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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
What Claire Fuller does with her characters is nothing short of beautiful. She has a way of creating these people that you root for, while constantly questioning them. They take on a life in your mind in a way very few authors even attempt to do.
Bitter Orange is very different from her previous two books. In saying that, all three are markedly different. But this one is much more of a slow burn, a piece driven more so by the development of the characters than anything else. I’m not always a fan of the slow burn method, I can often get bored and find them anticlimactic. But the characters here made me want to know how their stories ended. And I was not disappointed.
Bitter Orange is very different from her previous two books. In saying that, all three are markedly different. But this one is much more of a slow burn, a piece driven more so by the development of the characters than anything else. I’m not always a fan of the slow burn method, I can often get bored and find them anticlimactic. But the characters here made me want to know how their stories ended. And I was not disappointed.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Wie wäre es, ein solches Leben zu leben? Eins, das sich um den Ehemann und die Kinder drehte. Ich verstand nicht, wie sie dieses Leben gefunden hatten; welche Gespräche hatten diese Frauen geführt, als sie Teenager waren oder Anfang zwanzig, Gespräche über Schminktricks oder neue Frisuren, die an mir vorbeigegangen waren. Nicht dass ich mir einen Ehemann oder Kinder wünschte, aber mir schienen diese Leben so fremd, dass ich mir nicht vorstellen konnte, wie sie zustande gekommen waren."
"Peter kann über alle möglichen Dinge endlos reden, aber bei manchen Themen - wenn es um Gefühle oder Beziehungen geht oder um das Leben an sich - verschließt er sich."
"Vielleicht glaubt er, dass Schmerz und Freude uns gleichermaßen zu den Menschen machen, die wir sind."
"Peter kann über alle möglichen Dinge endlos reden, aber bei manchen Themen - wenn es um Gefühle oder Beziehungen geht oder um das Leben an sich - verschließt er sich."
"Vielleicht glaubt er, dass Schmerz und Freude uns gleichermaßen zu den Menschen machen, die wir sind."
I really enjoyed this one. I despised and yet related to Frances, with her flaws and inner most thoughts. Cara reminded me of something I have maybe seen in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" which made me uneasy, but captivated all the same!
Pros: Good writing, interesting imagery, lots of character development
Cons: Characters weren’t likable/relatable, not the “powder-keg” I was hoping for, definitely not a spooky suspenseful chiller as advertised, lackluster ending
Cons: Characters weren’t likable/relatable, not the “powder-keg” I was hoping for, definitely not a spooky suspenseful chiller as advertised, lackluster ending
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I learned from the wig-men that the law is not about finding the truth, it is about who can tell the most convincing story. It is a game that must be grasped swiftly if you want to win, even if to everyone else it looks as though you have lost.”
I found Bitter Orange to be a compelling novel about stories - the stories we tell ourselves and the stories that we tell other people. Frances Jellico is an old woman, dying slowly in a care facility when the novel begins, and she takes us back to her memories of one long, hot summer in 1969 when she was caught up in events that changed her life. Frances is dowdy, unworldly and plain. A carer to her mother who belittles her, she finds freedom after her mother dies as an expert on bridges and garden architecture when called to survey Lyntons. The house has been purchased by an American who wants its contents and grounds surveyed before he moves in, and he has hired Peter to catalogue the contents of the house. Clara is the beautiful partner of Peter, who takes Frances into her confidence and tells her stories about her life in Ireland.
Over the course of the novel, it is slowly revealed that all of the characters are hiding secrets and that no one is telling the whole truth. I found Frances to be the most interesting character - as the protagonist and narrator, I assumed that she was telling the 'proper' story, however as I turned the pages I realised she is a simmering unreliable narrator. Frances is a master at reveal and conceal - giving a glimpse into something that happened and returning to that topic later only to add on extra information and fill in the gaps. The sense of foreboding builds up throughout the novel and I was shocked by her revelation! (I won't say more for giving it away!) Sticking with conceal/reveal, the little judas hole that Frances discovers in the bathroom was just the most creepy thing, allowing Frances to spy on her new friends at their most vulnerable and giving her some secret power over them - she knows things about them that they would never willingly reveal.
An atmospheric, character driven novel that hooked me in right from the start. A modern gothic feel, perfect for fans of Atonement and A Tidy Ending.
I found Bitter Orange to be a compelling novel about stories - the stories we tell ourselves and the stories that we tell other people. Frances Jellico is an old woman, dying slowly in a care facility when the novel begins, and she takes us back to her memories of one long, hot summer in 1969 when she was caught up in events that changed her life. Frances is dowdy, unworldly and plain. A carer to her mother who belittles her, she finds freedom after her mother dies as an expert on bridges and garden architecture when called to survey Lyntons. The house has been purchased by an American who wants its contents and grounds surveyed before he moves in, and he has hired Peter to catalogue the contents of the house. Clara is the beautiful partner of Peter, who takes Frances into her confidence and tells her stories about her life in Ireland.
Over the course of the novel, it is slowly revealed that all of the characters are hiding secrets and that no one is telling the whole truth. I found Frances to be the most interesting character - as the protagonist and narrator, I assumed that she was telling the 'proper' story, however as I turned the pages I realised she is a simmering unreliable narrator. Frances is a master at reveal and conceal - giving a glimpse into something that happened and returning to that topic later only to add on extra information and fill in the gaps. The sense of foreboding builds up throughout the novel and I was shocked by her revelation! (I won't say more for giving it away!) Sticking with conceal/reveal, the little judas hole that Frances discovers in the bathroom was just the most creepy thing, allowing Frances to spy on her new friends at their most vulnerable and giving her some secret power over them - she knows things about them that they would never willingly reveal.
An atmospheric, character driven novel that hooked me in right from the start. A modern gothic feel, perfect for fans of Atonement and A Tidy Ending.