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proseamongstthorns's review against another edition
4.0
Pulley can do no wrong. This was beautiful. But it all felt a little surface level and the end happened far too quickly. I’d have happily spent more time with these characters.
river_cooke's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s difficult to talk about this book because it plays its cards very close to its chest for much of its length and much of what I especially love about it comes in the form of a genre twist it pulls off spectacularly in the final act. To start, it is “simply” a mystery story about working out who sent amnesiac protagonist Joe a postcard, and how it is possible that the postcard is from a hundred years ago.
The prose helps enormously, as while there are many examples of devastatingly effective imagery and turns of phrase that rip your fucking heart out it is also straightforward enough to ensure you don’t get lost in all the elements. It doesn’t have the ABM problem of being so sparing with its prose that you feel without an anchor in the scene as to who’s doing what.
Thankfully the breadcrumbs the mystery sets out are compelling enough to keep you going as Joe makes the acquaintance of mysterious and dangerous Spanish redhead Missouri Kite and they zip back and forth through time to deal with a twist of fate; a ship from the future accidentally wandered back in time to the age of Napoleon, and swung the advantage back to the French. Kite is blood-set on undoing this, though Joe is fearful and wants to get back to his family.
Both characters change a lot as the narrative, which hops back and forth through time, is able to slow-roll you information about them, judiciously cutting off a flashback moments before a reveal that changes your perception or only letting you see from so-clear a view of something happening presently. It’s very disciplined with this type of exposition.
The information that gets slow-rolled is essential to what turned this book from a 7/10 “good book, functions well as what it is, it sure is a novel that is not deficient in any major quality” into what it is as I write this. You realise that all throughout the twist that shifts the genre of the whole story has in fact been set up very well (so well that even my low-perception ass could recall how the various threads connected) with incidental things and mysteries all adding together to give the real answer, the figure in the background who [REDACTED, READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT]. It’s a brilliant brilliant twist that instantly made this a 10.
The side characters are also very distinctive and are written with enough unique stand-out qualities to stick with you even as the narrative moves briskly along. Fred in particular sticks out in my memory, especially with the shocking thing that becomes of him.
It is a little tricky to keep the timeline straight at times as we hop back and forth from 1899 to 1906 to 1807 and all about, but thankfully you can orient yourself by reference to which characters are in the scene and the writing will do a lot of the work for you, which I appreciated.
I will say I have some quibbles with details of the alternate history (Britons becoming enslaved is an odd beat that feels out of place given how inconsequential it turns out to be) but this has little bearing on the writing. There is also some pretty shocking and seemingly unnecessary “collateral damage” that can be off-putting, but I’ll just say that given the characters and who they are, it does make sense, and is the cost of admission to this story. It’s a book that’s well work sticking to.
Ending five chapters or so absolutely ruined me, but not in the way Seven Moons did. It’s a happy ending, relieving ending, and I felt such a wave of delight for [REDACTED] to finally have had his constancy rewarded. I love this book.
The prose helps enormously, as while there are many examples of devastatingly effective imagery and turns of phrase that rip your fucking heart out it is also straightforward enough to ensure you don’t get lost in all the elements. It doesn’t have the ABM problem of being so sparing with its prose that you feel without an anchor in the scene as to who’s doing what.
Thankfully the breadcrumbs the mystery sets out are compelling enough to keep you going as Joe makes the acquaintance of mysterious and dangerous Spanish redhead Missouri Kite and they zip back and forth through time to deal with a twist of fate; a ship from the future accidentally wandered back in time to the age of Napoleon, and swung the advantage back to the French. Kite is blood-set on undoing this, though Joe is fearful and wants to get back to his family.
Both characters change a lot as the narrative, which hops back and forth through time, is able to slow-roll you information about them, judiciously cutting off a flashback moments before a reveal that changes your perception or only letting you see from so-clear a view of something happening presently. It’s very disciplined with this type of exposition.
The information that gets slow-rolled is essential to what turned this book from a 7/10 “good book, functions well as what it is, it sure is a novel that is not deficient in any major quality” into what it is as I write this. You realise that all throughout the twist that shifts the genre of the whole story has in fact been set up very well (so well that even my low-perception ass could recall how the various threads connected) with incidental things and mysteries all adding together to give the real answer, the figure in the background who [REDACTED, READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT]. It’s a brilliant brilliant twist that instantly made this a 10.
The side characters are also very distinctive and are written with enough unique stand-out qualities to stick with you even as the narrative moves briskly along. Fred in particular sticks out in my memory, especially with the shocking thing that becomes of him.
It is a little tricky to keep the timeline straight at times as we hop back and forth from 1899 to 1906 to 1807 and all about, but thankfully you can orient yourself by reference to which characters are in the scene and the writing will do a lot of the work for you, which I appreciated.
I will say I have some quibbles with details of the alternate history (Britons becoming enslaved is an odd beat that feels out of place given how inconsequential it turns out to be) but this has little bearing on the writing. There is also some pretty shocking and seemingly unnecessary “collateral damage” that can be off-putting, but I’ll just say that given the characters and who they are, it does make sense, and is the cost of admission to this story. It’s a book that’s well work sticking to.
Ending five chapters or so absolutely ruined me, but not in the way Seven Moons did. It’s a happy ending, relieving ending, and I felt such a wave of delight for [REDACTED] to finally have had his constancy rewarded. I love this book.
nerual_'s review against another edition
Premise sounded great but I really don't like the authors style of writing at all
lauviv's review against another edition
It lost me in the very first pages, I was just too stubborn and wanted to like it.
glitterpricked's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Come home, if you remember.
What a heartbreakingly beautiful and moving book. That's not to say it was all sad. There were parts that made me smile, and snort, and sit on the edge of my seat in suspense. But it is definitely the type of book that breaks you quietly, even despite the more adventurous and action-filled scenes. One of the central themes is family, in all of its forms, and the ways in which it was explored destroyed me. I've already given this a high rating, but I know that when I reread this at some point, my rating will only go up more. I don't know how to be normal about this reading experience!
The fun parts (weird timelines, gay kissing, a literal fucking tiger) are balanced so well with the poignant character developments and plot tension. Joe and Kite, the two main characters, held my heart in their hands. I was at their mercy. I won't tell you whether my heart is still intact because that would be a spoiler (and also I don't even know myself anymore). I really loved these characters! I don't know how else to say that! I felt every moment of despair, and hope, and heartbreak, and joy. I've been converted into a historical fiction enjoyer, how do I go back from this?
tia_54's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
santossummaries's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0