Reviews

Verdigris by Michele Mari

Only show reviews with written explanations

hamsandwich69's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Wasn't the sort of book I thought it was going to be - nothing wrong with it, just didn't grip me. Will do a bit more research next time I pick up a book from this publisher, first line of the book isn't much to go off for a blurb.

lvleggett's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A strange, charismatic, funny, quirky, unsettling book. A 13-year-old boy befriends the caretaker of his grandfather's estate in Italy. The Caretaker is losing his memory. The boy seeks to help him hold onto what he wants to know and gain back what he has forgotten. What transpires is a ghost story, gothic-inflected tale of mistreatment and loss during the wars. The boy approaches the challenge with empathy but also a morbid curiosity. There are literal skeletons in the attic and blood-thirsty slugs and mysterious villagers. It's a linguistic puzzle, full of vibrancy and charm and b-movie horror (and real wartime horror). A unique experience.

Content Warnings

ajsteele1699's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

booksnpunks's review

Go to review page

3.0

What a strange but intriguing little book. This is about a teenage boy who stays at his grandparent's house every summer, and takes an interest in the groundskeeper who is slowly losing his memory and his mind. In helping him to regain some of his memories, the boy uncovers secrets that his family have been keeping buried about the house for generations.

I loved that this was a real play on genres. Parts of it felt coming-of-age, mystery, horror and strong elements of the gothic. Mari plays on the idea of the vampire and teases it's existence in the novel without actually outright including it. I have never read any Italian gothic before but this felt really unique and the plot was so well written and addictive.

I'd really recommend this book if you enjoy gothic mystery novels with a touch of horror in them. I found the pacing quite slow at times despite it being a really short book but still enjoyed this.

courtsd's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is told by a 13 year old boy called Michelino in 1969, who's living on his grandfather's country estate. He befriends the groundskeeper, Felice, an unfortunate man with a wine-coloured birthmark across his face, covered in warts with a wrecked nose and eyes that are glued together with resin. Felice is losing his memory and Michelino becomes fascinated by trying to piece together his history and help him remember. The story has a bit of everything from French red slugs to Nazis, Russians and partisans. In the original book, Felice speaks in dialect, and this is brought across in the translation. I'd recommend if you want something different, a boy's adventure story with some fascinating language thrown in.