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saradoxical's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I don't know what I expected when a friend chose this for book club, but Parisian based historical detective pulp wasn't it. And I put off reading it until the last minute so I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it. The writing was vivid to me, sometimes more than I wanted it to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
wonderful, 19th century detective story set in Paris and throughout Europe. this time around the always unpredictable Kotzwinkle is mystical, bawdy, and oh-so clever.
canadiantiquarian's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly entertaining bit of smutty, poetic pulp that I wasn't expecting to love.
Too often, old-school paperbacks brag so loudly that their insides can never match the promises of their outsides. But Fata Morgana is, indeed, "A magical, erotic novel of crime and passion in Paris of the 1860s."
Better yet, it's a light read that mixes fun and literary flourishes, and has a twist that is completely earned by its structure and theme, rather than some Shyamalan deus ex machina.
After all of the unexpected perks, it's only fitting that this man also came up with the story for my favourite campy horror film: NOES Dream Master.
Too often, old-school paperbacks brag so loudly that their insides can never match the promises of their outsides. But Fata Morgana is, indeed, "A magical, erotic novel of crime and passion in Paris of the 1860s."
Better yet, it's a light read that mixes fun and literary flourishes, and has a twist that is completely earned by its structure and theme, rather than some Shyamalan deus ex machina.
After all of the unexpected perks, it's only fitting that this man also came up with the story for my favourite campy horror film: NOES Dream Master.
ashleylm's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't love this ... not the plot, not the characters, and I feel a bit sad awarding it two stars as the actual sentences were occasionally lovely. But writing is more than just sentences.
This book falls into a genre I think of as 1970s sensual foggy pseudo-fantasy ... it doesn't read as sharp and crisp (think Jane Austen) but more dreamlike and swoony (which in other hands can be terrific--I loved The Unconsoled, for instance).
But this story ... it may have seemed edgy when written (and I've been meaning to read it since then!) but now, just kind of draggy, not sexy, not interesting (when I picked up my Kobo I kept feeling disappointed that it was still this book), and the ending was infuriating.
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = very good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm good at picking ones I'd like so I do end up with a lot of 4s!)
This book falls into a genre I think of as 1970s sensual foggy pseudo-fantasy ... it doesn't read as sharp and crisp (think Jane Austen) but more dreamlike and swoony (which in other hands can be terrific--I loved The Unconsoled, for instance).
But this story ... it may have seemed edgy when written (and I've been meaning to read it since then!) but now, just kind of draggy, not sexy, not interesting (when I picked up my Kobo I kept feeling disappointed that it was still this book), and the ending was infuriating.
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = very good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm good at picking ones I'd like so I do end up with a lot of 4s!)
el_entrenador_loco's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
3.0
A short and pleasurable bagatelle, in the "Samsara" vein.
captainfez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
5.0
2000ace's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best known (and certainly best reviewed) of all Kotzwinkle's work, Fata Morgana is a detective story with a big slice of fantasy on the side. Set in Paris of 1861, there is a mysterious fortune telling machine, a beautiful woman who is bought and sold, and a sense of larger forces being at work. Highly recommended.
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