Love this author; hauntingly beautiful prose
935059
This author uses amazing prose to describe the shadow of evil plaguing the characters of this book. This story involves a family - Simone, Irene, and Dorian - who come to Normandy for Simone to take a job as the assistant of Lazarus, an enigmatic widower who also happens to be a wealthy, brilliant engineer. The summer revolves around the budding friendships of Simone and Lazarus, as well as the romance of Irene and a teenage sailor, Ismael. But the summer is also plagued by the death of Hanna, co-worker of Simone and Ismael's cousin, along with the sudden presence and growing dread of a strong evil force emanating from Lazarus's mansion.

This story is hauntingly beautiful and strikes a nerve as a sort of precursor to the evil that surrounds and invades the town, during that summer in 1937 and again when WWII begins.

It was a joy to read - well, listen to, as it was by audiobook. Moreover, there was just a touch of joy in knowing that Mr. Zafon wrote and performed the piano pieces that were the intro and outro of the audiobook.
2681401
I've had the pleasure of reading a good amount of Brown's writing and I'm never disappointed. He is far and beyond the best writer of Southern Gothic to be found right now. The Forgetful Man's Disease is a deeply melancholy tale, beautifully written, with an exquisite love for the craft of storytelling. Brown writes characters that are so good you feel as though they are there in the room with you telling you their story. Be careful when you start reading this book because you won't want to put it down once you do. I was sent an advanced reading copy (ARC) of this book in digital form, but I loved it so much I needed the paperback for my shelf. This is a high five stars and, as always, I'm excited for what this author will come up with next.
1209127
How can the deepest loss be quantified, measured, digested? What happens in the heart of a little girl when her mother drives off the cliff after leaving her and her sister alone at Grandmas? How does such a girl become a woman? Who does she grow to be?

In the achingly beautiful prose that only Robinson can craft, the reader comes to taste a small portion of the fear, the ache, the loneliness, the hollow emptiness, that is the abandoned heart of a vulnerable little girl. All these emotions find their representation in the haunting landscape that surrounds the forsaken town of Fingerbone. The defining feature of this town, next to its remoteness, is a great, icy lake. A train full of many passengers, including the young girls grandfather, once plunged off the bridge into that lake. Her mother also drove her car into it. By staring into it, Ruthie sees everything lovely, including hope itself, swallowed up. As she grows older, she finds herself tethered to the same hopelessness that drove her mother into there. She begins to feel the pull.

Ruthies aunt Sylvie, now her guardian, represents the living dead. Although she has never tried to drown herself in the lake, Ruthie begins to realize more and more that the cold lake is where Sylvies heart lies. She begins to see Sylvie as a representation of what her mother would be like if she had never driven off, but wished everyday that she could. What Ruthie needs as she comes of age is someone to bring her into the light. She needs someone to be the mother she never had: to delight in her and think that everything she does is adorable. But true to real life, the longing that Ruthie has is never realized and she resorts more and more to the cover of darkness.

This is a book that stares loss in the face for what it truly is. When one gives ones life over to darkness, the ripple effects are so devastating, so tragic, so destructive, that a little girl can be forever derailed. And what can be more heart-rending than that?
634174
Joyce Carol Oates is a gifted writer!  I love her prose.  Read this quick exerpt: "There was an attic no larger than our corncrib at High Point Farm and this too was crammed solid.  All the rooms of the new house were full to bursting with familiar things made strange and disturbing by their crowdedness and juxtaposition in this new setting, like an unwieldy nightmare into which an entire life has been shuffled out of impersonal malicious glee...".  Good story, Oates keeps you guessing and doesn't bore you with trifles--the plot moves quickly.  Note to self: go pop some Saint John's Wort and call mom ASAP.
1833993
This book is exceptionally written and features some of the most beautiful prose I've ever encountered. The story is dark, gritty, and powerful, and will leave readers itching for more.
4618780
The Holy Innocents is a beautiful assortment of ghostly stories that illuminate differing aspects of the human condition. In poetic prose, the author constructs vivid worlds that deftly use unique locations (Cincinnati, Chicago, Brazil) and contemporary and historical issues (chemistry, corporate greed, art) to contextualize characters in impossible scenarios. For example, the author spins the first story around a Cincinnati orphanage and the specters, both living and dead, that haunt the building and grounds at the time of the 1932 Influenza outbreak. The story illuminates a maelstrom of past, present, spirit and flesh in which very human experiences play themselves out in loops of despair, kindness, hostility, and, ultimately, hope.

