31 Mar 2011

FUGITIVE PIECES.

FUGITIVE PIECES by ANNE MICHAELS.

Jakob Beer is seven years old when he is rescued from the muddy ruins of a buried village in Nazi-occupied Poland. Of his family, he is the only one who has survived. Under the guidance of Greek geologist Athos, Jakob must steel himself to excavate the horrors of his own history.
....... Outer back cover.

FIRST SENTENCE: Time is a blind guide. I strangled her with my arms, leaning over with my cheek against hers, as if somehow to see in the tiny black letters the world Bella saw.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: Before I learned to read, angry to be left out,

KEEP IT OR NOT?: Purchased with a gift voucher, a 3 for 2 offer, this will go to either a charity shop or the book exchange.


Oh dear, another miss on the book front. Without a doubt this was a beautifully written novel, a first for Anne Michaels who is a published poet which probably goes a long way to explaining the overly poetic and flowery language used.

Very powerful at times and yet strangely lacking in emotion,  it seems I don't enjoy books with an overly poetic script. No, I much prefer a book with a no-nonsense approach, a novel is which a spade is called a spade to use one of my nana's expressions.

Very philosophical in nature, this, to me, was not so much  story as a collection of ideas and thoughts which at times came across almost as if the author was thinking aloud and recording these thoughts.

Not much better on the character front either, I felt as if we didn't get to know any of them well and as such I couldn't even begin to relate to any of them.

A real disappointment, this was another of those books in which using poetic language reigned supreme at the cost of all else.

Book 30 in my 100+ Reading Challenge.

10 comments:

Misha said...

I am HUGELY disappointed to know that this book isn't that great. It's on my wishlist and I was expecting a lot from it. I love poetic language, but not when it costs everything else.

R. Ramesh said...

hi friend thanks 4 those kind words ya...really appreciate it...will stay connected..keep the cheers..best wishes always

Dorte H said...

A pity it wasn´t better. I hope your next read will live up to your expectations.

Kelly said...

Always sad to be disappointed in a book. This one sounds a little too philosophical for me.

Amrit said...

You always right awesome reviews. Review can be boring but not yours.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Aw... not sure I'd like it if the characters aren't relatable. Sorry this one wasn't a winner.

Suko said...

Sorry you didn't enjoy this one more, Petty.

Gina said...

Wow...surprised it was a miss, the description sounds like it'd be quite the emotional piece. How funny it actually "lacked" that aspect. OH well, better luck next time around. Thanks for sharing...and happy reading....

Betty Manousos said...

Sounds like a very disappointing read. It's a pity it wasn't better.

Big hugs!
Betty XXX

The Bookworm said...

sorry it dissapointed, thanks for the honest review.