TBR

On livrecache's wishlist - so once read, that's where it will go!

A fictional retelling of the memoirs of the Crown Princess of Korea, and their effect on modern day characters. This is on the 1001 must read books list.

I was a little disappointed with this book - I felt that the author had te skill to enthrall me, but failed to. The story is in two parts - the first narrated by a ghost (of the Crown Princess) and the second set in modern times. I really enjoyed the second section and thought the themes explored were fascinating. Toward the very ending, the novel becomes very self-conscious, which I found irritating. I have never related well to ghosts as characters, as I feel they tend to be weak. I think this character was poorly develped and the whole construct irritated me. Because of this, this book wasn't for me.

However, I really felt the idea of the interwoven stories and the development of themes in an historical and a contemporary world was excellent. I can see that this book would deserve a place in the list, if the whole book was written as well as the middle third.

(Also, I get irritated by books without chapters or breaks - how are you meant to read them in divided sittings?)

Thanks, DrCris, this book arrived safely today. I'm very curious to read it after all you've said. The only other Drabble book I've read (and still have if you're interested in borrowing it) is the The Radiant Way, which she wrote and I read years ago. I don't recall much about it, which probably says more about my memory than the book.



Once I have read this, it is off to jubby as part of the book obsessed relay.

I've been struggling with this book for weeks. It doesn't bother me that the narrator is a ghost, but it does bother me that she keeps telling us what's going to happen, and then dithering about, flagging it again, and eventually something happens. I'm looking forward to the second part of the the book. I found another copy (pristine, with a red and gold cover) in a second-hand shop this afternoon, so I've bought that. I'll now be able to read this book at my leisure, and honour my commitment to jubby on the book relay.

Thanks for granting my wish, good fairy DrCris.

RELEASE NOTES:

Off to jubby to honour a book relay promise.

Yay, this arrived in yesterday's post, along with another rather hefty RABCK from the lovely Livrecache.

Thank you.