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thepunktheory's review against another edition
4.0
Full review on my blog: www.thepunktheory.wordpress.com
I plunged head first into this book without even reading the blurb.
What I found is a unique and intense novel that won't let you go. At first I had my troubles getting acquainted with Cave's writing style and language. But as soon as that barrier was down, I developed a love-hate-relationship with the book. On the one hand I wanted to know more but on the other hand I dreaded what was on the next page.
And the Ass Saw the Angel is a weird and irritating story. You will end up hating most of the characters as Cave manages to depict the cruelty of humankind extremely well. When it comes to the main character you can't help but feel for him despite a certain repulsion that he evokes. Euchrid Eucrow is by no means an angel but he is certain that he's doing Gods bidding. This tale is so dark and twisted, I have no idea how Cave came up with it. However, it's also the kind of book I'd expected Nick Cave to write.
I plunged head first into this book without even reading the blurb.
What I found is a unique and intense novel that won't let you go. At first I had my troubles getting acquainted with Cave's writing style and language. But as soon as that barrier was down, I developed a love-hate-relationship with the book. On the one hand I wanted to know more but on the other hand I dreaded what was on the next page.
And the Ass Saw the Angel is a weird and irritating story. You will end up hating most of the characters as Cave manages to depict the cruelty of humankind extremely well. When it comes to the main character you can't help but feel for him despite a certain repulsion that he evokes. Euchrid Eucrow is by no means an angel but he is certain that he's doing Gods bidding. This tale is so dark and twisted, I have no idea how Cave came up with it. However, it's also the kind of book I'd expected Nick Cave to write.
alleeme's review against another edition
3.0
I only picked up this book because it was by Nick Cave. There is a point in the plot when it starts to rain, and I am not sure what to make of the fact that it started to rain without end in real life when I read the rainy parts of And the Ass Saw the Angel.
Overall this is an enjoyable book. The heavy vocabulary and descriptions make it a bit of a slow read. I recommend this, but I also think Nick Cave could edit this one down a bit. My other recommendation is don’t read this with a dictionary. It will only slow you down unnecessarily.
Overall this is an enjoyable book. The heavy vocabulary and descriptions make it a bit of a slow read. I recommend this, but I also think Nick Cave could edit this one down a bit. My other recommendation is don’t read this with a dictionary. It will only slow you down unnecessarily.
duartecompanhia_'s review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 - An excessively crude written concoction of drugged-up religious babble and pitch-black comedy, seeped in a flux of bile, blood and amniotic liquid. Cave's frenetic flurry of words comes as if from a deranged and all coked up blasphemous preacher, sometimes to the detriment of the weight and balance of its themes, surely; but for each lull moment, he always manages to conjure up one or two that wallop you to the ground. It's something else, this book. It sure is.
veelaughtland's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars.
I expected big things from this book. I read Nick Cave's other novel 'The Death of Bunny Monroe' around two years ago, and really enjoyed it. I'd heard 'And the Ass Saw the Angel', his first work, was a lot better. And I don't know, maybe other people love it. I on the other hand really disliked it though.
There is no doubt that Nick Cave is a talented writer, and that this book is well-written. It was just the story for me that hit a nerve. I didn't like any of the characters (which makes it hard for me to warm to a text), and the whole story was far too muddled for me to ever become truly engaged in it. I wasn't really sure what the main plot line was, the narrative was so confusing. The addition of a Southern dialect didn't really help matters, particularly as Nick Cave is an Australian (which makes me think the dialect wasn't too realistic).
The novel definitely picked up towards the end. Did I understand it? No, but it was a lot more fast-paced than the rest of the book, and I began to finally properly pay attention to things.
The world depicted was really horrible though - it was not an uplifting book in the slightest, and in all honesty I was just desperate to get it finished so I could escape that world.
From what I can tell from other Goodreads reviews, this is a marmite book - you either love it or you hate it. So for that reason, I won't say don't check out this book. In fact, I'm planning on lending it to someone I work with who wants to read it. You might love it. It just sadly wasn't for me.
I expected big things from this book. I read Nick Cave's other novel 'The Death of Bunny Monroe' around two years ago, and really enjoyed it. I'd heard 'And the Ass Saw the Angel', his first work, was a lot better. And I don't know, maybe other people love it. I on the other hand really disliked it though.
There is no doubt that Nick Cave is a talented writer, and that this book is well-written. It was just the story for me that hit a nerve. I didn't like any of the characters (which makes it hard for me to warm to a text), and the whole story was far too muddled for me to ever become truly engaged in it. I wasn't really sure what the main plot line was, the narrative was so confusing. The addition of a Southern dialect didn't really help matters, particularly as Nick Cave is an Australian (which makes me think the dialect wasn't too realistic).
The novel definitely picked up towards the end. Did I understand it? No, but it was a lot more fast-paced than the rest of the book, and I began to finally properly pay attention to things.
The world depicted was really horrible though - it was not an uplifting book in the slightest, and in all honesty I was just desperate to get it finished so I could escape that world.
From what I can tell from other Goodreads reviews, this is a marmite book - you either love it or you hate it. So for that reason, I won't say don't check out this book. In fact, I'm planning on lending it to someone I work with who wants to read it. You might love it. It just sadly wasn't for me.
vickiireads's review against another edition
4.0
And The Ass Saw The Angel is set in the town of Ukulore, located in filthiest southern U.S., during the time of the 1940s. The town is overrun with religious maniacs, whom Cave paints as malicious to the point of murderous absurdity, all in the name of unyielding faith. Extreme outcast and mute Euchrid Eucrow, whose willfully oblivious father is a mad product of inbreeding and whose mother is an alcoholic mess who frequently beats him, struggles through the death of his stillborn twin brother and later, a fixation on local prostitute Cosey Mo, who is the only member of the town to show him any manner of pity. Cosey Mo is brutally thrashed by the town's people and ostracized, after which she gives birth to a daughter whom the Ukulites believe is the future mother of the Messiah. But she finds Euchrid to be godlike, leading to further complications between the mass insanity and Euchrid. Believing to be on a divine mission, Euchrid creates his own personal domain called Doghead, where is insanity builds towards his ultimate revenge on all who have contributed to his tortuous existence.
Blend Cave's inimitable voice with Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and you are on the right track. Though it would repulse some, this is one stunning debut. Literate, disturbing, taboo, bizarre. There is no shortage of talent, debauchery or despair here.
Blend Cave's inimitable voice with Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and you are on the right track. Though it would repulse some, this is one stunning debut. Literate, disturbing, taboo, bizarre. There is no shortage of talent, debauchery or despair here.
hotrunes's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a big fan of Cave's music, but his first novel didn't really work for me. It felt very over-inflated and has delusions of grandeur which it doesn't live up to. On the whole it was an interesting enough story but a lot of the time it felt like it was trying too hard to deliver a message, lost by over-indulgent descriptions of nothing in particular.
As a Nick Cave fan, it was pleasing enough and falls into line with his music, but scratching beneath the surface it leaves a lot to be desired.
As a Nick Cave fan, it was pleasing enough and falls into line with his music, but scratching beneath the surface it leaves a lot to be desired.
classicsandromances's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25