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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A true Gothic thriller that captured my attention and had me sitting on the edge of my seat throughout. What an adventurous ride!
It started off really well with a great mystery and sense of suspense; there was one section in particular that was fantastically written, but sharing would be spoiling. Halfway through, the book took a turn and tried to start answering the questions it had created and unfortunately, I felt it was pretty unsuccessful at doing so. The answers felt convoluted and honestly didn't even make sense part of the time. The closing still had some nice suspense but I was kind of pulled out of it by then and would have finished the book no matter what.
Now what was done well was that I was guessing throughout who was and wasn't right or wrong, sane or insane and that continued a bit into the second half before everything was revealed. That alone was worth the reading, as it's rare for me to feel completely unsure of things in a book.
Now what was done well was that I was guessing throughout who was and wasn't right or wrong, sane or insane and that continued a bit into the second half before everything was revealed. That alone was worth the reading, as it's rare for me to feel completely unsure of things in a book.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Almost gave up.
Definitely should have just been a short story. It dragged for so long that I had no desire to truly read it. By then end I found myself skimming to just get it over with. It had the lofty air of being a gothic classic but with the writing of a terribly laid out mystery novella.
I liked the book. The way that the mystery unfolded was good. Suspense was left until later on.
It was an interesting story in a good setting. Very sensation fic-like
Has a huge huge similarity to Sarah Waters' "Fingersmith" in theme and some plot details. Actually so borrowed it's unreal. Fingersmith superior in every way.
However, not a bad shorter read at all. I really enjoyed it.
It was an interesting story in a good setting. Very sensation fic-like
Has a huge huge similarity to Sarah Waters' "Fingersmith" in theme and some plot details. Actually so borrowed it's unreal. Fingersmith superior in every way.
However, not a bad shorter read at all. I really enjoyed it.
Meh. I was expecting a spooky, gothic tale, based on the cover and description. Perhaps if they make a movie out of this book it would turn out that way, but I had a hard time getting that vibe from the book. It has a promising opening, with young Georgina Ferrars waking up in a mental institution in Victorian England with no idea how she came to be there. Even more perplexing, the numerous staff members she comes in contact with all insist that she presented herself as "Lucy Ashton" and said she wanted to commit herself as a voluntary patient. She has no memory of any such thing, and so there is seemingly a great mystery to be unraveled. Unfortunately, it is told through a series of letters and diary entries, both from her and from someone called "Rosina Wentworth" and so it all gets terribly muddled. Then you have people switching identities, mistaken identities, people making wills left and right, people taking assumed names and then slightly changing those names (why they didn't just take the name they changed the assumed name to in the first place is a puzzle) and so on -- all of which leaves the poor reader (in this case, me) scratching her head. It all gets somewhat sorted out in the end, but by that time all the characters and their relationships have all blended together into a big pile of mush. If they do make a movie and get some famous faces to play the roles, so that we can pin a name to a face and keep them all straight, it might just work. Otherwise, it's too confusing to be a satisfying read.
If you haven't figured it out by now, I have literally no self-control when it comes to pacing my reads. I zip through books in a fairly quick manner. This is a problem I'm sure can be appreciated by other book junkies, and I'm sure more than a few also share the thought that sits in the back of my head saying I should maybe slow down and savor the books a bit more.
Granted, some books have a literal breakneck pace that begs to be devoured. Others, fortunately, have more of a slow build that forces me to slow it down a bit. And I love the authors who can do this without letting me notice!
John Harwood is one of those slower, savory writers. (That sounds a bit... funny.) If you're not familiar with his work, his style is akin to that of traditional Victorian gothic tales. One of the things I love most about his books is the subtle but chilling build of atmosphere. He's always got a twist as well. Inevitably, though the reader suspects there's something supernatural at the heart of the tale, there typically turns out to be something more grounded in reality going on. But the journey from beginning to end is so perfectly agonizing and tense!
When Georgina Ferrars finds herself in Tregannon Asylum, she is more than a bit confused. Apparently, she checked in as a voluntary patient calling herself Lucy Ashton. Just a little while after arriving, she had a seizure that seems to have left her with absolutely no memory of her arrival or why she would have checked in under an alias. Things become complicated when the doctor in charge of Tregannon Asylum discovers Georgina Ferrars safe and well at her home in London. The "real" Georgina claims the patient in the asylum is a fraud who stole some of her most precious possessions - a butterfly brooch and a writing case with her journal. The items appear to be missing and the Georgina in Tregannon Asylum is certain she is who she claims. But how to prove her identity and unmask the impostor in her place will be a difficult challenge while being held under lock and key especially when she still can't remember what brought her to Tregannon Asylum in the first place.
THE ASYLUM is told in multiple parts, alternating between Georgnia Ferrars's account from the time of her awakening in the asylum and a series of letters between Georgina's mother and her cousin, Rosina. The twist is a little easier to figure out this time around but The Asylum lived up to expectations until the final few pages.
Unfortunately, the big ending is a little lackluster and hurried in my opinion, which was disappointing compared to TTHE GHOST WRITER and THE SEANCE.
Granted, some books have a literal breakneck pace that begs to be devoured. Others, fortunately, have more of a slow build that forces me to slow it down a bit. And I love the authors who can do this without letting me notice!
John Harwood is one of those slower, savory writers. (That sounds a bit... funny.) If you're not familiar with his work, his style is akin to that of traditional Victorian gothic tales. One of the things I love most about his books is the subtle but chilling build of atmosphere. He's always got a twist as well. Inevitably, though the reader suspects there's something supernatural at the heart of the tale, there typically turns out to be something more grounded in reality going on. But the journey from beginning to end is so perfectly agonizing and tense!
When Georgina Ferrars finds herself in Tregannon Asylum, she is more than a bit confused. Apparently, she checked in as a voluntary patient calling herself Lucy Ashton. Just a little while after arriving, she had a seizure that seems to have left her with absolutely no memory of her arrival or why she would have checked in under an alias. Things become complicated when the doctor in charge of Tregannon Asylum discovers Georgina Ferrars safe and well at her home in London. The "real" Georgina claims the patient in the asylum is a fraud who stole some of her most precious possessions - a butterfly brooch and a writing case with her journal. The items appear to be missing and the Georgina in Tregannon Asylum is certain she is who she claims. But how to prove her identity and unmask the impostor in her place will be a difficult challenge while being held under lock and key especially when she still can't remember what brought her to Tregannon Asylum in the first place.
THE ASYLUM is told in multiple parts, alternating between Georgnia Ferrars's account from the time of her awakening in the asylum and a series of letters between Georgina's mother and her cousin, Rosina. The twist is a little easier to figure out this time around but The Asylum lived up to expectations until the final few pages.
Unfortunately, the big ending is a little lackluster and hurried in my opinion, which was disappointing compared to TTHE GHOST WRITER and THE SEANCE.