The Alienist

Rating:
Summary: An addition to my previous review...
Review: I just wrote a review of The Alienist (which I hope makes it onto the list before this does), after which I decided to read the rest of the reviews of this book. I noticed that everyone either loved the book or hated it, which is fine, but there is one thing that the people who hated it all seemed to be saying which confused me... quite a bit. You can criticize this book in any way you like, but on the subject of no character development... well that I just don't get. The characters may not have been the deepest in history but I found most of them quite deep and all of them very well developed. WHAT BOOK DID YOU READ? Maybe some of you didn't read the whole thing... Mr. Carr develops them very slowly over time, with little tidbits here and there. Or maybe there were other parts you didn't like and so you just added in the fact that the characters were flat to make it sound worse. But if you did read the whole thing, and honestly found the characters to be undeveloped, maybe you could write me and just explain to me exactly what it was that you found undeveloped about them ([e-mail]). I'm not writing this on harsh terms, I'm just writing it out of curiosity...

Rating:
Summary: The best novel I've ever read
Review: This is, without a doubt, the best book I have ever read... with The Angel of Darkness in a close second! It's a period piece, a murder mystery, and a psychological thriller, as well as much more, all in one book, and can appeal to many people. The book centres around three characters; the mysterious, brilliant Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, who holds the book's title as "the alienist"(in the 19th century, those who treated the mentally ill were referred to as alienists because they dealt with alienated people); the cynical, self-righteous, but at the same time quite amusing John Schuyler Moore, who is a journalist for the New York Times; and Theodore Roosevelt, shown here as commissioner of the New York police department. However, I would not call Theodore Roosevelt as main a character as some make him out to be. He takes a large leave of absence throughout the most crucial parts of the novel, only to be seen at the beginning and the end. Sara Howard and the Detective Sergeants Isaacson, who work at the police department, are much more prominent characters. The story begins with the brutal murder of a child prostitute, for which all of the said characters assemble to solve. The plot twists and turns, as the characters scramble to first solve the mystery of the killer's mind, then the mystery of his identity, and finally the mystery of his whereabouts. The historical detail is amazing; 19th Century New York came so alive in this novel that I could almost touch it. A lot of research went into the writing of this book, and it pays off with vivid descriptions of the time, as well as of the non-fictional characters. All of the characters are very well-developed, but are mostly very dark, as one reviewer put it. The characters that are most developed are Dr. Kreizler, John Moore, and Sara Howard; all of whom have troubled pasts and are outcasts in their own ways. The comic relief comes mostly from the Detective Sergeants, with their idiosyncratic ways of going about things, but even they are a bit dark. In my opinion, this just makes the story all the more intriguing, but some may find it a bit too sullen. Perhaps the most interesting part of this novel, however, is the exploration of the criminal mind. We have a group of people who, unlike ordinary detectives, want to understand the killer even more than they want to catch him. We hear unfailing psychological insight from Dr. Kreizler, and although his long, passionate monologues can get a little irritating once and a while, they are very fascinating. I can't really mention any flaws that I found in the novel because all of them are completely subjective. For example, I read that one person found the "melodramatic moments" in the story to be a flaw, but I thought they just gave the book more depth. On the other hand, I think the description of the murdered bodies could have been less detailed, but if that's what you like, then that's what you like! There were hardly any objective flaws. All in all, this is a wonderful book, and very well written. Caleb Carr has a way of sucking you in, so that you just can't stop turning the pages. I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend "The Angel of Darkness," but not if you liked "The Alienist" because it was a thriller; the sequel doesn't have half as much mystery or gore, but more character development, psychological and historical detail, and courtroom drama. A great read!!

Rating:
Summary: A Master in the Making
Review: Caleb Carr has a true gift for writing about the turn of the century. He should, considering that he holds a degree in history. But many people can study history, and learn what the books teach. Few can re-create it with such accuracy.

From the first chapter of The Alienst, a rare and wonderful treat to find on the best-seller list amidst the legal thrillers, medical thrillers, and romance novels, you can feel, smell, almost touch the streets of late 1800's New York. Many of the small details matter so much here, and Carr has not spared any of them. The gas-lamps, the horse-drawn carriages, all of it is displayed with a non-chalance that lends to realism, even a hundred years in the future.

This book is not only a first-rate detective story, it reminds us of our humble crime-solving beginnings, amidst the high-tech methods of today. With the absence of lap-tops, fax machines, and databases, you come to realize that police work long ago depended on actual brain power and leg-work, something that is taken for granted these days.

The Alienist also uses an historical figure, Theodore Roosevelt, as a character integral to the story, as he has only recently been appointed police commissioner. His appearance in the story also accentuates the great pains the author took to paint a highly realistic portrait of life in New York at that time.

This is a fast past, engrossing thriller, enjoyable from start to finish, and very satisfying in its resolution. It ranks highly among the modern thriller-genre releases, and is just as engaging, even set a hundred years in the past.

Caleb Carr deserves every day this book spent on the best-seller list, as well as a reservation to it for many years to come with future novels.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic! One of the best book's I've ever read!
Review: This book was wonderful. It had me guessing about the murderer the whole time. I couldn't put the book down, and went through it in only a few days! A MUST READ!

Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating Trip in Time
Review: In "The Alienist", Caleb Carr takes the reader on a fascinating trip through time. You really feel as if you're in late 19th century Manhattan, focused on Carr's own modern day stomping grounds, the Lower East Side. Combine this with an excellent and fascinating story, rich in both plot and characters, and you're in for a treat every bit as equal to McMurtry's classic, "Lonesome Dove". The main characters work well together, and while Carr does explore the human relationships that take place, he doesn't side track the reader with unnecessary subplot love stories, so prevalent in movie versions of most books. It is a true page turner, which has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, and alert throughout the novel. Since it was the first Carr book I've read, I feel as though I've found a treasure in this author, and look forward to reading his other books.

