the meaning of night
michael cox
c. 2006
672 pages
completed 9/28/2009
read for: TBR list
*may contain spoilers*
Set in Victorian England, after being betrayed by a school friend, Edward Glyver discovers a destiny he was never allowed to fulfill. Consumed by his desire for what is rightfully his, Edward spends years waiting for the moment when he can exact his revenge and take up his rightful name.
Okay, my description is possibly a little melodramatic. But maybe so is this book. I finished reading this some time ago, and I'm bummed that I couldn't bring myself to review it until now. I feel lazy when that happens, plus I forget a lot of my thoughts and insights about the book. So this will be short and simple.
Revenge stories always bum me out because they never work out quite the way the people in the story expect them to. That being said, I loved reading this book. It was BIG so it took me a good chunk of time, but I feel it was time well spent. Some interesting twists and turns, engaging characters...all in all very engrossing.
My one complaint is that it's written as if this "confession" was written in Victorian England and is now (in 2005) being studied and published by a University. So there are lots of footnotes as if to help other scholars fully understand the text. I found this a little distracting. Especially since some of the footnotes ARE probably to do with actual fact, like historical events and published works, and others were definitely NOT, such as notes about the genealogy of certain characters. Things like this can really make me frustrated when I can't tell what's real and what's not. I'm glad to know that Michael Cox's follow up to this book is just written as a novel, not a (faux) scholarly work.
4/5
Okay, my description is possibly a little melodramatic. But maybe so is this book. I finished reading this some time ago, and I'm bummed that I couldn't bring myself to review it until now. I feel lazy when that happens, plus I forget a lot of my thoughts and insights about the book. So this will be short and simple.
Revenge stories always bum me out because they never work out quite the way the people in the story expect them to. That being said, I loved reading this book. It was BIG so it took me a good chunk of time, but I feel it was time well spent. Some interesting twists and turns, engaging characters...all in all very engrossing.
My one complaint is that it's written as if this "confession" was written in Victorian England and is now (in 2005) being studied and published by a University. So there are lots of footnotes as if to help other scholars fully understand the text. I found this a little distracting. Especially since some of the footnotes ARE probably to do with actual fact, like historical events and published works, and others were definitely NOT, such as notes about the genealogy of certain characters. Things like this can really make me frustrated when I can't tell what's real and what's not. I'm glad to know that Michael Cox's follow up to this book is just written as a novel, not a (faux) scholarly work.
4/5
2 comments:
I've had this book since it was released and I never read it. Your review makes me want to though. Thanks
I enjoyed it a lot. I hope you do too!
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