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authoraugust's review
2.0
There were some good things...like an interesting concept, some fun characters...but honestly, I felt like this book was almost disrespectful. Tori assimilated so easily while still managing to portray the Bharati around her as something other than people, a little lower, a little wilder. Not a fan. The writing was choppy in some places and I wasn't impressed with the editing either (to the point that it was distracting sometimes). I really enjoyed the vivid settings and the lush world that Kenyon painted, and I would actually turn to some of her other writing to see if her more familiar stomping grounds yielded more fruitful results, but I have to give this one a mere two stars. Still, a nice palate cleanser after the heavy books of 2013!
100pagesaday's review
4.0
An alternate universe with two countries; one ruled by science (an alternate England, called Anglica) the other ruled by magic and spiritualism (an alternate India called Bharata) are joined by a bridge that traverses the ocean. The bridge, of course, lets good and bad pass between both countries.
Astoria, a young adult from Anglica wishes to be accepted into scientific circles and crosses the bridge on a quest for a mythical golden lotus in Bharata. Astoria is a wonderful character, who I found very relatable. Her journey is one of adventure and self-discovery that weaves together science and magic wonderfully.
Astoria, a young adult from Anglica wishes to be accepted into scientific circles and crosses the bridge on a quest for a mythical golden lotus in Bharata. Astoria is a wonderful character, who I found very relatable. Her journey is one of adventure and self-discovery that weaves together science and magic wonderfully.
eacolgan's review
3.0
Review abridged from Plenty of Pages.
I want to start by saying that this book surprised me. I've never read anything by Kay Kenyon before, so when I got the ARC of her newest book I didn't know what to expect, and my reaction was mixed.
Grief does things to you. It's a weird alchemy that takes root in your mind when you lose someone-- some features of your life become less important, or perhaps only seem to do so as you become listless or depressed or angry. But the opposite can also happen, a calcifying of thought and focus into a diamond-edged intent that takes no prisoners. This is what happens to protagonist Tori in the wake of her beloved grandfather's death: the dross of her life seems to melt away, leaving her with only the truly important things. She's determined never to let herself be trapped into marriage, and she vows she will find the mythical golden lotus, the magical holy flower her grandfather had come so close to finding on his travels abroad many years before.
So I was having feels, as they say, which was half of what kept me reading. The worldbuilding was the other half-- it's strange and whimsical and a tiny bit problematic, all of which made me instantly curious to see where it would go. While this novel reads like many other British Victorian travelogues, A Thousand Perfect Things takes place in an alternate universe with two continents: Anglica, the colonizer, the fantasy Great Britain where science rules all and logic prevails; and Bharata, the colonized, the India allegory where magic and mysticism still hold sway, where ghosts and monsters are as real as lions, tigers and bears. Tori is in some ways a typical quirky heroine-- in a Victorian society, a brainy woman in love with botany (and born with a club foot to visibly mark her as an outsider just in case her intellectual pursuits left any doubts) and in love with her grandfather's idea that science and magic could be studied, not as two opposing disciplines, but side by side in a composite way of understanding the universe. I wondered if she would be predictable, or if the cautious sympathy I felt for her through the first few chapters would remain. Happily, it did.
Now, I'm not saying that Tori is the most original heroine ever, but she's familiar in a comfortable way, and Kenyon mostly sticks to following Tori's emotional journey in her storytelling, pursuing what she sees as the fulfillment of her grandfather's legacy. But following that path also allows Kenyon to talk about the legacy of racism and cultural appropriation in Bharata. Through Tori being forced to confront the fact that Sir Charles stole the lotus petal from its home in Bharata, and the repercussions that action had on the people who had viewed it as sacred, I couldn't help mulling over the concept of cultural theft and privilege. I thought about The King and I and its more realistic and savvy movie counterpart Anna and the King. I thought about Midnight's Children and that blog post on xoJane where the comments blew up over who's allowed to wear bindis. It was weird-- not what I'd expected from a book that looked quite innocent of agenda on the outside.
There's a lot of murky territory in here-- the narrative itself is a good adventure with a lot of food for thought, but in the end what's the message? Tori's foot gets healed by magic and she becomes a mystical "chosen one" when she decides to stay in Bharata-- what does that say about physical disability and heroism, and why isn't the chosen one of Bharata someone who was born in Bharata? And ultimately none of the Bharati were characterized with the same depth and texture as Tori (though if I'm honest, most of the secondary characters were less than vivid) leaving me to wonder why this story was told from the point of view of a white girl. I understand that the thrust of the story, the culmination of that emotional journey, is Tori finding a place where she feels like she belongs, a place she feels safe. It's okay that Bharata is that for her, I just would've appreciated a more nuanced portrayal of how she got there.
