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A review by kalkie
The Binding Chair by Kathryn Harrison
1.0
I really struggled to read this book and didn't enjoy the experience. I love reading books about or set in China, whether factual or fictional, so I think this book came as a double disappointment.
Harrison has created a book which is just overflowing with characters. The main characters number 16 (May, her father, mother & grandmother, nieces Alice and Cecliy, her husband Arthur, his sister Dolly and her husband Dick, the childrens' governesses Miss Waters and Miss Clusburton, not to mention Captain Litovsky, Suzanne Petrovna and Evlanoff and Agnes and Rose) with a supporting cast of as many if not more. The story is also set along multiple time-lines in both May's life and that of her niece, Alice. As such the story jumps around from year to year - but not in chronological order. Unfortunately Harrison is not skilled enough as a writer to either be able to handle the cast of thousands she has created, nor keep the story flowing well enough over the different time periods, and I found myself struggling to follow what was happening. Had this book been written in chronological order, with fewer key characters, I think this could have been a good read. As it is the book ends up being shallow, confusing and disjointed. Characters seem to take key decisions in their lives without the reader being aware of what has prompted them to do so, and in the end it's just a guddle of stories (reading almost like a collection of short stories by the same author).
Unfortunatley Harrison has now made it on to my "never to be read again" author list.
Harrison has created a book which is just overflowing with characters. The main characters number 16 (May, her father, mother & grandmother, nieces Alice and Cecliy, her husband Arthur, his sister Dolly and her husband Dick, the childrens' governesses Miss Waters and Miss Clusburton, not to mention Captain Litovsky, Suzanne Petrovna and Evlanoff and Agnes and Rose) with a supporting cast of as many if not more. The story is also set along multiple time-lines in both May's life and that of her niece, Alice. As such the story jumps around from year to year - but not in chronological order. Unfortunately Harrison is not skilled enough as a writer to either be able to handle the cast of thousands she has created, nor keep the story flowing well enough over the different time periods, and I found myself struggling to follow what was happening. Had this book been written in chronological order, with fewer key characters, I think this could have been a good read. As it is the book ends up being shallow, confusing and disjointed. Characters seem to take key decisions in their lives without the reader being aware of what has prompted them to do so, and in the end it's just a guddle of stories (reading almost like a collection of short stories by the same author).
Unfortunatley Harrison has now made it on to my "never to be read again" author list.