Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Incredible exploratoration of the male gaze, the romantic and the obessessive kind. Ralph eloquently written and beautifully narrated.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I usually love historical fiction ... but this one just didn't do it for me. I didn't care for the story, didn't care for the characters- the ending was mildly interesting because it was actually intense and you don't know if the main character lives or dies... and Silas is a really creepy character - but I didn't like the open ending of this story, I didn't really like the story in general and I didn't find myself caring about romance or the characters we are supposed to be rooting for.
Victorian London, Pre-Raphaelites and an amazing female protagonist. I´ve read this book in 3 days. No more left to say. Just read it.
This book is YOU by Caroline Kepnes but Historical and so much darker than anticipated.
Silas has one of the most disturbing POV'S I've read from. Once or twice, early in the book, I found myself feeling sorry for Silas, but then he would say something so disturbing and the awfulness of it would slap me right across the face. Iris not remembering Silas's name and his immediate thought being "you should kill her" was a jump scare. ☠️ Each of his chapters are a deeper descent into his darkness and we are pulled along not knowing its limits.
When Iris talked about herself being PRESERVED beyond death (in the painting) it felt foreboding and I was panicking because there was someone who would be far too bloody willing to make that happen.
ME: Spends most of the book concerned Silas will become so unhinged he STARTS killing people.
MEANWHILE SILAS: Admires his growing collection of stuffed rats, one for each person he's ALREADY killed.
I want to rate this higher but the ending felt a little abrupt. I do like that Iris saved herself but the build up of all that tension and constant unease leading to the last 15% was almost too good that the final chapters couldn't touch it. The epilogue with the art review of Iris's work was a creative idea but tonally it was jarring after the chaotic final chapters of her escape and it maybe needed a chapter in-between to bridge the gap (I heard this idea came from the editor but now I'm curious what the alternative ending was)
When Iris talked about herself being PRESERVED beyond death (in the painting) it felt foreboding and I was panicking because there was someone who would be far too bloody willing to make that happen.
ME: Spends most of the book concerned Silas will become so unhinged he STARTS killing people.
MEANWHILE SILAS: Admires his growing collection of stuffed rats, one for each person he's ALREADY killed.
I want to rate this higher but the ending felt a little abrupt. I do like that Iris saved herself but the build up of all that tension and constant unease leading to the last 15% was almost too good that the final chapters couldn't touch it. The epilogue with the art review of Iris's work was a creative idea but tonally it was jarring after the chaotic final chapters of her escape and it maybe needed a chapter in-between to bridge the gap (I heard this idea came from the editor but now I'm curious what the alternative ending was)
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The National Portrait Gallery had an exhibition last year about the women associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement -- immediately recognisable as models in the paintings of the famous male artists, but less known for their own artistry. I went expecting to see the work of the women themselves, but there was relatively little of this. The exhibition instead was organised in rooms of paintings of each women by the male artists, with information about the lives of the women, and left me a little disappointed. Of course, that's largely because there isn't a lot of surviving art to show, and what there is is relatively small in size, since women were discouraged from creating large works of art. But still, I was left wanting to know more about the women and feeling a bit cheated by the whole thing.
I therefore liked the premise of this book, whose central character's story is similar to that of Lizzie Siddal. Siddal appears as a character on the outskirts of the story, along with many of the other Pre-Raphaelites, but the main characters here are fictional. Like Siddal, Iris, the main character, is a shop girl and aspiring painter, and becomes involved with the PR artists through modelling.
While the story is engaging and I did enjoy it, I thought the novel erred on the side of being too long. Seeing there was still a hundred and fifty pages until the end, I wondered how it could possibly be dragged on that long - this turned out to be so we could have a long and detailed account of Iris' gruesome captivity. I do get what the author was doing here - the point is clearly to contrast what real possession / captivity is like with that of the idealised version Louis paints. But in the end I felt it was a little disappointing for the same reason that the NPG's exhibition was -- to much focused on the stories of the men and not enough on Iris and her artistry. And the stuff with Silas was repetitive and unoriginal in its gruesomeness. I'm tired of terrible attitudes towards women being sensationalised.
I therefore liked the premise of this book, whose central character's story is similar to that of Lizzie Siddal. Siddal appears as a character on the outskirts of the story, along with many of the other Pre-Raphaelites, but the main characters here are fictional. Like Siddal, Iris, the main character, is a shop girl and aspiring painter, and becomes involved with the PR artists through modelling.
While the story is engaging and I did enjoy it, I thought the novel erred on the side of being too long. Seeing there was still a hundred and fifty pages until the end, I wondered how it could possibly be dragged on that long - this turned out to be so we could have a long and detailed account of Iris' gruesome captivity. I do get what the author was doing here - the point is clearly to contrast what real possession / captivity is like with that of the idealised version Louis paints. But in the end I felt it was a little disappointing for the same reason that the NPG's exhibition was -- to much focused on the stories of the men and not enough on Iris and her artistry. And the stuff with Silas was repetitive and unoriginal in its gruesomeness. I'm tired of terrible attitudes towards women being sensationalised.
A beautifully detailed tale of art, obsession, and the freedom to determine one's own destiny. The ensemble cast of characters, Iris especially, are so well-rounded and feel as if they could step off the page. The fictional characters blend so well with the real life historical figures that you'll find yourself googling names and feeling disappointed you can't see Louis and Iris' work for yourself. The ending was more abrupt than I anticipated, but it was the perfect knock-you-over-the-head moment to wrap up this engrossing read.