On the other hand, I'm always swayed by good writing, and a big part of what made me like this book was Kenyon's language. She writes Tori's voice with that cool ethereal tone I associate with Jane Eyre and her contemporaries, noticing every detail of the world around her and her experiences in it, painting a beautiful picture that's just a little bit remote. And in the end I liked Tori herself a lot. She was real and strong and interesting, and vivid enough to carry the entire book, even in spite of the other critiques I have.
This is a book about giving up expectations, and about legacy. A legacy can be physical or intangible, a small object or a big idea, and A Thousand Perfect Things deals intimately with both. It was a fun read, and gave me a lot to think about. I'd recommend it with the caveat that if race and cultural appropriation are issues you care about, you might find the book somewhat troubling. But it is a beautiful story, beautifully told. There's something to be said about reading a book that shocks you by speaking to the hard, painful thing you're going through, just when you need to feel like you aren't going through it alone, and if for no other reason than that, I'll always remember A Thousand Perfect Things with fondness.
I want to start by saying that this book surprised me. I've never read anything by Kay Kenyon before, so when I got the ARC of her newest book I didn't know what to expect, and my reaction was mixed.
Grief does things to you. It's a weird alchemy that takes root in your mind when you lose someone-- some features of your life become less important, or perhaps only seem to do so as you become listless or depressed or angry. But the opposite can also happen, a calcifying of thought and focus into a diamond-edged intent that takes no prisoners. This is what happens to protagonist Tori in the wake of her beloved grandfather's death: the dross of her life seems to melt away, leaving her with only the truly important things. She's determined never to let herself be trapped into marriage, and she vows she will find the mythical golden lotus, the magical holy flower her grandfather had come so close to finding on his travels abroad many years before.
So I was having feels, as they say, which was half of what kept me reading. The worldbuilding was the other half-- it's strange and whimsical and a tiny bit problematic, all of which made me instantly curious to see where it would go. While this novel reads like many other British Victorian travelogues, A Thousand Perfect Things takes place in an alternate universe with two continents: Anglica, the colonizer, the fantasy Great Britain where science rules all and logic prevails; and Bharata, the colonized, the India allegory where magic and mysticism still hold sway, where ghosts and monsters are as real as lions, tigers and bears. Tori is in some ways a typical quirky heroine-- in a Victorian society, a brainy woman in love with botany (and born with a club foot to visibly mark her as an outsider just in case her intellectual pursuits left any doubts) and in love with her grandfather's idea that science and magic could be studied, not as two opposing disciplines, but side by side in a composite way of understanding the universe. I wondered if she would be predictable, or if the cautious sympathy I felt for her through the first few chapters would remain. Happily, it did.
Now, I'm not saying that Tori is the most original heroine ever, but she's familiar in a comfortable way, and Kenyon mostly sticks to following Tori's emotional journey in her storytelling, pursuing what she sees as the fulfillment of her grandfather's legacy. But following that path also allows Kenyon to talk about the legacy of racism and cultural appropriation in Bharata. Through Tori being forced to confront the fact that Sir Charles stole the lotus petal from its home in Bharata, and the repercussions that action had on the people who had viewed it as sacred, I couldn't help mulling over the concept of cultural theft and privilege. I thought about The King and I and its more realistic and savvy movie counterpart Anna and the King. I thought about Midnight's Children and that blog post on xoJane where the comments blew up over who's allowed to wear bindis. It was weird-- not what I'd expected from a book that looked quite innocent of agenda on the outside.
There's a lot of murky territory in here-- the narrative itself is a good adventure with a lot of food for thought, but in the end what's the message? Tori's foot gets healed by magic and she becomes a mystical "chosen one" when she decides to stay in Bharata-- what does that say about physical disability and heroism, and why isn't the chosen one of Bharata someone who was born in Bharata? And ultimately none of the Bharati were characterized with the same depth and texture as Tori (though if I'm honest, most of the secondary characters were less than vivid) leaving me to wonder why this story was told from the point of view of a white girl. I understand that the thrust of the story, the culmination of that emotional journey, is Tori finding a place where she feels like she belongs, a place she feels safe. It's okay that Bharata is that for her, I just would've appreciated a more nuanced portrayal of how she got there.
On the other hand, I'm always swayed by good writing, and a big part of what made me like this book was Kenyon's language. She writes Tori's voice with that cool ethereal tone I associate with Jane Eyre and her contemporaries, noticing every detail of the world around her and her experiences in it, painting a beautiful picture that's just a little bit remote. And in the end I liked Tori herself a lot. She was real and strong and interesting, and vivid enough to carry the entire book, even in spite of the other critiques I have.
