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A review by toni_says_smile
The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam
2.0
This is a difficult book to review. Ultimately I'm left with the feeling of having struggled to read something that I'm never going to reread because the skill of the author's style didn't outshine the poor construction of the narrative.
I love Jane Gardam's writing - she excels at what she does. Here she manages to reflect mental states perfectly through word choice and style, juxtapose the late and early 19th Century in a really impactful way, create a believable unreliable narrator, and generally use lovely turns of phrase. She's a master of subtly showing us a picture of reality alongside the actual storyline.
However, I think she's more successful in her short stories than her novels. Certainly this isn't the best thing I've read from her. Parts of the story dragged - there were long stretches where the main character just spins her wheels. Yes that time is used to make us doubt the reliability of the narrator, but not enough storyline happens. I was rewarded when I got to the end, but I had to be determined to get there.
I love Jane Gardam's writing - she excels at what she does. Here she manages to reflect mental states perfectly through word choice and style, juxtapose the late and early 19th Century in a really impactful way, create a believable unreliable narrator, and generally use lovely turns of phrase. She's a master of subtly showing us a picture of reality alongside the actual storyline.
However, I think she's more successful in her short stories than her novels. Certainly this isn't the best thing I've read from her. Parts of the story dragged - there were long stretches where the main character just spins her wheels. Yes that time is used to make us doubt the reliability of the narrator, but not enough storyline happens. I was rewarded when I got to the end, but I had to be determined to get there.