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A review by phoebesbookshelf
Henry Henry by Allen Bratton
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
1.75
Thank you to Random House UK for this arc!
Despite Bratton’s prose being evocative and melodic, unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The one specific, seriously dark plot point felt completely out of place in the narrative, with no point or consequence/retribution. I couldn’t get past this, finding it to be a bizarre addition to the story. I also felt that the present-day adaptation of the Lord/Duke/Lancaster inheritance premise didn’t quite work — there weren’t really any stakes, other than the Lancaster family probably losing their estates? Unclear.
Moreover, too many characters flitted in and out with no real sense of purpose or effect on the overall storyline — it seemed that the main point for some of them was just to flag that these are ‘Shakespeare’ characters. Finally, the Hal/Percy love story came, and ended, really abruptly. I never really felt like they knew each other, or wanted to be with each other beyond the story requiring it of them. Ultimately, Hal deserved so much better and I wish he’d had the opportunity to have some sort of chance at happiness and to see Henry rightfully punished.
I had high hopes for this book, but they fell short.
Despite Bratton’s prose being evocative and melodic, unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The one specific, seriously dark plot point felt completely out of place in the narrative, with no point or consequence/retribution. I couldn’t get past this, finding it to be a bizarre addition to the story. I also felt that the present-day adaptation of the Lord/Duke/Lancaster inheritance premise didn’t quite work — there weren’t really any stakes, other than the Lancaster family probably losing their estates? Unclear.
Moreover, too many characters flitted in and out with no real sense of purpose or effect on the overall storyline — it seemed that the main point for some of them was just to flag that these are ‘Shakespeare’ characters. Finally, the Hal/Percy love story came, and ended, really abruptly. I never really felt like they knew each other, or wanted to be with each other beyond the story requiring it of them. Ultimately, Hal deserved so much better and I wish he’d had the opportunity to have some sort of chance at happiness and to see Henry rightfully punished.
I had high hopes for this book, but they fell short.