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llynn66 's review for:
The Book of Air and Shadows
by Michael Gruber
Wow...the Goodreads community is really hatin' on this one. I don't think it deserves quite such harsh treatment. However, I often have a fairly high tolerance for overly wordy writers. And I can stomach an unpleasant narrator from time to time. Any reader whose preference is an admirable story teller would get a belly full of Jake quick enough...he is a pig.
In my estimation, although slow going at times, the book merits 3 stars. The plot is convoluted in that the action covers several historic eras (Shakespearean England, Nazi Germany and present day New York) and activity on 2 continents. In this way it mirrors one of my favorite recent works --The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. (although I definitely prefer the latter title) It is an implausible yarn and, as others have pointed out, a flawed tale. I allowed myself to be taken along for the ride and actually had some fun along the way.
It is a bit frustrating to think about how the intriguing subject matter could be handled in a steadier and more refined manner. However, the egomaniac Jake, gross and crude as he was, would not have intimidated William Shakespeare, a writer who could certainly play to all the various strata in his audience. Not a masterpiece, certainly...but readers who enjoy unreliable narrators may find this a bit better than advertised.
In my estimation, although slow going at times, the book merits 3 stars. The plot is convoluted in that the action covers several historic eras (Shakespearean England, Nazi Germany and present day New York) and activity on 2 continents. In this way it mirrors one of my favorite recent works --The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. (although I definitely prefer the latter title) It is an implausible yarn and, as others have pointed out, a flawed tale. I allowed myself to be taken along for the ride and actually had some fun along the way.
It is a bit frustrating to think about how the intriguing subject matter could be handled in a steadier and more refined manner. However, the egomaniac Jake, gross and crude as he was, would not have intimidated William Shakespeare, a writer who could certainly play to all the various strata in his audience. Not a masterpiece, certainly...but readers who enjoy unreliable narrators may find this a bit better than advertised.