The Alienist

Rating:
Summary: slow start but worth the wait
Review: caleb creates very interesting characters and intermingles them with historic figures. must have spent considerable time in researching old NYC. the dark scenes were darkly written and you could sense the squalid scenery. very well written tale of early shrinkdom.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the effort
Review: This is the sort of book that offers two things--a plot solution (who, what, why) and lots of history about turn-of-the-century New York. I lost interest in both before I was halfway through (I turned to the end to see if I'd missed anything and decided I hadn't). I can see where someone else might find both interesting, but that someone has to put up with a lot of wooden writing in the meantime. I don't like historical fiction in which the main effort is to introduce historical figures or incidents in clever ways. I'd rather read a biography or well-written history. I DO like historical fiction that presents a single person or incident with a freshness that makes them come alive again. This book failed to do that. Edith Pargeter is an example of a writer who does this very successfully.

Rating:
Summary: Historically accurate but fictionally lacking
Review: I was quite impressed with the historical accuracy of this book yet it was not a very good mystery. Carr felt the need to slap us in the face with each clue, explaining everything to death and over and over! I think this book would have been a lot better if the author had left a lot more of the mystery to be solved by the readers, such as why the murders occurred on Holy Days and why near water. This book will never have to be interpreted by an English class, that's for sure! I feel Carr would have profitted by acting as a consultant and letting someone else write the book. A review I read recently noted that there are no memorable lines in the book and that's a darn shame. Such a beautifully set up scene and such a wonderful chance to develop a great story but this is not done. And 500 pages...gee whiz! Say it in fewer pages.

Rating:
Summary: OK story--what awful writing!!
Review: The story is in itself interesting as a mystery. But don't believe the hype!! Carr is a bad writer about as skilled as Judith Krantz or Robert Ludlum. The characters are flat and the prose so amateur and pedestrian this book is a chore and a bore.

Rating:
Summary: A little too deep..a bit like psyc. class.
Review: Tended to drag a bit and the ending was a bit too easy. 450 pages to catch the guy and the first time they see him, it's over.

Rating:
Summary: One helluva novel.
Review: This is the first book I have read by Carr. I admit that I still think about it from time to time. I loved the book. The entire premise of finding a killer by carefully inspecting the victims' bodies is ingenious and exciting in itself. Carr mixes this with historical fiction, bringing characters like Roosevelt to life, and the result is breath-taking. Needless to say, I have since read the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: Nicely Written
Review: I admired Caleb Carr's writing style and how he pieced together the novel's mystery. I also caught a good glimpse of what life was like in New York around the turn of the century. His character interactions were slightly ambiguous, however I enjoyed their intensity in trying to find a serial killer.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting but unsatisfying book.
Review: Written in an interesting method. Killer is not met until near the end of the book but the reader gets to know him through earlier discoveries and evidence. Outside of the book's structure the writing is terrible and the characters cringingly stereotypical. An interesting but unsatisfying book. Some examples of writing so bad they caused my wife and I to laugh out loud. Also offensive view of poor (i.e. low class) people. Some positives are it's organization and the obvious amount of historical research that went into it's writing.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing, the way Carr is able to combine history and fiction
Review: Caleb Carr has created an amazing piece of work! I read this book on the subways and in the parks of downtown NYC. Incredible, how the imagery that this historian depicts applied with the existing areas of NYC, it has been an incredible experience. I found myself dining at Delmonico's in order to close the last chapter. If you are of the weak hearted just close your eyes for a few pages. This is a book you WON'T want to miss!

Rating:
Summary: An accurate picture of New York, but what about the story?
Review: "The Alienist" tells a fast-paced story--the problem is, the novel can't keep up with the action. The plot is deep enough without the EXTREMELY detailed, almost tedious description of the city and the psychological "breakthroughs" of the time. I felt like I was watching "Cops," but the camera kept stopping on whatever landmark got in the way of the action. I realize that Carr has a degree in history, but some of the paperback's 597 pages could have developed the characters instead of acting as a travel book for the Lower East Side.