Rating:
Summary: hopefully the movie will be better
Review: So I was recently reading Edmund Wilson's memoir, The Twenties, when I noticed something curious. Wilson's a competent enough writer and was a minor celebrity in his own right--he even placed a book on the Modern Library Top 100 Nonfiction Books of the 20th Century--but I found myself only really paying attention when he's talking about the other personalities of the day : F. Scott Fitzgerald, H. L. Mencken, Dorothy Parker, etc. They somehow seemed to be more compelling figures, and the rest of the book, which Wilson has to carry by the force of his own personality, seemed flat and less interesting. Unfortunately, the same phenomenon plagues Caleb Carr's novel, The Alienist.

The central conceit of the story is that Teddy Roosevelt, during his stint as NY Police Commissioner, calls on two old Harvard classmates, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (the "alienist" of the title) and New York Times reporter, John Schuyler Moore, to help investigate a grisly series of murders of boy prostitutes. All three men were students of William James, and Roosevelt hopes that the application of modern psychological theories and investigative techniques will prove efficacious.

In 1896 though, psychology is still a young and, appropriately, controversial "science" and the police force is totally corrupt and reactionary, so Roosevelt has them operate independently, though he does loan them two detectives, the iconoclastic Jewish brothers Marcus and Lucius Isaacson, and his own secretary, Sara Howard, one of the first women ever to work for the Department, as a liaison between him and the team. They are also joined by Kreizler's intimidating black manservant, Cyrus, and a street urchin who he's reforming, Stevie.

Though Kreizler is an obviously Sherlock Holmes-type figure, this unusual team has more of the feel of Kenneth Robeson's great Doc Savage and Avenger adventures. Unfortunately, Carr is caught midway between trying to write a serious historical novel, a la E. L. Doctrow (whose novel The Waterworks this book so much resembles), and surrendering to the pulp fiction elements of the story. Hewing to the middle ground serves the tale poorly; he should have just chosen a path and followed it.

Equally disconcerting, is his tendency to have major characters disappear for extended periods. Teddy Roosevelt was a dreadful president, but he's a fascinating character. Every time he appears he jazzes the story up, but as he fades into the background, it loses steam. This leaves Kreizler and his genius as the star attraction, but with about 100 pages left in the novel, he too fades away for awhile. It's arguable that the narrative line demands his disappearance, but totally unjustifiable is the extended absence of the Isaacson brothers, who provide much needed comic relief when they are on the scene, but are shipped out West as part of the investigation. All of these problems are exacerbated by the fact that Moore, who narrates the story, is simply not a very appealing host, by turns thick-headed, petulant, and self-righteous.

The basic mystery is adequate, if really little more than an early effort at psychological profiling. But be honest, aren't we all pretty tired of serial killers. I know I am. The real reason to read the book is for the 1890's flavor and the, all too brief, cameos by historical figures. These aspects of the novel are enough to earn it a cautious recommendation, but it's a generally disappointing effort, especially considering how effective the set up is.

I was under the impression that Carr had actually sold the movie rights before the book was even published--though one would think it would have been made by now--and it has all the elements of not just a terrific film, but a potential franchise. A director would be able to handle with visuals much of the atmosphere and historical background that Carr has to present in great blocks of explanatory prose. Good casting would also allow for the various personalities of the team members to come to the fore. We often see great books turned into rotten movies; here's a chance for someone to turn a promising but ultimately mediocre book into a good movie--for a change.

GRADE : C+

Rating:
Summary: Better as a Historical Story
Review: I enjoyed reading the Alienist, but I wouldn't describe it as a "mystery" or even a "thriller." It is an extremely well-written story of turn-of-the-century New York -- a story which centres around a murder investigation. I found the historical aspects of the story the most interesting, as Caleb Carr's detailed descriptions bring to life the city, people's attitudes and other aspects of life 100 years ago. No surprise, as the liner notes state that he was educated as a historian, and is a native New Yorker.

As for the murder investigation, although it's interesting, it's not a "page turner" story. It is a very intellectual story with bits and pieces of action. Caleb Carr doesn't manage to convey the drama of the action quite as well as he conveys the historical aspects of the story. And I found the conclusion of the story unsatisfying.

I agree entirely with the 4/5 rating this book gets (to date) -- 5 for the historical part of the story, 3 for the murder investigation.

Rating:
Summary: A Profound Pop Artifact of the Clintonian Years
Review: A bestseller that profoundly and subliminally tapped into the dread, malaise, and inarticulate social and spiritual decay of late twentienth century America using the elegant mask of history to couch it's criticism and it's agenda. Is it any coincidence that the final scene of this novel involves a pyramid-shaped structure which most wickedly symboliizes the iconography of a dollar bill in relation to so much human suffering? A movie version was planned in the summer of 1995, but it's long delayed and impossible completion was probably due, despite the book's popular success with readers,to it's being too much of a hot potato for Hollywood at the time.

Rating:
Summary: The Alienist
Review: A blockbuster of a book which combines the wonderful aura of late 19th-century New York with the emergence of forensic science into a believable thriller. Carr has become a premiere author of mystery since this book's release and its sequel The Angel of Darkness. A book you should definitely read.

Rating:
Summary: Great mystery novel
Review: I really can't say much except Caleb Carr has written a suspensful mystery novel that will keep you guessing until the final pages. I am reading Angel of Darkness, this book's sequel, and it's just as satisfying. If you're interested in murder mystery novels, you should read The Alienist.