While each story is self-contained, the stories, as a whole, follow a central theme, using the perspectives of tangibly flawed characters (aren't all good characters flawed?) to unearth the heartbreaking consequences of their all-too human, and unreflective, desires:

- A daughter looking to reconnect with her deceased mother
- A nun avoiding oblivion through lifetimes of servitude
- The infectiousness of a mans greed
- An artists refusal to succumb to natures order
- A woman, who cant see past her own darkness, regretfully giving her life to another

If I had a complaint, it would be that the characters are vibrant enough to have been expanded beyond these too short stories.
3417580
This collection of novellas is beautifully written and the accompanying artwork is stunning to say the least. (I call them novellas because they are technically longer than what is traditionally labeled a short story.) The prose is perfectly paced and expertly constructed. It's obvious a great deal of care and thought was put into the crafting of these stories, which is evident in the rich imagery, the lush metaphors and the aesthetically woven sentences. The stories were deliberate, engrossing and brilliantly written. Though some might disagree, I found the endings to be thought provoking and fitting - the haunting resonance I'd expect in the modern day literary short story.

That being said, this collection is not really for young girls and teens, unless they are of a an unusually high maturity for their age. There are three stories contained in this collection that are ordered progressively in length, complexity and morbidity. It is important to note that these stories are very dark and unsettling. This is particularly true for the last story, which depicts a rape. The girl and the boy involved are not in control of their own bodies, making them both victims, and they are conscious while the rape is occurring. It is later told that the rape recurs almost daily until the victimized girl is impregnated. This is a rape despite its unusual nature and young people ought to understand that while reading this story. Despite its inherent tragedies toward humanity, which is central to the plot, the last story is undoubtedly the most interesting of the three in that its premise is wildly creative and it delivers a more meaningful punch to the reader. But, in my opinion, it is geared toward adults, not teenagers.

These days, it seems that stories involving young women in supernatural circumstances are automatically given the Young Adult stamp, even when it doesn't necessarily fit. This collection is a case in point. I understand that young people are probably subjected to worse on TV, but I think parents ought to be forewarned and that adults ought to know that these stories are enjoyable works of fiction and not of the cliched teenage-girl-pop variety. So, adults, enjoy without fear!

I will definitely be checking out more works by this author. I can't say it enough. She really is that good.
3798301
All Our Pretty Songs had some of the most gorgeous prose I've read lately.  Sarah McCarry has woven a beautiful paranormal tale about love and the ends we will go to protect it.  I loved how this story was clearly inspired and influenced by Greek mythology, specifically Ovid's Metamorphoses.  As the first book in a new trilogy, it was surprisingly effective at establishing distinct characters without ever revealing the name of the narrator.  I am very excited to see where Ms. McCarry takes the story in the next two books.

Our narrator is life-long best friends with beautiful Aurora and has a budding relationship with music maestro Jack.  When Aurora and Jack become entrenched in the ominous world of a man named Minos, they may end up on a path that our narrator cannot travel.  As much as she loves them both, the narrator must learn if she has the strength to save them... if they even want to be saved.

I loved how the paranormal events in this book bled into the stark reality.  At times, everything was very cut and dry.  The narrator was either firmly in our world or venturing into the underworld, but there were also those moments when you couldn't be sure what was real or not.  Ms. McCarry made those moments very chilling and unsettling.  I hope we will get to see many more in the future books.  While the magical elements were a little overt to be considered a traditional magical realism novel, I still think that genre is where All Our Pretty Songs fits best.

