the_lirazel reviewed Melmoth by Sarah Perry
Review of 'Melmoth' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars
This book is atmospheric and the figure of Melmoth has a timeless quality to it that I appreciated. I liked the interweaving of several stories from different perspectives and especially the evocation of the city of Prague.
Perhaps because I don't read much literary fiction and am not used to the prose style, I felt kept at a distance from the characters and wasn't moved by their stories (except for Rosa, but even that felt more perfunctory than I would have liked). The prose felt more important to the writer than the characters, which is not the kind of fiction I like to read, though that's a personal preference. The themes are ones I appreciate (guilt, redemption, forgiveness) but they did not seem fully realized to me. In fact, while the …
I received an ARC from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars
This book is atmospheric and the figure of Melmoth has a timeless quality to it that I appreciated. I liked the interweaving of several stories from different perspectives and especially the evocation of the city of Prague.
Perhaps because I don't read much literary fiction and am not used to the prose style, I felt kept at a distance from the characters and wasn't moved by their stories (except for Rosa, but even that felt more perfunctory than I would have liked). The prose felt more important to the writer than the characters, which is not the kind of fiction I like to read, though that's a personal preference. The themes are ones I appreciate (guilt, redemption, forgiveness) but they did not seem fully realized to me. In fact, while the prose was very polished, the book itself seemed like it wasn't quite finished, like there was more that was waiting to be fully fleshed out.
The idea of Melmoth and the images of Prague in the winter will stay with me, but other than that, I don't feel that I'll take anything else away from this book.
