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amberhayward's review against another edition
3.0
I liked how it started & kind of disliked where it wound up. But a fun read none-the-less.
mrninjaviking's review against another edition
3.0
"Outside the Dog Museum" was the first Jonathan Carroll novel I read. And I say "was", because I plan on reading more, even though this is the only one I have read.
Here is a synopsis from Publishers Weekly via Amazon.Com:
I had been wanting for a while to read something of Carroll's work. Though part of me was worried about taking a chance. I always got the feeling that his work was more metaphysical then I would be able to handle. Because of this, he seems to have an odd following. He's an American, now living in Austria, however his book are hard to find here in the States, though since reading this, they seem more readily available. On the other side of that, his books are rather popular in Europe. From what I understand, this book is similar to his others, meaning they are a bit fantastical, but not really. There are elements of magic, but you can't compare his work to Neil Gaiman's or others that write urban fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very easy to slip into reading.
The characters aren't too terribly deep. In many respects it works for this story. Some of the uniqueness of the story would have been hidden under more character development. Also, given the nature of Harry's personality, and with the story being his first person narrative, it was another plus.
To be honest, if there were many messages in the story, I may have missed some, if not most, of them. But overall, the story was interesting enough to keep me tagging along. Some of the magic, or reasons things were happening, were not explained. Also, at times, I got the feeling that the characters just accepted the fact that there was magic at times, and unless it was very distressing, didn't question it. I missed having some explanation, but without much at all, and the characters reactions, it worked out to be another plus for the story.
The only thing that had me scratching me head was the ending. There some explanation was needed. Unless it was hidden under what I read and didn't get it. It wasn't bad. I sometimes like books that still leave questions unanswered. But the abrupt ending seemed to leave too much of a void, given one of the main reasons stated for the building of this Dog Museum.
The book hasn't put me off of Carroll's writing. It was more accessible then I expected, and I like the odd thing or two happening from time to time. This may have been a good book to start with, and I am interested in seeing what his other books will bring me.
Here is a synopsis from Publishers Weekly via Amazon.Com:
Here his narrator is a curmudgeonly genius, the aphorizing architect Harry Radcliffe, who, with the aid of a maverick therapist, has recently recovered from a mental collapse and is ready to reexamine his constructs of reality. He's also rebounding from an amicable divorce and conducts affairs with two fabulous females. Various developments - including an earthquake from which Radcliffe's party is miraculously rescued by a Middle Eastern sultan and the therapist's dog - oblige Radcliffe to accept the sultan's commission to build a vast dog museum. When war breaks out in the sultan's realm and he is killed, his son - a romantic rival for one of Radcliffe's lady loves - presses Radcliffe to build the museum on his property in Austria and promises to pay in magic. After further astonishing feats (leaping into other identities, the momentary reincarnation of the dead, etc.) the picaresque tone, surprisingly, yields at the end to a reprise of a biblical theme, turning this spirited novel into something like a moral tale.
I had been wanting for a while to read something of Carroll's work. Though part of me was worried about taking a chance. I always got the feeling that his work was more metaphysical then I would be able to handle. Because of this, he seems to have an odd following. He's an American, now living in Austria, however his book are hard to find here in the States, though since reading this, they seem more readily available. On the other side of that, his books are rather popular in Europe. From what I understand, this book is similar to his others, meaning they are a bit fantastical, but not really. There are elements of magic, but you can't compare his work to Neil Gaiman's or others that write urban fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was very easy to slip into reading.
The characters aren't too terribly deep. In many respects it works for this story. Some of the uniqueness of the story would have been hidden under more character development. Also, given the nature of Harry's personality, and with the story being his first person narrative, it was another plus.
To be honest, if there were many messages in the story, I may have missed some, if not most, of them. But overall, the story was interesting enough to keep me tagging along. Some of the magic, or reasons things were happening, were not explained. Also, at times, I got the feeling that the characters just accepted the fact that there was magic at times, and unless it was very distressing, didn't question it. I missed having some explanation, but without much at all, and the characters reactions, it worked out to be another plus for the story.
The only thing that had me scratching me head was the ending. There some explanation was needed. Unless it was hidden under what I read and didn't get it. It wasn't bad. I sometimes like books that still leave questions unanswered. But the abrupt ending seemed to leave too much of a void, given one of the main reasons stated for the building of this Dog Museum.
The book hasn't put me off of Carroll's writing. It was more accessible then I expected, and I like the odd thing or two happening from time to time. This may have been a good book to start with, and I am interested in seeing what his other books will bring me.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot rest until everyone I know hears me say, at least once, that Jonathan Carroll is a gift to words and humanity. Read his books, or I judge you.
jelundberg's review against another edition
5.0
My absolute favorite of Carroll's novels, and the best example of his mainstream style of writing with fabulist tropes. Torn between two beautiful women and a project full of reality-bending magic, as well as the philosophical and metaphysical teachings of the strange guru Venasque, brilliant architect Harry Radcliffe will never be able to think of love, death, and architecture in the same way again. Caroll's style is easy and confident, and his setting and characters are interesting, quirky, sexy and full of mystery.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
3.0
Carroll's stuff is always entertaining, but often leaves me wondering, "What was the purpose?". The plots are very odd and rather thin, and in this book I felt like that was more obvious because he kept slipping into little mini stories that really seemed needed in order to add some excitement to the main plot line. So this might slip into 2.5 stars territory, which makes me think I'll probably not read much more of his stuff.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
I just realized this is the fourth book in a sextet. I've no idea if that matters, since this is Carroll and anything can happen. Which is sort of my problem with him. If anything can happen, then nothing is really at stake. I don't trust him. He has lured me in too many times with his fascinating world-building and charming characters, then let me down with weak endings and whimsical plot devices. And yet I keep reading his books. They are always interesting and imaginative, and often captivating. This one is no exception. It has a fairly straight-forward plot and not too much quirkiness (good things). I won't complain about the ending since it is part of s series, but I'm not sure if I will read the remaining books.
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oohsarracuda's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably more like a 2.5, but I can't bear to give it 2 stars. I think the hype & enthusiasm about Carroll really interfered with my enjoyment of this book - I expected it to be an absorbing mixture of Haruki Murakami & Tom Robbins, and instead I got a mildly interesting story with some mildly uninteresting twists, accompanied by a thoroughly unlikeable protagonist. I will probably try a different Carroll book, but this one was my first and a disappointment.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
3.0
Un libro bastante simpatico y entretenido. Mas fantasioso que fantastico, y con un lenguaje sorpresivamente elocuente en muchas partes.
El principio es muy bueno, pero luego empiezan a tratar de ponerse intelectual, sin llegar a serlo del todo, descuidando la historia.
El principio es muy bueno, pero luego empiezan a tratar de ponerse intelectual, sin llegar a serlo del todo, descuidando la historia.
jatridle's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated this book, but didn't particularly enjoy or connect with it.