The character of the narrator is still a bit of an enigma.  We know about her life and family, the people she loves, the dedication to her art, her strength and her passion, but Ms. McCarry still keeps her a little closed, just a little disembodied.  Oh, the power of names!  We are following a character that we don't truly know but one that we do believe in.  Aurora and Jack were both very tragic and damaged characters, but it was also easy to see why the narrator would love each of them so deeply.  I'm not sure which character in All Our Pretty Songs my heart hurt the worst for.

If this book is any indication of the quality of future books, the METAMORPHOSES Trilogy is one to definitely keep your eye on.  Clocking in around 240 pages, it a quick read but leaves the reader with a dark and ominous feeling.  The story line wraps up satisfactorily without leaving the reader hanging, but still eager to see where the story goes from here.  Though this is billed as a YA novel, I would strongly suggest it only be given to mature YA readers.  I think it worked well as an adult story actually; the only thing that felt truly YA about it were the characters' ages.  Highly recommended for those readers looking for something a little darker, something a little out of the ordinary.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing an ARC copy of this book!
4004478
Gorgeous and haunting. Exquisite prose. I was absorbed by this intergenerational story, where myth and realism inhabit the same house. Structurally innovative, clear-sighted, and lyrical, this is a novel that will linger in my thoughts for a long time to come.
2261293
As a big fan of DeLillo's work, I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this novel. I'm finally finishing it, and I must say I'm ambivalent.  On the one hand, DeLillo's prose is finer than ever, and his touch with dialogue is supreme.  He hilariously approximates the rhythms of everyday speech like no other writer I'm familiar with.
DeLillo's concerns in this book are extremely compelling to me:  the consequences of the way we as a civilization have been living, the dark currents that run beneath the surfaces of business and government, the struggles of individuals to come to terms with themselves as decent people in the wake of their own horrible mistakes.  He addresses these issues at times beautifully, yet, for me at least, unfulfillingly.
 I had some problems with the "postmodernist" organization of the book, such as its time-in-reverse stucture and the inclusion of so many random and only periperally related incidents and anecdotes: I worry that DeLillo uses these tricks to disguise the fact that he really doesn't have a very coherent path to the denouement in mind.  And what is he really saying?  Waste is bad?  Okay, I agree, but I'm not sure much new light is shed here.  Possibly the postmodern writer feels shedding light is no longer his concern.
 As a reader, I found White Noise and Mao II much more satisfying than Underworld.  But I still love Don Delillo's work and will anticipate his next novel as eagerly as ever.
4473476
Julia Ross writes the most beautiful lyrical prose. There are also a lot of subtle layers and undertones to this story that leave you thinking about the characters and their situation long after you have finished the book. Her writing style reminds me of the great Dorothy Dunnett and she has the same ability to make a seemingly unattractive person into a truly believable and romantic hero.