This is a book about giving up expectations, and about legacy. A legacy can be physical or intangible, a small object or a big idea, and A Thousand Perfect Things deals intimately with both. It was a fun read, and gave me a lot to think about. I'd recommend it with the caveat that if race and cultural appropriation are issues you care about, you might find the book somewhat troubling. But it is a beautiful story, beautifully told. There's something to be said about reading a book that shocks you by speaking to the hard, painful thing you're going through, just when you need to feel like you aren't going through it alone, and if for no other reason than that, I'll always remember A Thousand Perfect Things with fondness.
chaoticmissadventures's review
1.0
I feel bad reviewing a book I could not finish. But I found that there is a serious difference in books that hold a bit of a mystery and books that you never know what is going on. Science fiction books where there is an alternate universe (or in this case attached continent) need a bit of explaining for me as opposed to this story that throws you in with nothing to grab onto. While I would have stuck with it had the story been told directly from the young woman scientist perspective, the jumping of POV was too much added to with the confusion of the duel civilizations.
jeanm333's review
3.0
I NEVER read current fantasy e-books because it's all so bad. This book is an exception. It's about a young woman named Tori Harding, who wants to be a scientist. She lives in a world dominated by two countries. One is Anglia (essentially Victorian Britain), the other is a magical plant called Bharata (essentially India).
The Anglians have built a bridge between the two countries and Tori and her family travel to Bharata. Tori wants to find a special lotus plant to add to her scientific collection and her father is a colonel (not sure why a general isn't sent) to quell a revolt of magic. There's a love interest, and an evil prince, and some other interesting characters.
The book was an easy, fast, fun read, with all the elements of good fantasy.
The Anglians have built a bridge between the two countries and Tori and her family travel to Bharata. Tori wants to find a special lotus plant to add to her scientific collection and her father is a colonel (not sure why a general isn't sent) to quell a revolt of magic. There's a love interest, and an evil prince, and some other interesting characters.
The book was an easy, fast, fun read, with all the elements of good fantasy.
hdungey's review
3.0
Similar to "A Natural History of Dragons," this is a story of a young woman struggling for recognition in the scientific community, in Victorian times - although this is an alternate-history tale, so it's actually King Albert's times. What would you call that? The Albertian Era?
Tori travels to an India-analogue as part of her father's retinue, in the provincial Anglic government. She says she intends to seek a husband among the soldiers and civil servants, but she's really after the (possibly mythical) golden lotus that may bridge the gap between science and magic. It's a good premise, and at halfway through I'm curious to see how it will play out.
There are a number of typos and grammatical errors in the advance reading copy - hopefully these will be corrected before publication. There are also a few anachromisms: for instance, men smoke cigars, but there seem to be only 2 continents in this world, a UK-analogue and an India-analogue, so where are they getting tobacco? They also ride ostriches, which in our world are native to Africa and so might not be expected to appear.
Tori travels to an India-analogue as part of her father's retinue, in the provincial Anglic government. She says she intends to seek a husband among the soldiers and civil servants, but she's really after the (possibly mythical) golden lotus that may bridge the gap between science and magic. It's a good premise, and at halfway through I'm curious to see how it will play out.
There are a number of typos and grammatical errors in the advance reading copy - hopefully these will be corrected before publication. There are also a few anachromisms: for instance, men smoke cigars, but there seem to be only 2 continents in this world, a UK-analogue and an India-analogue, so where are they getting tobacco? They also ride ostriches, which in our world are native to Africa and so might not be expected to appear.
bookadventurer's review
3.0
e-Arc provided by NetGalley.
In an alternate world where a familiar nineteenth-century England (Anglica) builds a sea-spanning Bridge that makes crossing the kraken-filled waters to a recognizable India (Bharata) safer and more expedient, young Astoria (called Tori) is determined to find the Golden Lotus, a mythical flower that her grandfather discovered in Nanpura, across the Bridge. She is club-footed and scholarly, having spent her time with her grandfather, a student of the natural world. Nanpura, a province in Bharata, is the home of Mahindra, a Bharatan sorcerer who is also determined to find the Golden Lotus - for his own purposes. He harbors hatred for the Anglicans, who have conquered his homeland and imposed their own culture over his. He orchestrates Tori’s arrival and subsequent search by arranging for her father to be posted in Nanpura, and to take his family with him. Unknown to Tori and Mahindra, the Anglican government also plans to use Tori to find the mythical flower - in order to further subjugate the Bharatans. And the plot thickens.
