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2.89 AVERAGE
2.89 AVERAGE
I highly enjoyed this book. It is very interesting. It felt a bit Sherlock Holmesy but with the added female element. I love that it was a dual investigation. However the plot was a bit transparent. The ending was a surprise, however. Not sure if it was the ending I wanted, but a surprise nevertheless.
while it was nice to read a book that gave women a realistic sexuality, this book was horridly written. it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a history book or a fictional depiction of a murder. i forced myself to read the whole thing only to get to the end and be just as disappointed as i was by the rest of the book. i am taking my lady's suggestion next time: life is too short to read books you aren't enjoying.
This book intrigued me at first but I simply can't get myself to finish the book at this time. Someday I'll come back to it and finish the story.
This isn't a style of writing I am used to but I found the story and characters very compelling
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is one very weird book. It takes place in Vienna in 1910. A young woman, Dora, is found murdered in a park. her autopsy shows a fresh fig in her stomach when it isn't the season for figs and that kind of fig isn't found in Austria. The police inspector, whose name is never used, sets out to discover her murderer. Unknown to him his Hungarian wife becomes determined she will find the murderer. She teams up with an 18 y.o. English nanny. The wife believe in all sorts of Hungarian myths, curses, tarot cards, and folk tales. The book is interesting in its coverage about Austrian and Hungarian history. It is interesting to learn about the early days of forensic science. But the actual case is just so weird, and the ending is very disappointing.
Go here and read Terri Garrett's review. I echo what she wrote. : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72257.The_Fig_Eater
Go here and read Terri Garrett's review. I echo what she wrote. : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/72257.The_Fig_Eater
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The language is luscious. The story indulges deeply in its turn-of-the-1900's atmosphere. I enjoyed the meditative way it slowly exposed facets of its characters in powerful glimpses. The grounded, low key magical realism recalls Isabelle Allende's The House of the Spirits.
Content Warnings
While depicting Hungarian folk culture favorably, the story refers to the Romani by the slur "gypsy." Though the book is 20 years old, the depth of research behind it and frequent use of native languages left me uncertain why a native term wasn't chosen.
Spoilers with relevant details: The Romani men in the story are presented as no more or less "superstitious" than the ethnically Hungarian lead, Erszebet, within a story with elements of magical realism. The book dwells briefly on the possible involvement of a Romani gardener, but he is not the perpetrator. The inspector character is firmly aware Romani men are frequently unfairly maligned.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked the atmosphere of the novel but I was a little confused by the story in general. The end “reveal” wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping it would be and I don’t u feed tans the final significance of the fig tree. Would recommend to someone who can follow mysteries better
Historical Fiction not set in WWII
As was said in other reviews, the verse is nice and the ending is a bit of a let down.
As was said in other reviews, the verse is nice and the ending is a bit of a let down.
Finished The Fig Eater while lingering over a cup of coffee & freshly-baked Gruyère gougères today. Perfect. If you have some decadent food or wine or coffee or fruit or pastry to have with this book, all the better.
I absolutely loved this book. It is full of spare beauty, of opposites (the rational vs. the emotional; male vs. female; etc...), of art.
I'm dismayed to see the low ratings this book has received on amazon & Goodreads; I'm guessing many picked up this book thinking it is a traditional or cozy mystery or thriller, when it is really nothing, nothing of the sort (& would definitely not appeal if that is what one is seeking). The Fig Eater is an artistic, atmospheric look at Vienna in 1910, the fledgling study of crime through systematic investigative practices contrasted with the superstitions & emotions involved in crimes, in life. There's a detached, cold air around the characters, the story, but there are bold slashes where superstition or life or art come crashing through -- a frenzy in the icy snows of a Viennese winter. Cunning, folklore, passion, photography, cafés, cigarettes, balls, husbands, wives, gypsies, fire, ice, investigations, insanity, infidelity, watercolors, figs, gardens, medicine, doctors, glints, secrets, superstitions.The mystery is really the least of the story; read it for the poetry, the beauty. Really gorgeous.
I absolutely loved this book. It is full of spare beauty, of opposites (the rational vs. the emotional; male vs. female; etc...), of art.
I'm dismayed to see the low ratings this book has received on amazon & Goodreads; I'm guessing many picked up this book thinking it is a traditional or cozy mystery or thriller, when it is really nothing, nothing of the sort (& would definitely not appeal if that is what one is seeking). The Fig Eater is an artistic, atmospheric look at Vienna in 1910, the fledgling study of crime through systematic investigative practices contrasted with the superstitions & emotions involved in crimes, in life. There's a detached, cold air around the characters, the story, but there are bold slashes where superstition or life or art come crashing through -- a frenzy in the icy snows of a Viennese winter. Cunning, folklore, passion, photography, cafés, cigarettes, balls, husbands, wives, gypsies, fire, ice, investigations, insanity, infidelity, watercolors, figs, gardens, medicine, doctors, glints, secrets, superstitions.The mystery is really the least of the story; read it for the poetry, the beauty. Really gorgeous.