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wormcharmer's review
The characters aren't particularly interesting, the writing is not compelling, and the plot is next to nonexistent.
frasersimons's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
While I loved The Prestige, The Glamour didn’t have me, nor did it keep me, and it ended with a thud. It’s ostensibly about a man who is struck by a bomb outside of a police building and his recovery, mostly to do with memory loss. It’s very slow and it ratchets up the tension with the fantastical, to do with the ritual Glamour. Some special people are dubbed invisibles, with the general population being unable to see them. It extends to what they interact with as well. And this notion is introduced by the primary opposite character, basically the only other character in the book: Sue. Who claims to be one of these people, as she attempts to reconnect with him and rekindle an odd relationship they had held before the event.
It’s fairly unconvincing but does become more so when this strange account of Sue’s is brought up, which deflates the tension around his false memories, as her account is from her own perspective, so more-or-less invalidates his memories. But even more annoying than that, is none of that even matters. It’s not actually about what it purports to be and transitions into some outlandish supernatural horror aspects, including a very graphic, horrific rape - followed by Sue becoming an even more unbelievable character, as she gets over this violation quickly and the relationship with the rapist completely uninhibited. Then the plot itself, also is completely eschewed on a flight of fancy / gotcha moment.
There isn’t much that it particularly has to say and it doesn’t even respect the fiction it creates. It is very near completely pointless and there are many other novels with a meta context that makes this point much more interestingly.
It’s fairly unconvincing but does become more so when this strange account of Sue’s is brought up, which deflates the tension around his false memories, as her account is from her own perspective, so more-or-less invalidates his memories. But even more annoying than that, is none of that even matters. It’s not actually about what it purports to be and transitions into some outlandish supernatural horror aspects, including a very graphic, horrific rape - followed by Sue becoming an even more unbelievable character, as she gets over this violation quickly and the relationship with the rapist completely uninhibited. Then the plot itself, also is completely eschewed on a flight of fancy / gotcha moment.
There isn’t much that it particularly has to say and it doesn’t even respect the fiction it creates. It is very near completely pointless and there are many other novels with a meta context that makes this point much more interestingly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
okenwillow's review against another edition
4.0
Priest fait partie de mes chouchous, le voici avec encore ne fois un récit à plusieurs points de vue, souvent contradictoires. L’auteur aime semer le doute, qui raconte quoi, qui a vécu quoi, qui aime qui, on ne sait plus vraiment, on croit comprendre, jusqu’à ce que de nouveaux faits contredisent les précédents. Sous une habile narration frisant l’extravagance, Priest évoque, via le thème de l’invisibilité, les inégalités sociales, ce que l’on souhaite ou refuse de voir, selon son propre intérêt ou distrait par un environnement de plus en plus manipulateur. Grey est un cameraman reconnu, son métier est tout un symbole. Témoin objectif de la réalité, il ne la voit qu’à travers son viseur, aveugle à d’autres aspects qui pourraient changer le sens des choses, les enrichir, les mettre dans un contexte. L’image, le visuel, l’invisibilité, les mauvais tours que l’esprit et la mémoire peuvent nous jouer, rien n’est simple chez Priest, même pas une histoire d’amour qui aurait pu être banale. Pour finir, l’auteur nous balance une conclusion étonnante, déroutante, qui remet en question le récit lui-même. Encore un tour de force de Priest, qui n’égalera pas à mes yeux celui du Prestige, mais qui n’en est pas loin.
hackjuber's review
5.0
This book starts out with a somewhat familiar plot. Richard Grey wakes up with his short term memory wiped. He was severely injured in a terrorist attack, and lacks any memory of the weeks leading up to it. While in recovery he's approached by a woman, Susan, who prefers the name Sue. He has no memory of her but she claims to be a past lover of his. That's the first ~30 pages. What happens in the remaining ~270 was probably the most mind-bending and fascinating series of plot twists and reveals that I've ever read.
I'll add a spoiler tag but there's this genius moment of writing in the final pages. It blew my mind and it's classic Christopher Priest. The answer to the riddle was there the entire time, you as a reader just chose to ignore it. A perfect thematic ending to an underrated book.
I'll add a spoiler tag but there's this genius moment of writing in the final pages.
