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bookjerm's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot how fascinating i find this writer's stories, the perfect amount if strangeness. The blending, mechanics, shared dreams between strangers. I cant wait to see where this one ends up.
twowheelsaway's review against another edition
2.0
Incoherent, to me at least. I wanted at times to know more about the universe that was being presented, but the whole book felt like a dream and not in a way that was interesting or cool.
mehitabels's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third Carroll book I have picked up, and I always run into the same problem.
I am immediately pulled in, enraptured, taken away from reality, and seduced by his story and characters. My imagination runs wild with his words, and I want to immerse myself like a glutton at a feast. And then . . . I always seem to hit a cliff where my interest just drops off. I can find no specific reason, I just can't seem to continue. Perhaps it is like eating too much candy or fudge, it's delicious, decadent, and then you don't even want to see it.
It bothers me. The fault is mine. But it seems to be one I can't solve. I doubt it will stop me from picking up another Carroll book.
I am immediately pulled in, enraptured, taken away from reality, and seduced by his story and characters. My imagination runs wild with his words, and I want to immerse myself like a glutton at a feast. And then . . . I always seem to hit a cliff where my interest just drops off. I can find no specific reason, I just can't seem to continue. Perhaps it is like eating too much candy or fudge, it's delicious, decadent, and then you don't even want to see it.
It bothers me. The fault is mine. But it seems to be one I can't solve. I doubt it will stop me from picking up another Carroll book.
bumbledragonb's review against another edition
3.0
I must be missing a trick here. This novel has received glowing reviews everywhere and I was truly excited to finally read a book by Jonathan Carroll, who is often recommended to me due to my reading preferences. However, I was left disappointed. It is by no means a terrible book, but it did not resonate with me at all. The characters fall flat and the plot seems to be cut off abruptly in the middle. There are signs of interesting concepts and greater meanings, but they are never fully developed, so we are left with an inoffensive and passable novel, but not much more. There are some beautiful passages and powerful imagery, indicative of an underlying creative imagination, but these are not given enough room to bloom. The novel often feels underdeveloped. I have no problem suspending logic, I am a declared fan of magical realism and fantasy, but this is a shy and colourless addition to the canon.
In Bathing the Lion, unassuming main characters find themselves sharing a dream and must discover the reasons behind it. Two of these characters, Dean and Vanessa, have just decided to get a divorce. Dean’s best friend and business partner, who was having an affair with Vanessa, is also present. These mundane events seem to not matter when reality is turned on its head, but the first half of the book is dedicated to their history and the falling apart of their marriage (which does not make for a very enticing read). But, more importantly, it makes their behaviour after the shared dream seem quite implausible. Call me a cynic, but I believe that even when faced with impossible facts, a petty couple that was bickering previously will continue bickering (or even more, in fact, to try to stabilise their sense of reality).
For full review, please visit The Ballycumbers Review.
In Bathing the Lion, unassuming main characters find themselves sharing a dream and must discover the reasons behind it. Two of these characters, Dean and Vanessa, have just decided to get a divorce. Dean’s best friend and business partner, who was having an affair with Vanessa, is also present. These mundane events seem to not matter when reality is turned on its head, but the first half of the book is dedicated to their history and the falling apart of their marriage (which does not make for a very enticing read). But, more importantly, it makes their behaviour after the shared dream seem quite implausible. Call me a cynic, but I believe that even when faced with impossible facts, a petty couple that was bickering previously will continue bickering (or even more, in fact, to try to stabilise their sense of reality).
For full review, please visit The Ballycumbers Review.
drmaernardi's review against another edition
3.0
Citando la mia compagna di club del libro Cecilia durante la riunione su questo libro: "...".
E' infatti facile rimanere senza parole, Carroll inizia il racconto in un modo, lo stravolge dopo 20 pagine, e prosegue a rinnovarlo per il resto del libro, come una sorta di enorme pasta madre letteraria da cui si possono sfornare 150 diversi impasti, tutti ben imburrati a perfezione per rendere la lettura davvero scorrevole.
Passando dal divorzio all'amore per la vita, dal suicido al colore dei sentimenti, questo libro è pieno zeppo di frasi che potrebbero valere da sole la lettura, e considerando che la "morale" finale del libro non mi è proprio arrivata è forse questa la parte che ho apprezzato di più.
Ho notato un parallelo con Zen e l'Arte della Manutenzione della Motocicletta nel suddividere le persone in "meccanici" (qui si chiamano davvero così) e creativi (che in questo caso sono gli umani), solo per raggiungere la stessa conclusione, cioè che la perfezione sta nel mezzo.
