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maxinealice's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bennought's review against another edition
3.0
If, like me, you picked this book up because you loved [b:Wolf Hall|6101138|Wolf Hall|Hilary Mantel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1237697507s/6101138.jpg|6278354], you are in for a surprise. Though it is an interesting and, overall, enjoyable read, it has none of the poise, organization, or sheer amazingness of her most recent novel. This book tracks the crumbling lives of 5 working/middle class Britons in an unnamed, (probably) small city or large town. It takes a while to get into, both because of the style the fact that it is a very odd story. In fact, the biggest problem with the style I had was that it took her about a third of the book to nail it down and hit her groove (though I am aware that the ease with which the book became readable at that point was partly due to my acclimation to her writing). Without giving up anything, I will say that this is not a happy book, and that it is quite odd. And while neither of those is a bad thing in and of itself (or even in conjunction with each other), in combination with the literary stumblings early on the book ended up leaving me a bit disappointed. Mantel's genius for characters, weaving of plots, as well as creation of beautiful, poignant, and clear atmosphere are all evident in this book; just never all at the same time or in a coherent and satisfying fashion.
piedwarbler's review against another edition
5.0
What a dark, surreal, ghastly, funny, acerbic, morbid story of a mother and daughter living in what the mother feels is a haunted house. All is not what it seems, though. Muriel, the daughter, is pregnant, and the social worker whose job it is to keep an eye on her well-being is too busy looking after her own emotional life to visit regularly. Meanwhile Evelyn, Muriel’s mother, is struggling to keep the ghosts that haunt her at bay. A perfect read for fans of Shirley Jackson and Ottessa Moshfegh. I loved it.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
5.0
This is quite a debut novel. And Muriel Axon is quite a character. This is a book of very black humour, an odd and quirky story, and is probably quite British (of the 1970s variation)... "Happiness seems a bit ambitious" remarks Isabel Field and this does seem to be the case for most of the novel where Colins interesting method of staving off too much despair by playing a recording of Sousa marches because "you wouldn't kill yourself after that -- after you'd marched about a bit. It would be too ridiculous." Full of little details like that and mad surreal moments, and some scary ones too. Such a hard novel to describe, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
natniss's review against another edition
4.0
The first two thirds were good. I wasn't completely invested in the story but Mantel's writing is always a joy. The final third is better and is incredibly tense.
lilyruby's review against another edition
4.0
There is a lot to enjoy in Mantel's first published novel. Written after A Place of Greater Safety (which was written in the 1970s and then revised for its 1992 publishing date), the novel is a bleak and insightful backwards look on the consequences of the Welfare State in 1970's Britain, and changing views of private property with the spectre of Thatcherite Britain looming.
Labelling the novel, or even Mantel, is not easy and does it disservice: it is not simply gothic, a-novel-about-the-state, or an exploration into Adrienne Rich's ideas of matrophobia and the degradation of family values. It does have a lot to say about how history and abuse haunts the Axons' everyday lives, how it controls their present actions, and how easily they can slip off the historical record if it is being written by social services. The practices of piecing together history is revealed as muddled, politically motivated, actively buried, subject to parodic mimicry (as when Muriel Axon repeats a radio), or simply victim to neglect depending on who exactly is in control of writing that history. What the novel does best is reveal the complicated productions and re-productions of history because of human fallacy: in the public spaces of social services, and in the character's private histories/ writings (special note must be taken on Colin Sidney and Isabela Field's failure to continue their creative writing classes due to their affair). Just as power is the main theme of the novel, so is the almost catholic guilt each character individually feels towards others, and how they should tell their histories. Notably, of the many characters in Mantel's works, Muriel is the most enduring and fascinating.
On the surface the novel is bleak, wry, and the plot is fairly predictable with all the pitfalls of a first published novel from an author that was, at this stage, trying to understand what worked for her. What saves it is the many layers of critical reading, metafictional self-awareness, Mantel's ability to leave no detail (whether it is furnishings, the Axon house, the unhappy lines in the Sidneys' home life) unturned, and its full commitment to the nuances of everyday horrors.
Labelling the novel, or even Mantel, is not easy and does it disservice: it is not simply gothic, a-novel-about-the-state, or an exploration into Adrienne Rich's ideas of matrophobia and the degradation of family values. It does have a lot to say about how history and abuse haunts the Axons' everyday lives, how it controls their present actions, and how easily they can slip off the historical record if it is being written by social services. The practices of piecing together history is revealed as muddled, politically motivated, actively buried, subject to parodic mimicry (as when Muriel Axon repeats a radio), or simply victim to neglect depending on who exactly is in control of writing that history. What the novel does best is reveal the complicated productions and re-productions of history because of human fallacy: in the public spaces of social services, and in the character's private histories/ writings (special note must be taken on Colin Sidney and Isabela Field's failure to continue their creative writing classes due to their affair). Just as power is the main theme of the novel, so is the almost catholic guilt each character individually feels towards others, and how they should tell their histories. Notably, of the many characters in Mantel's works, Muriel is the most enduring and fascinating.
On the surface the novel is bleak, wry, and the plot is fairly predictable with all the pitfalls of a first published novel from an author that was, at this stage, trying to understand what worked for her. What saves it is the many layers of critical reading, metafictional self-awareness, Mantel's ability to leave no detail (whether it is furnishings, the Axon house, the unhappy lines in the Sidneys' home life) unturned, and its full commitment to the nuances of everyday horrors.
cs4_0reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
narniaru's review against another edition
4.0
Characters that get you involved and will stay with you for a while. Moment I put this book down I began on it's sequel. Good stuff Hilary Mantel
zhy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely the worst Mantel I've read so far! Interestingly, this reads a bit like an early draft of Beyond Black: similar themes of afterlife, haunting, and the horrors that exist just below the surface of the normal world. It's also about the preoccupations of the middle classes, and their focus on appearances rather than reality. But Beyond Black succeeds as a study of character, of the horrors of the real world, and is a carefully judged novel. This, on the other hand, is uneven almost everywhere. Mantel's dialogue and prose are good, and the novel remains readable because of them, but the story can't decide whether it's satire or deadly serious, whether we feel for the characters or despise them. It's ill-judged and unbalanced, and the elements of horror reach such maudlin heights it's hard not to laugh at them. But it's Mantel's first novel, and it's interesting to see how much better her writing becomes.