900 reviews for:

The Bedlam Stacks

Natasha Pulley

4.05 AVERAGE

krissywtf's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this so much. I have such a hard time putting down a book Pulley has written. I say this a lot about her writing, but she always manages to write such engaging storylines. 

shunsicker's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

befuddledmackem's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

1.0

Painfully slow reading. Incredibly hard to care for someone who works for the East India Company with seemingly little issue with anything that goes with that. Everything felt very surface level. At one point Raphael stressed that being in this place would heighten all emotions, but Merrick seemed to feel very little about anything or anyone, up to and including the death of a friend. This was supposedly a romance? Is the romance in the room with us right now? Hardcore colonialist vibes that left such a sour taste in my mouth. Did he ever get his mother out of the apparently-lovely-but-still-an-"insane-asylum" or just nah?

thomasythan's review against another edition

4.0

Lovingly written; a little unpolished

Wonderful tale, quite mesmerising. Just the occasional phrase or passage that doesn't quite seem to fit and snaps you out of the magic for a moment. I doubt many readers will notice. Worth it for a thoroughly enjoyable story.

verosnotebook's review against another edition

4.0

4.5*
“What's gone before you, and what will come after,' I said instead.
'Beg pardon?'
'The past ahead. Time is like a river and you float with the current. Your ancestors set off before you did, so they're far ahead. Your descendants will sail it after.”

After having enjoyed [b:The Watchmaker of Filigree Street|22929563|The Watchmaker of Filigree Street|Natasha Pulley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418113344s/22929563.jpg|42499104], I couldn’t wait to see what Pulley would offer us next. Once more the trope of Time is omnipresent but dealt in a very different way. We are introduced to Merrick Tremayne, a Cornish young man, former opium smuggler for the East India Company, now confined to his family’s crumbling estate, recovering ever so slowly from an accident that shattered his leg. His outlook is bleak, until he is roped back into a dangerous mission to steal cinchona cuttings from Peru (plant rich in quinine, used to fight malaria), country that has the monopoly on its sale. The story features also the explorer and geographer Sir Clements Markham, a real historical figure, that Pulley ‘uses’ to be Merrick’s companion.

The narrative feels fluid, with a first-person narration with cleverly inserted flashbacks, and shifting from a historical adventure to magical realism. Peru and the Andes become this fantastic land peopled by disconcertening beliefs, puzzling ways, and moving statues! We are lead down the rabbit hole ever so slowly and yet in a fashion that is totally compelling. At the centre of it all, Pulley once more looks into what makes people tick!

Once more, this author has crafted a story that stays with you long after you’ve finished the last page.

P.S.: In the late 90s, I visited Cornwall and went to the ‘recently’ re-opened “Lost Gardens of Heligan”! Imagine my surprise when this turned out to be Merrick’s familial abode. I do believe the author went there. See...

books_and_mags's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

I’ll read Natasha Pulley’s grocery list 

olliums's review against another edition

4.0

This was... interesting, very cool setting for historical fantasy, i ended up googling like a whole bunch of history stuff and i thought that was great. The tension builds in an interesting way in this book, it's not QUITE horror i think but it's also not.. NOT. Also did the main characters get together?? are they in love?? natasha pulley let these traumatized middle aged men kiss in the forest

birdsongorchards's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious 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? No

5.0

katielinnae's review against another edition

stopped after a couple chapters, had other books to contend with that were far more engaging to me

ash15's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75