical novels.
I really enjoy Taylor's writing style and hope to read more of his work one day. I'd recommend this to fans of Jane Austen and mysteries, but if you're reading it for Poe, expect to be underwhelmed!
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
‘Sometimes it is easier to punish the wicked than to defend the innocent.’
The novel opens in England in 1819 where Thomas Shield (our narrator) takes a position as a junior usher at a school near London. Shield is fortunate to obtain the position - he was unable to complete his studies at Cambridge after his father died, he has no reference from his last position, and his brief military career was disastrous.
So, how does such a man become caught up in events which include a bank collapse and a murder? How does he become involved in the affairs of the families concerned with the fortunes and misfortunes of Wavenhoe’s Bank? And what is the significance of the men from America, and who is Edgar Allan?
There are two boys at Shields’s school who are central to the events that unfold: Charles Frant and Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan and his foster parents have moved to England from America. Charles Frant’s father, Henry, is a partner of Wavenhoe’s Bank. Charles and Edgar become friends, and on a number of occasions Thomas Shield is sent to accompany the boys between home and school. As a consequence, Thomas Shield sees something of the world in which they live and becomes caught up in the series of events that occur after the Bank collapses.
This is not a fast moving mystery but its multiple layers kept me engaged. Poor Thomas Shields: he is drawn to both Sophia Frant, Charles’s mother, and her cousin Flora Carswall. There are family mysteries to puzzle over, strangers to identify and strange happenings to make sense of. While Edgar Allan (Poe) is not really central to the story, he is on the edge of mysteries and he represents a number of the links between new world and the old which are an integral part of the unfolding story. The settings are enhanced by the physical descriptions, especially the fogs in London and the winter landscapes of rural Gloucestershire.
I enjoyed this novel – in many ways Thomas Shields was the perfect narrator. His class enabled him to be both observer and participant. The ending was a little too neat for me, but still entirely fitting.
Note: this book has been published as both ‘An Unpardonable Crime’ and ‘The American Boy’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The novel opens in England in 1819 where Thomas Shield (our narrator) takes a position as a junior usher at a school near London. Shield is fortunate to obtain the position - he was unable to complete his studies at Cambridge after his father died, he has no reference from his last position, and his brief military career was disastrous.
So, how does such a man become caught up in events which include a bank collapse and a murder? How does he become involved in the affairs of the families concerned with the fortunes and misfortunes of Wavenhoe’s Bank? And what is the significance of the men from America, and who is Edgar Allan?
There are two boys at Shields’s school who are central to the events that unfold: Charles Frant and Edgar Allan. Edgar Allan and his foster parents have moved to England from America. Charles Frant’s father, Henry, is a partner of Wavenhoe’s Bank. Charles and Edgar become friends, and on a number of occasions Thomas Shield is sent to accompany the boys between home and school. As a consequence, Thomas Shield sees something of the world in which they live and becomes caught up in the series of events that occur after the Bank collapses.
This is not a fast moving mystery but its multiple layers kept me engaged. Poor Thomas Shields: he is drawn to both Sophia Frant, Charles’s mother, and her cousin Flora Carswall. There are family mysteries to puzzle over, strangers to identify and strange happenings to make sense of. While Edgar Allan (Poe) is not really central to the story, he is on the edge of mysteries and he represents a number of the links between new world and the old which are an integral part of the unfolding story. The settings are enhanced by the physical descriptions, especially the fogs in London and the winter landscapes of rural Gloucestershire.
I enjoyed this novel – in many ways Thomas Shields was the perfect narrator. His class enabled him to be both observer and participant. The ending was a little too neat for me, but still entirely fitting.
Note: this book has been published as both ‘An Unpardonable Crime’ and ‘The American Boy’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"Je n'avais pas imaginé une telle fermeté de caractère, une telle présence d'esprit dans une situation critique."
Une fois n'est pas coutume, voici un commentaire en français qui ne sera pas des plus agréables.
La citation inscrite plus haut est utilisée pour décrire un personnage féminin, faisant simplement preuve de bon sens. Voici ce dont le livre regorge : sexisme, racisme décomplexé (que l'auteur excuse par l'époque), et abléisme (qui cependant, sera admit comme étant stupide).
Pour ceux gourmands de mystères mêlé à de l'historique, je suppose que ce roman saura plaire, ou du moins faire passer le temps.
Quant à moi, il me faudra 6 ans pour le compléter. À 16 ans, je l'abandonnais, et à 22 ans je réalisais pour quelles raisons il m'avait déplu.
Je pense pouvoir résumer mon avis des personnages à cela : ils existent sur papier, et c'est tout. Pas d'attachement, pas d'imagination les concernants, pas d'empathie ou compassion. Ils remplissent leur rôle et ça a l'air d'être suffisant pour l'auteur.
Du reste, c'est un ouvrage qui tente de recopier les codes victoriens. Cela n'est pas forcément mal, mais il est extrêmement difficile d'en écrire un bien. Les codes ont changé, et si autrefois on écrivait beaucoup pour être mieux payé, ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui. Ainsi, écrire beaucoup avec une histoire qui se déroule lentement, c'est dur. Ce livre ne réussit pas à le faire.
