Reading old books of science experiments for children, it's easy to become nostalgic for the days when you could buy jugs of sulfur and mercury at...
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I found Paula McLain’s “A Ticket to Ride” a great discovery, rich in detail and characterization and beautifully written. The central two relationships are intricate and compelling, and we are jarred into self-knowledge through seeing characters act in ways to which we can all too easily relate. Plus, McLain has a poet’s touch with a phrase, and for anyone who loves language, her imagery is sheer pleasure: “It was August. For years it was August.... wilting patio chairs... Dry grass scratched unreadable names into the back of our thighs... a molting feather pillow... rich housewives walking sneezing Pomeranians... Fawn had this effect on all males, no matter the species, as if she were a kind of a virus, or emitted a signal at a male-specific register.” And there’s McLain’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of music and period detail and the sometimes surprising: “...the BBs from his Daisy rifle raining down on the green water, skittering then sinking fast.” McLain draws us in with her total command of her material, the power of her story, and the richness of her language. Highly recommended.
What most of the reviews neglect is that at the gravitational center of "In the Woods" is one of the most disturbing characters in recent fiction, a study in psychopathology. That's in addition to the extraordinary power of French's writing, the intricacy of her plot, the convincing reality of her characters, the assured command of forensic procedures, and more. Definitely five stars.
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A Ticket to Ride by Paula Mclain
threefab, April 15, 2008
I found Paula McLain’s “A Ticket to Ride” a great discovery, rich in detail and characterization and beautifully written. The central two relationships are intricate and compelling, and we are jarred into self-knowledge through seeing characters act in ways to which we can all too easily relate. Plus, McLain has a poet’s touch with a phrase, and for anyone who loves language, her imagery is sheer pleasure: “It was August. For years it was August.... wilting patio chairs... Dry grass scratched unreadable names into the back of our thighs... a molting feather pillow... rich housewives walking sneezing Pomeranians... Fawn had this effect on all males, no matter the species, as if she were a kind of a virus, or emitted a signal at a male-specific register.” And there’s McLain’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of music and period detail and the sometimes surprising: “...the BBs from his Daisy rifle raining down on the green water, skittering then sinking fast.” McLain draws us in with her total command of her material, the power of her story, and the richness of her language. Highly recommended.In the Woods by Tana French
threefab, July 16, 2007
What most of the reviews neglect is that at the gravitational center of "In the Woods" is one of the most disturbing characters in recent fiction, a study in psychopathology. That's in addition to the extraordinary power of French's writing, the intricacy of her plot, the convincing reality of her characters, the assured command of forensic procedures, and more. Definitely five stars.(4 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)