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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Twain's End by Lynn Cullen is a free Goodreads FirstReads copy of a paperback book that I read in late June during my summer semester at school.
While others may review this as a 5-star book, a triumph, a masterful tale of the real life Parthenon that is Samuel Clemons, I saw a post-Elizabethan, strata-climbing struggle to remain in a celebrity's good graces; to stay relevant, be noticed, and retain favor from someone who pays you mind and your bills (to slightly quote RuPaul Charles).
While others may review this as a 5-star book, a triumph, a masterful tale of the real life Parthenon that is Samuel Clemons, I saw a post-Elizabethan, strata-climbing struggle to remain in a celebrity's good graces; to stay relevant, be noticed, and retain favor from someone who pays you mind and your bills (to slightly quote RuPaul Charles).
An August/December romance with a little adultery to spice things up - and all drawn from unsung real-life Twain lore. Beautifully and plausibly written.
Historical fiction to the nth degree. I enjoyed imagining that this is how it really happened, even though it may be completely wrong. The historical facts are just as outlandish as the fiction. Twain seems to be an example of the corruptive effects came can have.
This was an interesting read about one of America's most beloved author's little-known personal life. Although I found it slow in parts, it was a pleasant read that was full of insight into this famous man's troubled life. I would recommened it for fans of Samuel Clemmons or for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I was provided a digital copy of this book by Netgalley.
I got this book as a review copy from the publisher on Netgalley. When I read the except for this book it reminded me of Alice I Have Been. I know they are nothing alike. Twain's End is based on my hard evidence than Alice I Have Been. Although Twain's End still had that air of reimagining that Alice I Have Been did. I learned so much while reading this book. I never knew Mark Twain was a pen name!! Apparently I've been living under a rock lol. I absolutely adored this book. I was always rooting for Isabel. It was hard not to. You wanted her to be happy and some of the time I really wanted her to leave Sam (Mark) and be happy with someone else. Even though she defended him to anyone who said he was a beast to her, he was definitely verbally abusive. Which is why I wanted her to leave him so often. Having lived through a lot of that myself made it all the more apparent. After learning about something Isabel had tried to cover up for his daughter, he took out his anger on her by making snide remarks in front of people. Isabel had so many chances to leave yet she stayed because she loved him and knew in some way he loved her too. And she wanted him so badly to fight for her but he never would. Isn't that the way of some who is manipulative and always wanting the attention and adoration of others. His daughter Clara was his equal in all the ways of his hatefulness. Don't get me wrong none of this made me hate the book. On the contrary it made it that much more enjoyable to read! Who doesn't love scandal and tantrums! It's hard not to keep reading just to see what Clara or her father would do next. I really loved reading this and will definitely have to pick up Mrs. Poe that is also by Lynn Cullen.
Lynn Cullen is a great writer. She took information gained through research from Lyon's personal diary, Clara Clemen's biography of her father, and many other works depicting Sam Clemen's life to narrate a great historical fiction novel based on his real-life events. While the book is mostly narrated from Isabel's point-of-view, there are times when the reader is seeing things from Mrs. Lyons or Clara's viewpoint. The beginning of the book was a little hard for me to follow as I know nothing about Sam Clemens or Mark Twain. I had trouble following things chronologically (I need to pay better attention to dates when reading!) as well as the flow of the writing until I got the hang of Cullen's style.
Now in terms of the storyline itself, let me be upfront with you. I'm not a fan of the classics. AH, I know, shame on me! That's not to say that they are not great. They just don't interest me. If you were to ask me about The Odesessy or Huckleberry Finn, I would have nothing to say. I'll admit it. I skated by in school by reading the spark notes versions. They're just not my thing. That being said, overall this is a good book. I'm still torn between whether I enjoyed the book, but that goes towards my interest in Mark Twain and nothing at fault of the author. If you like Twain, then I'm sure you will love this book!
Check out my full review at readinglikeafool.blogspot.com
Now in terms of the storyline itself, let me be upfront with you. I'm not a fan of the classics. AH, I know, shame on me! That's not to say that they are not great. They just don't interest me. If you were to ask me about The Odesessy or Huckleberry Finn, I would have nothing to say. I'll admit it. I skated by in school by reading the spark notes versions. They're just not my thing. That being said, overall this is a good book. I'm still torn between whether I enjoyed the book, but that goes towards my interest in Mark Twain and nothing at fault of the author. If you like Twain, then I'm sure you will love this book!
Check out my full review at readinglikeafool.blogspot.com
dark
informative
tense
slow-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
Really just not that impressed with Twain's End. It took considerable effort to complete this novel; I slowly dragged myself through the first 2/3 of the book. My rating and opinion are largely based on two things. One, it is exceptionally difficult to like a book when you cannot stand a single character, and I truly could not stand a single character. Two, although Cullen is clearly a capable author, I found her phrasing, particularly during exposition, quite cumbersome and repellent (for me, at least). Ultimately, this was a disappointing read.
All this social distancing has allowed me to plow through some of my bookshelves instead of not being able to help picking up new stuff at the library. Which has been a little nice. I just finished Cullen's earlier book, Mrs. Poe, so when I found this one on my shelf I thought 'why not?' I think I liked this more than Mrs. Poe, which I found a bit too convenient. This was a much more complicated tale about a sort of weird fissure involving a much more cantankerous and weirdly magnetic literary figure. I enjoyed the ambiguous relationships between many of the characters and the exploration between the two personages of Samuel Clemens and Mark Twain. I'm also an enthusiast of houses and the Mark Twain House in Hartford is my personal favorite. It was nice to visit it briefly here and learn some more about his final home at Stormfield, which is no longer standing. Overall I did like this quite a bit. I like Mark Twain, maybe a little less than the next English major, but still. Regardless, I'm not sure I'd be able to stand Sam Clemens for any period of time. Though, I guess it's possible I'd be just as charmed as everyone else.