Human Croquet

Rating:
Summary: An audacious tour de force!
Review: Although Shakespeare's play is never referenced, the symbolism of the Forest of Arden in As You Like It (where identity is a game and relationships are as mutable as time) is clear in this witty, wise, confusing, magically realistic novel that reminds one of Mervin Peake's Gormenghast trilogy and of Jane Eyre simultaneously. This is without a doubt one of the best books I've read this year, for the story, the characters, and Atkinson's marvelously fluid writing style. If I sound like I'm trying to write a literary assessment of the book, it's because it extends into so many areas and dimensions, successfully and in an entertaining way.

Rating:
Summary: Kate Atkinson is the jeweller of modern literature
Review: I started reading Human Croquet with a great sense of excitement (after all, I haven't read a good book since Behind the Scenes at the Museum). And Kate Atkinson certainly didn't disappoint me.

Once more, she manages to play with dream and reality, past, present and future in an extraordinary exercise of style. The easiness with which she describes people, places and times as if she had the ability to cut out a slice of time for you is remarkable indeed.

But above all, she manages to bring to life yet another truly great character. Isobel Fairfax is sensible, generous, she has a wonderful sense of humour and this amazing sense of reality whilst travelling through the magical depths of time. Although different from Ruby Lennox in Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Isobel displays the same essential characteristic; both are extremely lovable. Kate Atkinson makes you think with them, feel with them, and suddenly Ruby and Isobel become your friends.

Ruby is a precious stone, Isobel is a beautiful pearl; Kate Atkinson has the gift of a jeweller to turn raw material into a magical sparkle of life. I can't wait for her next masterpiece!

Rating:
Summary: Creative, unusual, challenging -- WOW!
Review: Kate Atkinson has a quite unusual and creative style of writing. If you like very linear,unambiguous fiction, she is definitely not for you but if you are up for a challenging and extraordinary read, check this, her second novel, out. It's hard to describe "Human Croquet" without sounding unbearably pretentious or giving away too much of the plot. Simply put,"Human Croquet" is the story of Isobel Fairfax, a teenager growing up in northern England in the early 1960s -- but the book goes far beyond the traditional coming-of-age story, with its time-bending, imaginative plot. History is intermingled with the present, dreams with reality, and alternate realities are at war with what's actually happening in Isobel's life. The characters are vivid and real, the writing is funny and witty and fresh, and Isobel's story and voice grip you from the beginning. Thoroughly enjoyable, and well worth the trip.

Rating:
Summary: Original and consuming
Review: Kate Atkinson knows how to write a great book. Having read virtually thousands of novels during my seventeen years, I've grown increasingly frustrated with the "formula" writers who all sound exactly the same. Luckily, Ms. Atkinson has dared to break the mold. In this sparkling story, we are led through the fascinating mind of Isobel Fairfax, are introduced to her dysfunctional but enjoyable family, and an array of very human characters. The characters here are a little exaggerated, but Atkinson uses such brilliant imagery in her descriptions that we can easily forgive her. At the heart of the story is the mystery of Eliza, Isobel's mother, who disappeared years ago. Strange, inexplicable fluctuations in time slowly reveal more of the story behind the mystery as we are led into the past and through several different realities of the future. Following the time jumps can be confusing, but the patient reader will be rewarded in the end. I am a very critical reader, and I loved this book- so go read it!