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2.72 AVERAGE
2.72 AVERAGE
I was very intrigued by the description of the book, and based on that and the reviews I'd heard of his previous novels, I gave this one a go. I found it to be self-indulgent and the plot did not work. Don't waste your time.
I think I liked the premise of this book but it was very confusing as an audiobook. I may try to read a physical copy to see if it's a little easier to follow
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
I usually really enjoy this author but this book was a big miss for me. Just could not get my interest and it took so long to read because of this.
When in danger, when in doubt,
Run in circles, scream and shout.
Lost is a book by the author of Wicked. Maguire cleverly combines fairytales, history and an agile imagination to create stories that are impossible not to keep thinking about, long after the book is finished. Lost uses the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge as its pillar, to tell the story of Winnie Rudge, a writer who has traveled to London to research her next novel. She arrives to find the relative she planned to stay with missing, his flat occupied by builders and a very creepy haunting. Maguire's talent is in how he combines all the disparate elements of his story into a seamless tale.
Run in circles, scream and shout.
Lost is a book by the author of Wicked. Maguire cleverly combines fairytales, history and an agile imagination to create stories that are impossible not to keep thinking about, long after the book is finished. Lost uses the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge as its pillar, to tell the story of Winnie Rudge, a writer who has traveled to London to research her next novel. She arrives to find the relative she planned to stay with missing, his flat occupied by builders and a very creepy haunting. Maguire's talent is in how he combines all the disparate elements of his story into a seamless tale.
I wanted it to be more compelling than it turned out to be. The blurb was so interesting but the delivery of the story stumbled.
This was a very clever book. It was not based on a fairy tale or storybook character as the other books by Gregory Maguire were but it was very good. It was a ghost story lite...
Having read this traditionally after its first release I remember being less enthusiastic about it than Maguire's other work. However when this month's re-read challenge came along I thought this would be a perfect option for rereading a book to see how you felt about it after some space.
When I first came to this book I was primarily a fantasy reader with a dash of historical fiction and with a soft spot for animal narratives. Since then I've dove into more nonfiction, mystery, contemporary, horror, literary, and classics. and while I still stand by that it might not be my favorite of the works, I have a whole new appreciation for "Lost". I've read more on the history that the fictional author is delving into-both fictional and history of both Jack the Ripper and Charles Dickens as well as the eras of the past that are prevelent. I've also several years behind my belt being much closer to the age of the protagonist now. It is chilling how time really does make a mindset more relatable.
Having also read more of Maguire's work, I have a true appreciation for this as it is a risk stylistically. In some ways I think the language is more approachable. He still has lyrical and quirky comparisons but foregoes both some of the flowery and yet snarky or snappy thought and dialogue styles that are in most of his other novels that I know others have found off putting. In fact, it might be a more recommendable place for someone to start with his work if they are transitioning into books from say the literary fiction or mystery genre into fantasy and speculative/fantastical realism genres.
When I first came to this book I was primarily a fantasy reader with a dash of historical fiction and with a soft spot for animal narratives. Since then I've dove into more nonfiction, mystery, contemporary, horror, literary, and classics. and while I still stand by that it might not be my favorite of the works, I have a whole new appreciation for "Lost". I've read more on the history that the fictional author is delving into-both fictional and history of both Jack the Ripper and Charles Dickens as well as the eras of the past that are prevelent. I've also several years behind my belt being much closer to the age of the protagonist now. It is chilling how time really does make a mindset more relatable.
Having also read more of Maguire's work, I have a true appreciation for this as it is a risk stylistically. In some ways I think the language is more approachable. He still has lyrical and quirky comparisons but foregoes both some of the flowery and yet snarky or snappy thought and dialogue styles that are in most of his other novels that I know others have found off putting. In fact, it might be a more recommendable place for someone to start with his work if they are transitioning into books from say the literary fiction or mystery genre into fantasy and speculative/fantastical realism genres.
Gregory Maguire is one of my all-time favorite authors; however; I let this particular title sit untouched on my shelf for over a decade because I knew it was undoubtedly the black sheep of his catalogue. And folks, that general consensus wasn’t far from the truth.
While there’s nothing offensively bad about Lost - and it does drag its way to an almost-suitable conclusion - this reads like Maguire collected all his half-baked story ideas and threw them into one novel just to make himself feel better that he used them somewhere. While it never feels messy or out of control, it never gets off the ground because no parts of the mystery/ghost story are developed enough to truly invest. So much of the rising action is just endless conversations with ultimately meaningless side characters, and most of what makes the plot seem interesting from the synopsis (the Ebenezer Scrooge tie-in, the Jack the Ripper references, etc.) end up being red herrings by the end. You’d be better off skipping this one.
While there’s nothing offensively bad about Lost - and it does drag its way to an almost-suitable conclusion - this reads like Maguire collected all his half-baked story ideas and threw them into one novel just to make himself feel better that he used them somewhere. While it never feels messy or out of control, it never gets off the ground because no parts of the mystery/ghost story are developed enough to truly invest. So much of the rising action is just endless conversations with ultimately meaningless side characters, and most of what makes the plot seem interesting from the synopsis (the Ebenezer Scrooge tie-in, the Jack the Ripper references, etc.) end up being red herrings by the end. You’d be better off skipping this one.
I was so lost. It was hard to read and did not grab my attention. I didn't even finish it because I just could not get into it.