Il faut se rappeler qu'à cette époque notamment, les détails étaient donnés de façon à rendre tout ce monde vivant. Si nous n'entendions parler d'une personne qu'une fois, nous apprenions malgré tout certains détails la charactérisant, assez précis mais vagues pour pouvoir y associer quelqu'un que l'ont connait personnellement. C'est un détail oublié ici, où le seul personnage tangible est principal M. Shield.
Du reste, je n'ai cru ni aux endroits visités par le personnage, ni aux motivations des autres.
Alors voici, nonobstant la lecture d'un ouvrage qui veut jouer sur les morales basses d'une époque ignorante quant aux minorités pour essayer d'introduire un soupçon d'authenticité de l'époque (et qui, à mes yeux, révèle un bien piètre auteur), l'écriture est tout de même bonne à lire dans sa traduction française réalisée par Françoise Smith. C'est bien là le seul point fort.
Pour connaître plus en détail les raisons qui me pousse à détester ce livre, voici :
Pour le racisme :La mention du fait que la parole d'un Noir ne sera pas reçue, puis la répétition du terme "nègre". Le tout est complètement justifié, le personnage principal ne s'en offusque pas vraiment, quoi qu'il ne partage pas ces vues.
Pour le sexisme:M. Shield devait être bien bel homme pour avoir toutes ces femmes à ses pieds, tellement dingues de lui qu'il ne savait laquelle choisir. Peut-être flirtera-t-il avec l'une tandis qu'il entretient une relation plus charnelle avec une autre ? Et toutes ces petites remarques désobligeantes envers le sexe opposé, encore une fois certainement présentes dans un soucis de "réalisme" qui se trouve aujourd'hui obsolète pour les bons auteurs.
Pour l'abléisme:Enfin, lequel d'entre nous n'a jamais comparé une femme muette à un "chien qui sait qu'il a bien fait." ? Et quelle surprise d'apprendre que ces gens peuvent lire ou écrire. Mais, dans ce cas-ci, notre M. Shield prendra conscience de ces mauvaises pensées et admettera qu'il était l'idiot dans cette situation.
Une fois n'est pas coutume, voici un commentaire en français qui ne sera pas des plus agréables.
La citation inscrite plus haut est utilisée pour décrire un personnage féminin, faisant simplement preuve de bon sens. Voici ce dont le livre regorge : sexisme, racisme décomplexé (que l'auteur excuse par l'époque), et abléisme (qui cependant, sera admit comme étant stupide).
Pour ceux gourmands de mystères mêlé à de l'historique, je suppose que ce roman saura plaire, ou du moins faire passer le temps.
Quant à moi, il me faudra 6 ans pour le compléter. À 16 ans, je l'abandonnais, et à 22 ans je réalisais pour quelles raisons il m'avait déplu.
Je pense pouvoir résumer mon avis des personnages à cela : ils existent sur papier, et c'est tout. Pas d'attachement, pas d'imagination les concernants, pas d'empathie ou compassion. Ils remplissent leur rôle et ça a l'air d'être suffisant pour l'auteur.
Du reste, c'est un ouvrage qui tente de recopier les codes victoriens. Cela n'est pas forcément mal, mais il est extrêmement difficile d'en écrire un bien. Les codes ont changé, et si autrefois on écrivait beaucoup pour être mieux payé, ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui. Ainsi, écrire beaucoup avec une histoire qui se déroule lentement, c'est dur. Ce livre ne réussit pas à le faire.
Il faut se rappeler qu'à cette époque notamment, les détails étaient donnés de façon à rendre tout ce monde vivant. Si nous n'entendions parler d'une personne qu'une fois, nous apprenions malgré tout certains détails la charactérisant, assez précis mais vagues pour pouvoir y associer quelqu'un que l'ont connait personnellement. C'est un détail oublié ici, où le seul personnage tangible est principal M. Shield.
Du reste, je n'ai cru ni aux endroits visités par le personnage, ni aux motivations des autres.
Alors voici, nonobstant la lecture d'un ouvrage qui veut jouer sur les morales basses d'une époque ignorante quant aux minorités pour essayer d'introduire un soupçon d'authenticité de l'époque (et qui, à mes yeux, révèle un bien piètre auteur), l'écriture est tout de même bonne à lire dans sa traduction française réalisée par Françoise Smith. C'est bien là le seul point fort.
Pour connaître plus en détail les raisons qui me pousse à détester ce livre, voici :
Pour le racisme :
Pour le sexisme:
Pour l'abléisme:
It rambles on, and the plot doesn't necessarily concern the reason the book gained any attention. A better title blurb may be "A nosy teacher who falls in love with a married woman and runs himself ragged for no good reason. Oh, by the way, the school he teaches at just happens to have a student named Edgar Allen, in the future known as Edgar Allen Poe."
Fabulous trip back to 1819 in the company of Thomas Shield. He's one of Edgar Allen Poe's schoolmasters and gets involved in the affairs of the Frant family - Charles Frant is the young Edgar Allen's best friend in the book. Murder and intruige of course but it's an unconventional detective story. At times I got a bit wound up with the slow pace the narrator was happy to go along at but on the whole the detail in the story made it well worth reading.
A slow burn of a novel. It did remind me very much of the slower pace of Victorian novels but it did draw me in quite sucessfully to want to know what it was all about and I perservered.
The ending was a little enigmatic
The sense of time was well done - it had period detail without the sense of a history documentary.
Would read another by this author.
The ending was a little enigmatic
The sense of time was well done - it had period detail without the sense of a history documentary.
Would read another by this author.