Forse per la prima volta nella mia vita critico la brevità del libro, che avrebbe potuto prendersi più spazio, soprattutto nella parte finale, che mi è sembrata un po' affrettata e mi ha dato quasi l'idea di un primo libro di una serie molto più lunga.
E' infatti facile rimanere senza parole, Carroll inizia il racconto in un modo, lo stravolge dopo 20 pagine, e prosegue a rinnovarlo per il resto del libro, come una sorta di enorme pasta madre letteraria da cui si possono sfornare 150 diversi impasti, tutti ben imburrati a perfezione per rendere la lettura davvero scorrevole.
Passando dal divorzio all'amore per la vita, dal suicido al colore dei sentimenti, questo libro è pieno zeppo di frasi che potrebbero valere da sole la lettura, e considerando che la "morale" finale del libro non mi è proprio arrivata è forse questa la parte che ho apprezzato di più.
Ho notato un parallelo con Zen e l'Arte della Manutenzione della Motocicletta nel suddividere le persone in "meccanici" (qui si chiamano davvero così) e creativi (che in questo caso sono gli umani), solo per raggiungere la stessa conclusione, cioè che la perfezione sta nel mezzo.
Forse per la prima volta nella mia vita critico la brevità del libro, che avrebbe potuto prendersi più spazio, soprattutto nella parte finale, che mi è sembrata un po' affrettata e mi ha dato quasi l'idea di un primo libro di una serie molto più lunga.
moonpie's review against another edition
3.0
This is only my third Carroll book but I already know exactly what to expect from him as an author. It's strange: I like his stuff, but I can't think of anyone I know who would like these stories. Maybe if you like Gaiman, or Hand? But they're not the same.
Anyway, Bathing the Lion has an interesting premise (I like the concept of Mechanics) but falls apart a little about three-quarters of the way through the book. It felt like all the action and mystery was building up to... nothing, in the end. Just a long drive through some weird surreal countryside, no real destination. Still a pretty ride with nice views.
Anyway, Bathing the Lion has an interesting premise (I like the concept of Mechanics) but falls apart a little about three-quarters of the way through the book. It felt like all the action and mystery was building up to... nothing, in the end. Just a long drive through some weird surreal countryside, no real destination. Still a pretty ride with nice views.
mrninjaviking's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe closer to a 2 1/2 stars. The end left me unsatisfied, like it's was missing a few chapters to truly finish the story. It also felt like it left out a lot of needed explanation, as if the author came up with some basic ideas, but didn't flesh them out while writing the novel.
qooze's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. This was a very experimental book. The twists came every few pages, changing the meaning of what had come before. It made it difficult for me to be truly sucked in to the story the way I normally am with a Jonathan Carroll book. Still his books are always worth a read, even if I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of his others. I am left with a lingering desire to draw Muba the red elephant. I'm not sure how successful the attempt will be.
karieh13's review against another edition
4.0
I love Jonathan Carroll books. I was given this one for Christmas but kept it on my bedside table, savoring the anticipation of reading it until mid-January. I had to – because once I open the cover and enter a world full of incredible things that shouldn’t happen but do, seemingly ordinary people who have extraordinary things happening to them and worlds within worlds that seem impossible to imagine but even more impossible to forget…I just can’t stop until I finish. And I hate finishing a Jonathan Carroll book.
In “Bathing the Lion” he again creates a cast of characters that are instantly recognizable but completely unlike anyone we know in our daily lives. These characters are so human, such wonderful examples of the flaws, fragility, overpowering strength and incredible love people are cursed and blessed with. “Bathing the Lion” celebrates that which makes each person unique and alongside of that, both celebrates and raises an eyebrow at what life throws at people.
“There’s always a “but” in any triumph. The nasty little bone in the delicious piece of fish, the dangerous slick spot on the just-waxed gleaming floor, the “no” hiding under “yes’s” bed, waiting for the right moment to spring out and bite you.”
Carroll has a way of describing life in ways that make the reader (me) want to shout, “That’s exactly it!” With prose that is neither flowery nor sparse – he unspools thoughts and feelings in a way that feels like he’s reached into our minds and just clarified what we all feel.
“We’re often wrong at predicting who or what will transform us. Encountering certain people, books, music, places or ideas…at just the right time can immediately make our lives happier, richer, more beautiful, resonant or meaningful. When it happens, we feel a kind of instant love for them, both deep and abiding. Now and then it can be something as trifling as a children’s book, a returned telephone call, or a night at a seaside bar in Mykonos.”
“…smells are unlike any other memories. They remain with us fully a hundred percent on some remote desert island of the mind where they keep the lowest profile. If they’re not shaken awake by something, they lie silent and still like sleeping dogs under the table. But once roused, they return as completely as the moment we first encountered them.”
