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A review by cecile87
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
3.0
I just saw a GR quote: the world is incomprehensible and full of surprises. Missed the creator of the quote. It fits for this book.
Anyway, I CAN’T BELIEVE I READ THE WHOLE THING! Someone, give me a Sidecar or some other crafted cocktail without the honey or sugar, please. A combination of audible and print got me through it. I listened while doing chores, etc. That got me through a lot.
The mood of the book—sort of surreal and slightly menacing—hung over me like a cloud and interfered with my dreams during sleep. I had to stop reading it before bedtime, as I would awake the next day feeling a bit morose.
I get the celebration of books and stories herein, but I couldn’t follow the metaphors. There were so many of them. And lots of little fables. My favorite was about the moon and the innkeeper.
Then, I discover in reviews I read along the way from the NYT and the Guardian (or WP) that the metaphors don’t always have any meaning we are to discern from the author.
I saw a YT review where the reviewer demonstrated playing a drinking game every time the word door was mentioned! I laughed out loud as she read some passages I recognized and took lots of sips.
The book seems so random, especially towards the last third. Monsters came from nowhere to trick and subdue some of the protagonists. There were talking obsequious bees. Made me think of the movie eyes wide shut—which I only saw snippets of with no plan to watch. If my book club hadn’t chosen this book to read (we read Night Circus years ago), I don’t think I would have finished it.
The book was rich in complexity with well-written passages. I’ve learned from a reviewer that this is a setting-driven story. Amazing world-building. I did appreciate the multi-cultural inclusion. POC and non-binary folks were in the story like no big deal, as they should be, IMHO. And some of the readers where also POC. (Turns out I know one of the readers!) That’s why the three stars instead of less. But I didn’t enjoy the ride. A long journey where I didn’t know where I was headed after the first chapter or two.
Anyway, I CAN’T BELIEVE I READ THE WHOLE THING! Someone, give me a Sidecar or some other crafted cocktail without the honey or sugar, please. A combination of audible and print got me through it. I listened while doing chores, etc. That got me through a lot.
The mood of the book—sort of surreal and slightly menacing—hung over me like a cloud and interfered with my dreams during sleep. I had to stop reading it before bedtime, as I would awake the next day feeling a bit morose.
I get the celebration of books and stories herein, but I couldn’t follow the metaphors. There were so many of them. And lots of little fables. My favorite was about the moon and the innkeeper.
Then, I discover in reviews I read along the way from the NYT and the Guardian (or WP) that the metaphors don’t always have any meaning we are to discern from the author.
I saw a YT review where the reviewer demonstrated playing a drinking game every time the word door was mentioned! I laughed out loud as she read some passages I recognized and took lots of sips.
The book seems so random, especially towards the last third. Monsters came from nowhere to trick and subdue some of the protagonists. There were talking obsequious bees. Made me think of the movie eyes wide shut—which I only saw snippets of with no plan to watch. If my book club hadn’t chosen this book to read (we read Night Circus years ago), I don’t think I would have finished it.
The book was rich in complexity with well-written passages. I’ve learned from a reviewer that this is a setting-driven story. Amazing world-building. I did appreciate the multi-cultural inclusion. POC and non-binary folks were in the story like no big deal, as they should be, IMHO. And some of the readers where also POC. (Turns out I know one of the readers!) That’s why the three stars instead of less. But I didn’t enjoy the ride. A long journey where I didn’t know where I was headed after the first chapter or two.