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A review by bumblevee
A Far Country by Daniel Mason
2.0
I don't really know where this book came from. I never bought it—and I always remember the books I buy.. I'm convinced it just appeared one day on my bookshelf. So I was curious and decided to read it on a whim.
I haven't read Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner, advertisements for which are plastered all over this book. I had no expectations for this book, but the premise sounded somewhat interesting.
"A Far Country" is the story of a Isabel, a young girl living in an unknown South American country, and her search for her long lost brother Isais. Mason is a gifted writer and he's able to create a vivid world for his characters to live in. In short, reading "A Far Country" is very much a sensory experience.
But that's about it. This is one of those books that starts off at point A and doesn't even make it to point B, let alone C. I could pretty much summarize this entire book in two words: Stuff happens. Mason gives Isabel some sort of supernatural inclination, but it doesn't manifest in anything other some briefly mentioned dreams of her brother. And I found the climax of the book to be terribly...anticlimactic.
It's a very prettily written book. It's an easy read too. But I never felt compelled, or connected with many of the characters. Isabel's well fleshed out, I just don't find her story terribly...interesting. I'm not even sure I'll remember most of what happened in the book in a year from now. I was hovering between a 2 and 3, because I didn't dislike the book, but nothing made me love it or feel like I want to read it again.
I haven't read Daniel Mason's The Piano Tuner, advertisements for which are plastered all over this book. I had no expectations for this book, but the premise sounded somewhat interesting.
"A Far Country" is the story of a Isabel, a young girl living in an unknown South American country, and her search for her long lost brother Isais. Mason is a gifted writer and he's able to create a vivid world for his characters to live in. In short, reading "A Far Country" is very much a sensory experience.
But that's about it. This is one of those books that starts off at point A and doesn't even make it to point B, let alone C. I could pretty much summarize this entire book in two words: Stuff happens. Mason gives Isabel some sort of supernatural inclination, but it doesn't manifest in anything other some briefly mentioned dreams of her brother. And I found the climax of the book to be terribly...anticlimactic.
It's a very prettily written book. It's an easy read too. But I never felt compelled, or connected with many of the characters. Isabel's well fleshed out, I just don't find her story terribly...interesting. I'm not even sure I'll remember most of what happened in the book in a year from now. I was hovering between a 2 and 3, because I didn't dislike the book, but nothing made me love it or feel like I want to read it again.