And in a passage that truly feels as if he crawled inside my own head - “Lists made life make more sense to him. He’d tried to find his Vedran by listing the objects in his apartment. When he saw things written down on paper in tidy columns it gave him the feeling that it was possible to tame some of life’s chaos, which was much better than just letting it buzz crazily around you like house flies.” I love lists – but never could I have explained myself in such a perfect way.
“Bathing the Lion” is a story of humans and more than humans. Men and woman who have led otherworldly lives – yet are defined by and find the most fulfillment in their experiences on Earth. They experience what it is like to be human – sometimes with the knowledge of what is beyond humanity – and of what experiences are utterly and amazingly human. Most specifically, love. Love of life. Of other living things. Love of another person so powerful that the gain of it can utterly transform one, and that the loss of it can utterly destroy one.
“Lola was unaware of it but this was her one great, genuine talent in life – loving people. The image of her man with the Italian book in his meaty hands looking so damned serious made her smile when they lay in bed at night holding hands, knowing “forever” was no longer a word either of them owned in any language. In Lola’s increasing dependence on him, Bill learned how to be generous, thoughtful and fully present in the limited days they had together. Perhaps that was the greatest achievement of her life: without trying, she taught her husband to be a much better person.”
I love Jonathan Carroll books. I love that reading them is a delightful, magical, heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring experience that leaves me with a greater appreciation for who we are, what we can be and for what absolutely, positively could never happen but sometimes does.
In “Bathing the Lion” he again creates a cast of characters that are instantly recognizable but completely unlike anyone we know in our daily lives. These characters are so human, such wonderful examples of the flaws, fragility, overpowering strength and incredible love people are cursed and blessed with. “Bathing the Lion” celebrates that which makes each person unique and alongside of that, both celebrates and raises an eyebrow at what life throws at people.
“There’s always a “but” in any triumph. The nasty little bone in the delicious piece of fish, the dangerous slick spot on the just-waxed gleaming floor, the “no” hiding under “yes’s” bed, waiting for the right moment to spring out and bite you.”
Carroll has a way of describing life in ways that make the reader (me) want to shout, “That’s exactly it!” With prose that is neither flowery nor sparse – he unspools thoughts and feelings in a way that feels like he’s reached into our minds and just clarified what we all feel.
“We’re often wrong at predicting who or what will transform us. Encountering certain people, books, music, places or ideas…at just the right time can immediately make our lives happier, richer, more beautiful, resonant or meaningful. When it happens, we feel a kind of instant love for them, both deep and abiding. Now and then it can be something as trifling as a children’s book, a returned telephone call, or a night at a seaside bar in Mykonos.”
“…smells are unlike any other memories. They remain with us fully a hundred percent on some remote desert island of the mind where they keep the lowest profile. If they’re not shaken awake by something, they lie silent and still like sleeping dogs under the table. But once roused, they return as completely as the moment we first encountered them.”
And in a passage that truly feels as if he crawled inside my own head - “Lists made life make more sense to him. He’d tried to find his Vedran by listing the objects in his apartment. When he saw things written down on paper in tidy columns it gave him the feeling that it was possible to tame some of life’s chaos, which was much better than just letting it buzz crazily around you like house flies.” I love lists – but never could I have explained myself in such a perfect way.
“Bathing the Lion” is a story of humans and more than humans. Men and woman who have led otherworldly lives – yet are defined by and find the most fulfillment in their experiences on Earth. They experience what it is like to be human – sometimes with the knowledge of what is beyond humanity – and of what experiences are utterly and amazingly human. Most specifically, love. Love of life. Of other living things. Love of another person so powerful that the gain of it can utterly transform one, and that the loss of it can utterly destroy one.
“Lola was unaware of it but this was her one great, genuine talent in life – loving people. The image of her man with the Italian book in his meaty hands looking so damned serious made her smile when they lay in bed at night holding hands, knowing “forever” was no longer a word either of them owned in any language. In Lola’s increasing dependence on him, Bill learned how to be generous, thoughtful and fully present in the limited days they had together. Perhaps that was the greatest achievement of her life: without trying, she taught her husband to be a much better person.”
I love Jonathan Carroll books. I love that reading them is a delightful, magical, heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring experience that leaves me with a greater appreciation for who we are, what we can be and for what absolutely, positively could never happen but sometimes does.
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
Reading Jonathan Carroll can seem like waking from a particularly strange dream. It all seemed quite reasonable at the time. But trying to make sense of it, let alone describe it to somebody else, can be challenging. And while dreaming seems to be at the center of Bathing the Lion, I feel that Carroll has always written about this waking dream called life. Here he continues to do that more imaginatively than just about anybody. Certainly not my favorite of his, but you know, still pretty fucking amazing.