I loved it.
113533
I aspire to ever have a way with words as fluid and wonderful and imaginative as McKillip.  Her writing is a treasure and I like many of her novels.  The thing that makes her books isn't story, or characters, though both are strong in this book for sure.  It's her way of using words and instilling feelings in you not with just scenery or setting, but with how events take place but most importantly of all, with the way in which she uses words to inject imagery direct into your soul.  It's a gift and she's one of the best writers out there if you ask me.
4280548
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it nearly a month ago. The prose is so beautiful that several times I had to reread a section 3 or 4 times to soak it in.  The weaving of past and present is poignant, especially given that the central theme of the book is the tightrope walk between the trade towers, which is all the more surreal now that they are gone. The subtle beauty of this book is breath-taking. I will never forget it.
4574767
Doerr's writing is what reader's hope to find each time they open a new book: tales woven so skillfully you have to read to the end in one sitting, and then return for more. It is also the hallmark that we would-be writers strive to achieve with each revision. "The Hunter's Wife" remains my favorite. It is a melded work, really -- a blend of prose and poetic imagery that is startlingly beautiful. The first time I read the paragraph where Mary Roberts touches the hibernating grizzly and says matter-of-factly "Want to know what he dreams?" I gasped aloud I was so taken by surprise. And then when she names the things, as if from a grocery list: "Summer . . . Blackberries. Trout. Dredging his flanks across river pebbles" -- images evoked so simply and clearly they could be our own memories -- it brought tears to my eyes. I recommend Anthony Doerr to anyone who enjoys the work of a true craftsman.
4685776
I really do adore this book; it's one of my favorites.  I love the author's prose, her juxtaposition of poetic language with sharp, spare description.  The mysterious and mundane are wound together in this book until it's difficult to tell which is which - to me, one of the primary themes of the book.  It's something to read deeply and puzzle over.

That said, it's definitely not for everyone!  The story can be hard to follow at times, with points of view wandering around at irregular intervals.  Many of the important characters lack names, and time periods are uncertain.  If you like stories with a clear beginning-middle-end, and you're more into plot than character or setting, this is not a book for you.

As other reviewers have noted, there's a fair amount of sexual content in the book.  I found it generally tastefully done, but of course people's tastes vary, and I'm more comfortable with matter-of-factly graphic depictions of sex than many.  It definitely pushes at the boundaries of what many would consider acceptable and explores the range of human sexual and romantic expression.  I would not consider this book erotica; the sex isn't depicted erotically, but as a meaningful act of connection.  The meaning, of course, varies: some of the scenes are entirely horrific, sexually and otherwise.  I would say that this work is not for the squeamish.

If you don't mind being swept up in a dream and unsure of what it is you're supposed to be thinking, feeling, or learning, the book is simply amazing.  Come to it in ignorance; pretend you don't have any idea what a book is supposed to be; it breaks all the rules about what books are supposed to be in any case.  If you're willing to trust Candas Jane Dorsey to take you on a journey woven of interlocking stories through a complex, richly textured, completely impossible world, you'll enjoy Black Wine.
3693367
Kazuo Ishiguro's writing in "Remains" is as near to perfection as I think it is possible for an author to come.  Stevens, the detached-yet-not-so-detached English butler, deserves a place among literature's greatest first-person narrators; it is impossible not to be moved by his enduring loyalty, his quiet but desperate need to justify his employer's actions, his inability to shed the code of gentility bred into him by his father and by his unique social position, and his longing to always do and say and think and feel the "right thing."  It is Ishiguro's flawless writing that makes all of this come through clearly, cleanly, and without the need for literary bells and whistles.  "Remains" is the epitome of "restrained" writing and the plot--which weaves in and out of time, as Stevens dissembles and eventually faces the truth about himself and his past--is magnificent.  Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.
2970455
For disclosure purposes, please note that I'm a fellow writer who has worked with Stant on occasion through the past few years.

But I really wanted to post a personal review of this ANSIBLE compilation, as these stories have irrevocably affected and moved me, and each has inspired my own writing.

While I also love every moment of his superb ZOMBIE BIBLE series, Stant's ANSIBLE stories are -- especially when read as a collected work -- incredibly haunting, with each building upon an instantly believable atmosphere of indescribable beauty, strangeness, and mounting dread.

The writing is literate and beautiful, yet never formal and always accessible. The protagonists are strong, brave, brilliant, and in every case, believably flawed while also facing a disquiet that all too soon becomes terror, and an isolation that becomes a portrait of the loneliness of the human condition itself.

Ultimately, I don't know how to classify these stories. They're horror, science fiction, fantasy -- and art. In every case, upon reading an ANSIBLE story, I had to pause, put the book down, and take a breath of quiet and reflection, of emotion, catharsis, and even grief.

These stories are incredibly moving -- and should not be missed.