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A review by andrewspink
Cuddy by Benjamin Myers
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an extraordinary read, very different from a typical historical novel, For a start, it spans over a millenium, starting in AD 687 and ending in 2019. That is done quite nicely, with both clear and subtle links between the various sections. It did mean that the book is in effect four short stories. I am not normally so keen on short stories (for instance, there is little space to develop the characters), but in this case it worked quite well, perhaps because the total book is rather long, at over 400 pages.
It contains many different types of text, from a multitude of quotes of historical texts to poems to normal text. That was also nicely done and added interest. There are some nice phrases, "a dog joins us, as a sparrow joins a murmuration'. In the early sections there are some intriguing local/old words like skugg (hide) and skep (straw beehive). Enough to be interesting and worth looking up and not enough to be tiresome.
All in all, an interesting and enjoyable read and I think the sort of book that would benefit from a second reading
It contains many different types of text, from a multitude of quotes of historical texts to poems to normal text. That was also nicely done and added interest. There are some nice phrases, "a dog joins us, as a sparrow joins a murmuration'. In the early sections there are some intriguing local/old words like skugg (hide) and skep (straw beehive). Enough to be interesting and worth looking up and not enough to be tiresome.
All in all, an interesting and enjoyable read and I think the sort of book that would benefit from a second reading