Tori, young Captain Muir-Smith, the younger prince of Nanpura, Mahindra, an old gardener who knew Tori’s grandfather, and an officer with the intelligence services, all play a role in the story and narrate the plot at different times. Bharata is almost a secondary character, with lavish descriptions of the jungle, of its people, its spirits, and its society.
At times the characters felt a little flat slash uneven - for example, for the entire first half of the novel, Captain Muir-Smith is a one-dimensional Hero. In the latter half, he gains a bit of depth and character. Tori and Mahindra experience dramatic changes in outlook as they learn from each other. As Tori moves in and begins to understand Nanpura, she discovers that the Anglican perspective is and has been harmful to Bharatans, and that she has behaved in the same way. She is also interesting for her unconventional outlook and her bravery.
Tori is really a vehicle for the real story - about two lands and two cultures that clash in the name of “Progress,” when Bharata is invated by Anglicans. This tale of colonialism at its worst is also a tale of conflict between magic and science. In Anglica, science rules, while Bharatan society revolves around magic and spirituality. It is also a tale of independence, as Bharatans struggle to remove the Anglicans from their homes, and as Tori searches for the Golden Lotus and for independence from the restrictive Anglican society that will neither let her be a scholar, nor fully accept her, since her foot is deformed.
The world-building was really a highlight in this novel. The magical India introduced here provides a mystical, lush, and dangerous background for the interpersonal and intersocietal conflict that drives the plot. Magical practices conform to implied rules, making it believable.
At times the plot was thin, and seemed disconnected. So many threads and narrators, loosely woven together, made it difficult to follow the pattern. By the end of the novel, I was unsure why some elements had been introduced, and how others fit into the larger plot. At the end, there is sort of a rash of happenings that drag the tone of the novel into the “dark” category, which was definitely a surprise, given the way it started. Yet, the resolution of Tori’s story suits her character and development, and I found that resolution satisfying. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I will check out other works by this author. Recommended for fans of alternate Victorian history and magical fantasy.
See my blog for a read-alike.
In an alternate world where a familiar nineteenth-century England (Anglica) builds a sea-spanning Bridge that makes crossing the kraken-filled waters to a recognizable India (Bharata) safer and more expedient, young Astoria (called Tori) is determined to find the Golden Lotus, a mythical flower that her grandfather discovered in Nanpura, across the Bridge. She is club-footed and scholarly, having spent her time with her grandfather, a student of the natural world. Nanpura, a province in Bharata, is the home of Mahindra, a Bharatan sorcerer who is also determined to find the Golden Lotus - for his own purposes. He harbors hatred for the Anglicans, who have conquered his homeland and imposed their own culture over his. He orchestrates Tori’s arrival and subsequent search by arranging for her father to be posted in Nanpura, and to take his family with him. Unknown to Tori and Mahindra, the Anglican government also plans to use Tori to find the mythical flower - in order to further subjugate the Bharatans. And the plot thickens.
Tori, young Captain Muir-Smith, the younger prince of Nanpura, Mahindra, an old gardener who knew Tori’s grandfather, and an officer with the intelligence services, all play a role in the story and narrate the plot at different times. Bharata is almost a secondary character, with lavish descriptions of the jungle, of its people, its spirits, and its society.
At times the characters felt a little flat slash uneven - for example, for the entire first half of the novel, Captain Muir-Smith is a one-dimensional Hero. In the latter half, he gains a bit of depth and character. Tori and Mahindra experience dramatic changes in outlook as they learn from each other. As Tori moves in and begins to understand Nanpura, she discovers that the Anglican perspective is and has been harmful to Bharatans, and that she has behaved in the same way. She is also interesting for her unconventional outlook and her bravery.
Tori is really a vehicle for the real story - about two lands and two cultures that clash in the name of “Progress,” when Bharata is invated by Anglicans. This tale of colonialism at its worst is also a tale of conflict between magic and science. In Anglica, science rules, while Bharatan society revolves around magic and spirituality. It is also a tale of independence, as Bharatans struggle to remove the Anglicans from their homes, and as Tori searches for the Golden Lotus and for independence from the restrictive Anglican society that will neither let her be a scholar, nor fully accept her, since her foot is deformed.
The world-building was really a highlight in this novel. The magical India introduced here provides a mystical, lush, and dangerous background for the interpersonal and intersocietal conflict that drives the plot. Magical practices conform to implied rules, making it believable.
At times the plot was thin, and seemed disconnected. So many threads and narrators, loosely woven together, made it difficult to follow the pattern. By the end of the novel, I was unsure why some elements had been introduced, and how others fit into the larger plot. At the end, there is sort of a rash of happenings that drag the tone of the novel into the “dark” category, which was definitely a surprise, given the way it started. Yet, the resolution of Tori’s story suits her character and development, and I found that resolution satisfying. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I will check out other works by this author. Recommended for fans of alternate Victorian history and magical fantasy.
