Rating: 
Summary: A truly bizarre, but well written book
Review: I purchsed this book immediately after reading a very positive review in the Wall Street Journal. I wasn't disappointed but believe 3/5 stars is fair. The writing is excellent and the story, although disturbing, keeps the reader moving. I wouldn't classify the book as one I couldn't put down, but when I did, it was only for a day or two. I had to find out where the plot was headed, and quickly. There is definitely a sympathetic, human touch, amidst the horror, and the author makes it work well.
Rating: 
Summary: I won't describe any descriptors...
Review: ....but I will say this is a superbly crafted, wonderfully written, deeply affecting book whose afterglow lingers long after the last page is finished. What is Under the Skin about? Revealing too much of the story, outside the context of Faber's expert writing and original world-view, would risk characterizing the book as just another strange, pulpy mix of horror and science fiction. No question, this is not a book for the squeamish. But it is, no question, a work of literature. The beauty that emerges in the face of brutality is not only breathtaking -- it is breath-giving, too. Few books leave a reader with an honest, unsentimentalized sense of compassion and gratitude for life on Earth. This book is one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: got under my skin
Review: I bought and read a copy while in London several months ago after reading a review in a bookshop. I found this novel ridiculously implausible, truly creepy and repulsive; yet, at the same time, I couldn't put it down as it is well written. The main character is an unforgetable "lady." In my view, you're better off waiting for your teenage kids to see the movie and telling you about it.
Rating:
Summary: An astonishing piece of fiction
Review: Just read this. It's incredible and I defy you not to be deeply moved by the power and humanity of this novel. I cannot wait to read another book by this writer as he is a reminder of where a writer can take you.Trust me
Rating:
Summary: Knee slapper
Review: Rarely in life are we granted the opportunity to be filled with such utter contempt and disappointment in an author's genuine attempt to tell a story. The descriptors that immediately come to mind in describing Faber's work seem to be limited to sanctimonious, trite and absurd. The story unfolds with all the subtlety of a Mike Tyson innuendo and left me laughing out loud at the author's fustian vegan agenda. It is the kind of novel that leaves you feeling embarrassed for its writer. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: The damnedest novel...
Review: A truly bizarre read. With any luck, you didn't read some of the posted reviews which actually contain spoilers. Anyone who has driven the Scottish Highlands will find that experience is effectively evoked by Faber. The story itself tends to accumulate rather than unfold. While it holds the attention, this first novel does have its flaws - flaws that are difficult to explicate without revealing too much about the mysteries at the core of the book. Imagine "Planet of the Apes" as written by Flannery O'Connor and edited by John Prebble and you may get the idea... If you have no taste for macabre allegory, take the advice your mother always gave you about hitchhikers: Drive on by.
Rating:
Summary: Moody, atmospheric manifesto for vegetarianism!
Review: This debut novel is stunningly well-written. The author is able to carry off a barely credible storyline through convincing, evocative prose. The story begins with a 'woman' driving along the A9 road, in the middle of Scotland, searching for well-built male hitchhikers. This is not the story of a crazed nymphomaniac however - it is much more brilliant than that. I want to avoid giving away too much here but Isserley, the 'woman' has a very different reason indeed for 'hunting' these men. This novel enters the realms of science-fiction but it never sacrifices powerful insight into the human condition, the beauty of our world (here the wonders of the Scottish highlands are brilliantly captured), and will make you think long and hard about any perception you may have of us as the 'superior' race. The story should grip you until the end. Once you have discovered the main premise of the story you fear that it may tail off but it never does, right up to a dramatic ending which is well-judged and somehow appropriate.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a masterpiece
Review: I'll be up front and let you know that I'm biased towards this book as I'm Michel Faber's primary publisher over in Britain. But hand on heart this guy is one of the most talented writers I've published and I would defy anyone who is interested in serious fiction not to be deeply affected by Under the Skin. This is not to say that the novel is inaccessible or opaque - quite the opposite. Under the Skin hooks you in from page one and is utterly unputdownable but has depths to it which make it a profoundly wise and humane work. It is hysterically funny at times and yet is a horror of sorts. I've published a good number of excellent novelists in the six years I've been running Canongate Books (check canongate.net to get a better idea of the diversity and quality of the list)but I've never had a reaction to a book such as I've had to Under the Skin. Not only has the critical acclaim in the UK been massive but we've already sold the novel to 15 different publishers around the world. The book has blown away editors and publishers in so many different parts of the world and its ability to transcend cultures and languages is the ultimate reflection of its humanity and sheer brilliance. I am certain that Michel Faber is going to emerge as one of the great novelists of the 21st Century
Rating:
Summary: Under the Skin gets Under YOUR skin!
Review: If you like psychological thrillers that make your brain actually "think" while you read, then you'll definitely enjoy this book. It takes you on a very detailed and descriptive journey through the thoughts of a struggling woman named Isserley, as well as through the minds of the hitchhikers she picks up on the A-9. This book deserves a 5 out of 5 because of the imagery and imagination, the story line, and the emotion. Michel Faber is a very compelling author who definitely knows how to mix imagery and imagination together. When he describes his characters he not only states the obvious things like hair color or height, but he gives the reader and overview of their personality. When you read through the book it feels like you're almost there because you can "feel" the moist air on the beach, or you can "hear" the rain puttering on Isserley's car windows. Faber's creativity is awesome because he uses it to creep on the reader when they least expect it, and when it hits them, they're absolutely shocked! This particular story line is very interesting and unique. If Faber were to write side notes for every page in the book it would seriously take so much away from the reader's own imagination to where the story is going. It's amazing how this book makes you think that it's all about a very strange yet appealing woman who picks up hitchhikers, and yet it turns completely around to where she's actually on a mission to find the right "specimen." Under The Skin is a science fiction/adventure story tied into one, but you can't even tell. As you dig deeper and deeper into the story, you can't really stop yourself from reading because the sentences pull you out from your world and into the story's own world. Faber's words leaves you pondering about what they mean in relation to the story and it leaves you saying, "Is that what I think it is?" Faber does an excellent job in portraying Isserley's character. By the end of the book, you already understand who she is and why she is feeling like she's feeling. On the outside, she holds her emotions because she does not want to seem weak, but when no one is around she cries herself to sleep in her cottage because of her job. Isserley was yanked out of the slums in the neighborhood to work for Vess Incorporated. She knows who she is inside, but she never wants to let anyone get to know her. She is an emotional, strong, and beautiful person who struggles with her confusion and with her own emotions.
Rating:
Summary: Too predictable!
Review: Unfortunately, I bought this book based on the glowing reviews which breathlessly promised a shocking story filled with plot twists and revelations, and was disappointed by a morality tale with a twist I saw coming within the first two chapters. Perhaps if my expectations hadn't been so high, I would have been less let down, but as it was I finished the book with a sense of "That's it?" Out of deference to those who haven't read the book, I won't give the plot away, but savvy readers with even the vaguest hint of the genre will undoubtedly figure it out early on as I did, after which none of the supposed surprises will offer much additional excitement. Faber does show a mastery of written language, but he lays on his moral and metaphor so thick it overshadows any loveliness which might be taken away from the reading. Too much time is spent on the Scottish landscape, not enough on the characters, who remain frustratingly aloof right up to the end. While certainly not awful or even particularly a chore to read (the 300 pages do fly by pretty quickly, thanks mostly to Faber's writing skill), this book fell flat in my opinion and, having been read once, does not offer much chance for a repeat engagement (a mortal sin in my bookshelves).
|