Spoiler
It appears the novel has pivoted back to third person after Richard finishes reading Sue's letter. There's about fifty pages of third person writing, following Richard as he recovers from his accident and gets back to work. One night Sue opens the letter that Niall gave her before the accident. It's an account of Richard's life after the accident. Niall has been watching the entire time. Then, in a the most insane plot twist I've ever read...the book switches to first person from Niall's perspective. He's there watching them read the letter, like Sue said.mehrangezmr's review against another edition
2.0
Oh man. I feel like this novel could have been great and very satisfying. It is immersively written in a way I really enjoy, the kind of book you can blitz through on a Saturday afternoon. Very useful when you have a Reading Challenge to complete! The central mystery, of a man trying to recover his memories after an accident, is one you can imagine an excellent author like Christopher Priest really getting his teeth into, delivering a plot twist that makes us go, "!!"
Sadly this novel did not, for me, live up to its initial promise. The much-telegraphed and foreshadowed twist is a damp squib that actually undermines the emotional impact of the story. To me, a satisfying literary twist is one that upholds the contract between author and reader, and doesn't pull the rug out from under the reader entirely. You want to feel that the author has played fair, and I did not feel this way with this book. Priest's novel [b:The Prestige|239239|The Prestige|Christopher Priest|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414195709l/239239._SY75_.jpg|1688160] offers a vastly superior example in how to do this effectively.
In addition, and this is typical of many novels written by male authors in the 80s, the female characters are thinly disguised male fantasies, constantly sexually available, portrayed and couched entirely in terms of their sexual appeal.
Sadly this novel did not, for me, live up to its initial promise. The much-telegraphed and foreshadowed twist is a damp squib that actually undermines the emotional impact of the story. To me, a satisfying literary twist is one that upholds the contract between author and reader, and doesn't pull the rug out from under the reader entirely. You want to feel that the author has played fair, and I did not feel this way with this book. Priest's novel [b:The Prestige|239239|The Prestige|Christopher Priest|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414195709l/239239._SY75_.jpg|1688160] offers a vastly superior example in how to do this effectively.
In addition, and this is typical of many novels written by male authors in the 80s, the female characters are thinly disguised male fantasies, constantly sexually available, portrayed and couched entirely in terms of their sexual appeal
Spoiler
and there is a lengthy and repulsive rape scene that added not a lot to the story and is clearly in there for titillationdumblydore's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't at all what it seems. You begin by thinking it's a typical literary piece in a contemporary setting, but soon it hits you that it's so much more than that. A man, Richard, is caught in a terrorist bombing and is left severely injured with amnesia. A mystery woman, Susan, from his life before the incident, appears in an effort to reboot his memory, but only achieving in shaking his world entirely as he struggles to define reality from memory, truth from illusion. The chapters are all in inconsistent lengths, each telling essentially the same story from a different point of view, each containing grains of similar information that have been mixed with other events to the point where each perspective seems plausible.
Priest writes so reservedly the tension inversely builds up as the narrative progresses, and it becomes more difficult to discern which of Richard's memory (or indeed Susan's) is accurate or simply a figment of imagination implanted into his mind. It's all a little unsettling and haunting.
Priest writes so reservedly the tension inversely builds up as the narrative progresses, and it becomes more difficult to discern which of Richard's memory (or indeed Susan's) is accurate or simply a figment of imagination implanted into his mind. It's all a little unsettling and haunting.
nycterisberna's review against another edition
4.0
Priest es una maravilla contando historias que no son lo que parecen ser. Somos enfrentados a la angustia del protagonista; Richard, quien, luego de un accidente, queda amnésico y descubre, gracias a una novia; que ambos poseen (por extraño que parezca) el glamour: el poder de pasar desapercibidos, de no ser vistos. Este poder es compartido por un ex novio, quien aparece para formar un extraño triángulo amoroso, porque su poder es tal, que ni siquiera puede ser visto por Richard. Comienza a escalar la violencia, porque es un don que puede usarse muy mal. Es muy inquietante y Priest es un maestro en narrar historias y crear atmósferas donde nada queda muy claro, usando el abuso y control de los personajes mediante un poder que ni siquiera puede ser real, genera las páginas más inquietantes que ha escrito Priest.
wrestleacademic's review
4.0
Finally, a chance to read another Christopher Priest...
...and once again, going to have to read this one again. As ever, it's a good thing--but I'm still not 100% sure I understood everything!
...and once again, going to have to read this one again. As ever, it's a good thing--but I'm still not 100% sure I understood everything!
roguem's review against another edition
Started out interesting enough, but got rather messy towards the end.
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