See my blog for a read-alike.
graculus's review
3.0
A Thousand Perfect Things - Kay Kenyon In a world full of trilogies (and longer) a stand-alone novel is a pleasant surprise and there is lots to like about A Thousand Perfect Things.
Firstly, its setting: a world very much like our own, in Victorian times, except that the main two countries (Anglica and Bharata) are able to be connected by the Bridge, a massive pontoon structure that means a lengthy march rather than a dangerous expedition by ship allows Anglica to send soldiers and supplies to their 'allies' in Bharata. In Bharata itself, it's a time of upheaval, as princes who rule small territories are forced to make a decision about how to deal with the newcomers and what they will allow (or be forced to allow) them to do.
Secondly, the use of magic: Anglica is very much all science, so when magic is used to attack the very centre of government, they are at a loss to deal with it. There's a very clear science-magic divide, with magic being seen as the realm of the uncivilised, with no attempt to understand or appreciate it. Magic in Bharata is a terrible thing, in the basic sense of the word - it's a thing that evokes terror, brought about in a significant part by self-sacrifice, including the shedding of blood and what are described as 'austerities' (for example, starving yourself to power small protective magic on others).
The plot of A Thousand Perfect Things is centred on the search for a mythical giant lotus, once seen by our protagonist's grandfather and also now sought by the spiritual advisor of one of these Bharatan princes. Our protagonist (Tori) is a woman in a world made for men; wanting to be a scientist but held back by virtue of her gender, she is desperate to go to Bharata and find the lotus, to prove her grandfather right about its existence and also seeing it as the key to scientific acceptance. The other main character (Mahindra) wants to use it to unite the people of Bharata behind his prince, seeing the presence of people from Anglica as a threat to everything they consider important.
This is one of those books which I liked parts of, but which in the whole doesn't quite work for me. We see Tori make a significant change in terms of her views towards Bharata and its people over the course of the book, but then in the end she is happy to throw them over for a man - the man in question, for me at least, signifies everything that she has run away from her entire life and yet suddenly he's what she wants? Hmm.
I also wasn't overly keen on the magical cure for Tori's disability (she has a clubfoot at the beginning of the book), which is used as a way of showing she has been touched by the gods of Bharata. Meanwhile, I actually found Mahindra the more interesting character, especially as he realises partway through that his plans have started to come partly true, but at a terrible cost.
Firstly, its setting: a world very much like our own, in Victorian times, except that the main two countries (Anglica and Bharata) are able to be connected by the Bridge, a massive pontoon structure that means a lengthy march rather than a dangerous expedition by ship allows Anglica to send soldiers and supplies to their 'allies' in Bharata. In Bharata itself, it's a time of upheaval, as princes who rule small territories are forced to make a decision about how to deal with the newcomers and what they will allow (or be forced to allow) them to do.
Secondly, the use of magic: Anglica is very much all science, so when magic is used to attack the very centre of government, they are at a loss to deal with it. There's a very clear science-magic divide, with magic being seen as the realm of the uncivilised, with no attempt to understand or appreciate it. Magic in Bharata is a terrible thing, in the basic sense of the word - it's a thing that evokes terror, brought about in a significant part by self-sacrifice, including the shedding of blood and what are described as 'austerities' (for example, starving yourself to power small protective magic on others).
The plot of A Thousand Perfect Things is centred on the search for a mythical giant lotus, once seen by our protagonist's grandfather and also now sought by the spiritual advisor of one of these Bharatan princes. Our protagonist (Tori) is a woman in a world made for men; wanting to be a scientist but held back by virtue of her gender, she is desperate to go to Bharata and find the lotus, to prove her grandfather right about its existence and also seeing it as the key to scientific acceptance. The other main character (Mahindra) wants to use it to unite the people of Bharata behind his prince, seeing the presence of people from Anglica as a threat to everything they consider important.
This is one of those books which I liked parts of, but which in the whole doesn't quite work for me. We see Tori make a significant change in terms of her views towards Bharata and its people over the course of the book, but then in the end she is happy to throw them over for a man - the man in question, for me at least, signifies everything that she has run away from her entire life and yet suddenly he's what she wants? Hmm.
I also wasn't overly keen on the magical cure for Tori's disability (she has a clubfoot at the beginning of the book), which is used as a way of showing she has been touched by the gods of Bharata. Meanwhile, I actually found Mahindra the more interesting character, especially as he realises partway through that his plans have started to come partly true, but at a terrible cost.
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