Rating: 
Summary: More like three and a half stars
Review: "Fish, Blood and Bone" by Leslie Forbes is one of the more creative books I have encountered this year, and it proves that her first effort "Bombay Ice" wasn't just a flash in the pan. That said, this novel labors under what can only be described as a pretension of being literature. That's not to say that Forbes isn't a talented writer Quite the contrary; in fact, she has an excellent grip on the English language and her characterizations are superb. Unfortunately, these gifts are shrouded by frequent changes in voice, confusing use of fonts, and poorly delineated flashbacks. It is almost as if Forbes is trying too hard to write something "important" rather than just telling the story to the best of her obvious ability.That said, there is an excellent story at the heart of this novel, and in spite of the flaws outlined above I did enjoy it. The reader follows the rootless Claire Fleetwood to London, and then the Indian Sub-Continent, as she searches for a personal history shrouded in the mysteries of an earlier age. Part Michael Crichton, part travelogue; Forbes weaves a remarkable trail of murder, adultery, botany, etc. while delving into the nature of "self", and how our past (and our forebears' past) determines our future. I have enjoyed both of Forbes' books, and I look forward to her future endeavors. However, I think that she will make great strides as a writer when she abandons her tendency of trying to write "literature" and gives free reign to her creativity. In the end, "Fish, Blood and Bone" is a flawed, but nonetheless enjoyable work by a writer whom I firmly believe is on the cusp of greatness.
Rating:
Summary: More like three and a half stars
Review: "Fish, Blood and Bone" by Leslie Forbes is one of the more creative books I have encountered this year, and it proves that her first effort "Bombay Ice" wasn't just a flash in the pan. That said, this novel labors under what can only be described as a pretension of being literature. That's not to say that Forbes isn't a talented writer Quite the contrary; in fact, she has an excellent grip on the English language and her characterizations are superb. Unfortunately, these gifts are shrouded by frequent changes in voice, confusing use of fonts, and poorly delineated flashbacks. It is almost as if Forbes is trying too hard to write something "important" rather than just telling the story to the best of her obvious ability. That said, there is an excellent story at the heart of this novel, and in spite of the flaws outlined above I did enjoy it. The reader follows the rootless Claire Fleetwood to London, and then the Indian Sub-Continent, as she searches for a personal history shrouded in the mysteries of an earlier age. Part Michael Crichton, part travelogue; Forbes weaves a remarkable trail of murder, adultery, botany, etc. while delving into the nature of "self", and how our past (and our forebears' past) determines our future. I have enjoyed both of Forbes' books, and I look forward to her future endeavors. However, I think that she will make great strides as a writer when she abandons her tendency of trying to write "literature" and gives free reign to her creativity. In the end, "Fish, Blood and Bone" is a flawed, but nonetheless enjoyable work by a writer whom I firmly believe is on the cusp of greatness.
Rating: 
Summary: Not cohesive, persuasive or interesting
Review: "Fish, Blood and Bone" takes off rapidly enough with a murder soon after photographer Claire Fleetwood moves into her unexpected legacy. She inherits Eden Dwellings from a great-aunt of whom she wasn't aware. However, the house has a few problems -- a basement full of macabre artifacts and an intimidating tennant with friends who are bad news. The tennant's daughter, Sally, befriends Claire, but is soon murdered, for reasons unknown, right before Claire's eyes. Claire meets long-lost cousin, Jack Ironstone, who briefly -- very briefly -- explains the family's heritage in botany -- specifically, opium in India. Offered a chance to accompany a team of scientists, cousin Jack included, on a hunt in India for a mysterious green poppy, which may provide a cure for cancer, Claire accepts. Thus begins a personal journey into her past. The girl whose roots were once non-existant, suddenly has her hands full of relatives and skeletons. The plot is vast and takes off quickly at the start, and everything ties up interestingly at the end. However, the in-between is sometimes tedious. There is so much sprawl, you're worn out trying to follow it. And too, the scientific lingo bogged me down (i.e., teratology, cinchona.) This novel obviously required a tremendous amount of research on the author's part. It was good, but I wish I had enjoyed it more.
Rating: 
Summary: Ambitious adventure
Review: "Fish, Blood and Bone" takes off rapidly enough with a murder soon after photographer Claire Fleetwood moves into her unexpected legacy. She inherits Eden Dwellings from a great-aunt of whom she wasn't aware. However, the house has a few problems -- a basement full of macabre artifacts and an intimidating tennant with friends who are bad news. The tennant's daughter, Sally, befriends Claire, but is soon murdered, for reasons unknown, right before Claire's eyes. Claire meets long-lost cousin, Jack Ironstone, who briefly -- very briefly -- explains the family's heritage in botany -- specifically, opium in India. Offered a chance to accompany a team of scientists, cousin Jack included, on a hunt in India for a mysterious green poppy, which may provide a cure for cancer, Claire accepts. Thus begins a personal journey into her past. The girl whose roots were once non-existant, suddenly has her hands full of relatives and skeletons. The plot is vast and takes off quickly at the start, and everything ties up interestingly at the end. However, the in-between is sometimes tedious. There is so much sprawl, you're worn out trying to follow it. And too, the scientific lingo bogged me down (i.e., teratology, cinchona.) This novel obviously required a tremendous amount of research on the author's part. It was good, but I wish I had enjoyed it more.
