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A review by hewlettelaine
The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams
2.0
I found this novel really difficult to get to grips with. It tells the story of Catherine Sorgeiul, a young woman with a past who is now living in east London with her uncle. When a spate of vicious murders occurs, Catherine becomes fascinated by them and hopes to track down the killer herself.
Williams' style of writing was very hard to read. She attempts to conjure up Catherine's disturbed mind with the very heavy use of elaborate, disjointed imagery but the only effect this had on me was to make me want to stop reading it very quickly! Catherine felt alien and it was hard to feel any sympathy for her as the protagonist. Likewise, the plot is so wrapped up in its own mysteriousness that it becomes almost unintelligable. I was left feeling unmoved by Catherine's plight and I felt that the motives of the other characters were never explored sufficiently. Frustratingly, the identity and motives of the London seriel killer, which underpinned the entire plot, felt briefly handled and underexplored.
Not a very satisfying read!
Williams' style of writing was very hard to read. She attempts to conjure up Catherine's disturbed mind with the very heavy use of elaborate, disjointed imagery but the only effect this had on me was to make me want to stop reading it very quickly! Catherine felt alien and it was hard to feel any sympathy for her as the protagonist. Likewise, the plot is so wrapped up in its own mysteriousness that it becomes almost unintelligable. I was left feeling unmoved by Catherine's plight and I felt that the motives of the other characters were never explored sufficiently. Frustratingly, the identity and motives of the London seriel killer, which underpinned the entire plot, felt briefly handled and underexplored.
Not a very satisfying read!