I really don't think the narration could have been any better so major kudos to her. She's a professional actress and makes the words sing and come to life. As it is, I at least got a sigh of relief in the end which made the ordeal worthwhile.įor the read, I did listen to the audiobook version which was narrated by Juanita McMahon and she was absolutely fantastic throughout. Thank goodness because, if it didn't, I'd really really hate this book. I will say, the book does have a sober yet happy ending. But, alas, that is not to be and things unfold in a gut-turning manner. Surely, something will come through in the end to make things different". Sarah Waters enjoys putting her readers in this pickle just as much as her characters.Īs the story unfolded I kept going along thinking "This can't happen. Both have a distinct voice and, as a reader, I'm torn between rooting for each of them while also hoping they trip. We get switching alternative view points between the two leading ladies of the story, Maud, the lady, and Susan, the lady's maid. If it had a theme it would be "Things are not as they seem." So, is it a romance? As a blip, yes.Īnd, no, I wouldn't label this as young adult (YA). We get it for a very short time early on in the story and, once it's done, we don't really get it again. A same-sex relationship is present and impacts the story but it also is so very minor in the grand scheme of things. If Waters intended for the fuller storytelling to add to the dread and suspense, though, mission accomplished.Īs for genre, this is a historical fiction set in England during Victorian times that stars two seventeen year-old women and highlights the horrific disparities of class and sex. Though each page is written well, a big chunk of the 2nd narrator could've been chopped to make the pacing less of a drudgery. I agree with some other critics that the book did feel too long. I can absolutely see why it gets the praise that it does. There's a lot to analyze if one so wishes but it also can just be read at the surface, too. The prose is rich, every character is solid and nuanced, and the twists and turns are truly unexpected. What saves it, though, is that the book is brilliant and well-crafted. On the final line of the last page I felt like I emerged from a bunker since sinister doom was around the corner at every turn.
And, damn, this thing is nearly 600 pages or 23 hrs if you're listening to the audiobook. If you like being tortured or sit on pins and needles for an entire read, and by entire read I mean THE ENTIRE READ from the first line to the very last, then this is the book for you.
0 kommentar(er)