Rating: 
Summary: Not your average forensic thriller
Review: Fish, blood and bones originally appealed to me because of the forensics mentioned on the book jacket. The forensics involved was minimal at best. There was no mention of any of the major themes on the book jacket ( Did the author of the jacket blurb read the book?) I continued reading because of the "history" of the botany giants, gardening lore (a little),unrecognized native artists and the role of botanical illustrators, the lure of the Victorian interactions with native peoples in Asia, some of the scientific ideas expressed in the book, and the artwork on the front cover (paperback) A nice summertime read, unfortunately there were too many fortuitous coincidences and inconsistencies( a Himalayan trek with no preparatory fitness regimes, etc.?) for this to be great literature. However, I would not discourage any readers from reading this book. Lots of bits of info on many subjects- much of which I found to be substantiated (i.e., Britain's role in the spread of heroin addiction throughout the world, the rape of the world for exotic and medicinal plants, etc.). Forbes tries a little too hard to tie too many things into one novel.
Rating:
Summary: Nice bones, could flesh out more (or less)
Review: Fish, blood and bones originally appealed to me because of the forensics mentioned on the book jacket. The forensics involved was minimal at best. There was no mention of any of the major themes on the book jacket ( Did the author of the jacket blurb read the book?) I continued reading because of the "history" of the botany giants, gardening lore (a little),unrecognized native artists and the role of botanical illustrators, the lure of the Victorian interactions with native peoples in Asia, some of the scientific ideas expressed in the book, and the artwork on the front cover (paperback) A nice summertime read, unfortunately there were too many fortuitous coincidences and inconsistencies( a Himalayan trek with no preparatory fitness regimes, etc.?) for this to be great literature. However, I would not discourage any readers from reading this book. Lots of bits of info on many subjects- much of which I found to be substantiated (i.e., Britain's role in the spread of heroin addiction throughout the world, the rape of the world for exotic and medicinal plants, etc.). Forbes tries a little too hard to tie too many things into one novel.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent literary thriller
Review: Fish, blood, and bone make good fertilizer for Claire Fleetwood's garden. So says Sally, the caretaker of the garden on the property that Claire inherits from relatives she never knew, but Sally is murdered on page one, and Claire finds out that her inheritance - the garden, the house, tenants, and the heritage may not be such a blessing after all. Inside the house is a diary belonging to Magda Ironstone (circa 1880's), former owner of the property, who may or may not be Claire's ancestor, and a gruesome collection belonging to Magda's husband, Joseph, found in the cellar. Soon after Sally's murder, more unsavory shadowy characters start showing up, and the estate seems truly haunted. The story shifts to India, to the Fleetwood opium plantation, and the book travels back to the time of Magda to tell her story, actually shifting back and forth between the 1880's and the 1980's. This, section, in my opinion, is the best part of the book. Magda is a beguiling character, and her voice lifts out of the pages of her diary into the present. Claire travels to India to begin a journey that will retrace Magda's footsteps, and wind up with cousin Jack Ironstone, on an illegal expedition into Tibet to search for the legendary green poppy which may contain a cure for cancer, besides being a hallucinogenic. Part historic novel, part genealogy quest, part mystery/thriller, part botany and genetics lesson, this fanciful story has a lot of threads which may boggle some readers' minds but will delight anybody who craves untangling the challenges of a big rambling intellectual whodunit. As a bonus, there is also a new twist on the Jack the Ripper stories.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent literary thriller
Review: Fish, blood, and bone make good fertilizer for Claire Fleetwood's garden. So says Sally, the caretaker of the garden on the property that Claire inherits from relatives she never knew, but Sally is murdered on page one, and Claire finds out that her inheritance - the garden, the house, tenants, and the heritage may not be such a blessing after all. Inside the house is a diary belonging to Magda Ironstone (circa 1880's), former owner of the property, who may or may not be Claire's ancestor, and a gruesome collection belonging to Magda's husband, Joseph, found in the cellar. Soon after Sally's murder, more unsavory shadowy characters start showing up, and the estate seems truly haunted. The story shifts to India, to the Fleetwood opium plantation, and the book travels back to the time of Magda to tell her story, actually shifting back and forth between the 1880's and the 1980's. This, section, in my opinion, is the best part of the book. Magda is a beguiling character, and her voice lifts out of the pages of her diary into the present. Claire travels to India to begin a journey that will retrace Magda's footsteps, and wind up with cousin Jack Ironstone, on an illegal expedition into Tibet to search for the legendary green poppy which may contain a cure for cancer, besides being a hallucinogenic. Part historic novel, part genealogy quest, part mystery/thriller, part botany and genetics lesson, this fanciful story has a lot of threads which may boggle some readers' minds but will delight anybody who craves untangling the challenges of a big rambling intellectual whodunit. As a bonus, there is also a new twist on the Jack the Ripper stories.
Rating: 
Summary: unreadable
Review: I found this book to be ponderous and, in the end, unreadable. I gave up on it with only 100 pages left to read - I cared that little about what was going to happen to the characters. The book is now in the donation bin of my local public library.
Rating:
Summary: unreadable
Review: I found this book to be ponderous and, in the end, unreadable. I gave up on it with only 100 pages left to read - I cared that little about what was going to happen to the characters. The book is now in the donation bin of my local public library.
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