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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
bizarre. but i was charmed by many of the themes - shadows that fall in the wrong direction, perverse psychoanalysts, views of the east river (very georgia o’keefe), etc.
A very strange little book - unsettling, weird, funny - I'm really not sure what to make of it, even though I found it compelling and am very glad to have read it.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Muriel Spark, she's famous right? My only reference comes from Colin Firth referring to Ruth Gemmell as Miss Jean Brodie in the movie adaptation of Nicky Hornby's Fever Pitch. A tenuous connection indeed to somebody made a Dame of the British Empire for her services to literature. I had a vague perception of copious stuffy studies of the class structure of Britain but thanks to this beautiful first edition of one of her obscurities received as a birthday gift I can safely lay those preconceived notions to rest.
The Hothouse By The East River is a strange little book of a sightly surreal nature, in fact it turns out that there's very little reality involved in this tale, but the nature of the participants and their doing cannot be discussed without very real spoilers. The pleasure comes from the slow reveal of details and the final revelation that draws all that came before in to sharp focus. And it's funny too!
The Hothouse By The East River is a strange little book of a sightly surreal nature, in fact it turns out that there's very little reality involved in this tale, but the nature of the participants and their doing cannot be discussed without very real spoilers. The pleasure comes from the slow reveal of details and the final revelation that draws all that came before in to sharp focus. And it's funny too!
3/5 makes it seem meh but the dialogue has such a cleverness and rhythm i’ve been craving, but also the story didn’t do much for me, but then again, maybe modern media’s frequent use of plot twists and unreliable narrators makes the book seem meh to me when it could’ve been very different for its time. can’t really be bothered to check though. but i am willing to read more Muriel Spark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dame Muriel Spark, I love you, you mad mad mad woman
It does interesting things, particularly in the final pages (it’s one of those endings which recasts the whole book in a new light, but I’m not sure if it illuminates it any), which make it worth reflecting on, but whilst actually reading it, it was a bit unengaging. Short though!