Billie's Kiss (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've read in a long time
Review: A mesmerizing tale...Elizabeth Knox is a gifted writer - Billie's Kiss definitely invites comparisons to Bronte's Jane Eyre.

Rating:
Summary: Romantic (in the old sense of the word)
Review: A penniless young woman, a bit simple (perhaps dyslexic?), a survivor of a dockside explosion on a bleakly-remote Scottish island...A moody relative of the local landowner, suspicious of/attracted to the young woman in question...A comotose brother-in-law, a pompous (but generous) rich paterfamilias and his various relatives and hangers-on... The recipe for a turgid potboiler, a typical Gothic romance? Well, if you think of the word "romantic" as having its base in the word "roman," the French for "book," then I guess that Billie's Kiss fits the definition, but in Elizabeth Knox's capable hands, this homage to the old-fashioned thriller goes far beyond the expected. Her writing captivates, catching her characters' complexities of personality in a just a few deft lines. She has the ability to make the unexpected and unlikely perfectly believable---this novel is nothing like her previous book, The Vintner's Luck, but they share a profound sense of edgy otherworldliness, of inexplicable fate, and her writing skills are such as to pull the reader thouroughly and willingly into her world-view. I liked this one very much, and I am eager for Ms. Knox's next.

Rating:
Summary: An Exercise In Style That Goes Nowhere
Review: Elizabeth Knox faced a tough challenge in writing a follow up to her exquisite novel, The Vintner's Luck. However, given the skill that was displayed in that earlier work, a reader could hope that the same type of unforgettable characters and a similarly subversive philosophical theme would be found in Billie's Kiss. Unfortunately, Billie's Kiss contains none of the qualities that made The Vintner's Luck so special.

Instead of maintaining the strengths she displayed in other works, Knox decided to try to center Billie's Kiss around a particular style. The style she chose was the Gothic Romance of the 19th Century. In truth, she did manage to vividly portray the book's setting in the islands north of Scotland. However, while she managed to match a Gothic Romance's setting, she failed to adequately develop any of the style's other characteristics. Especially notable in their absence were the strong characters usually found in this genre. There aren't any characters as memorable as Heathcliff and Catherine in Billie's Kiss. Instead, we're left with a bland protagonist who would be instantly forgettable if it weren't for the fact that she has pink hair. The only character worth mentioning is Lord Hollowhume, who is clearly Knox's device for continuing the exploration of God's personality that she established in The Vintner's Luck. Knox's version of God is a terrible being whose jealousy and manipulations bring ruin to all. However, if it weren't for these qualities which come forth from this exploration, Lord Hollowhume would be as forgettable as the others in this book.

It seems apparent that Billie's Kiss was Knox's attempt to mimic the sweeping passions and powerful landscapes that typify the Gothic Romance. Yet, the Gothic Romance wasn't just about style. The genre's best works contained memorable characters for which the reader cared and an emotional sincerity that still rings true today. Without those characteristics present, one is left with a tedious read whose ending is simply outlandish. Billie's Kiss is a major disappointment on all levels, and a work that should definitely be avoided.

Rating:
Summary: An Exercise In Style That Goes Nowhere
Review: Elizabeth Knox faced a tough challenge in writing a follow up to her exquisite novel, The Vintner's Luck. However, given the skill that was displayed in that earlier work, a reader could hope that the same type of unforgettable characters and a similarly subversive philosophical theme would be found in Billie's Kiss. Unfortunately, Billie's Kiss contains none of the qualities that made The Vintner's Luck so special.

Instead of maintaining the strengths she displayed in other works, Knox decided to try to center Billie's Kiss around a particular style. The style she chose was the Gothic Romance of the 19th Century. In truth, she did manage to vividly portray the book's setting in the islands north of Scotland. However, while she managed to match a Gothic Romance's setting, she failed to adequately develop any of the style's other characteristics. Especially notable in their absence were the strong characters usually found in this genre. There aren't any characters as memorable as Heathcliff and Catherine in Billie's Kiss. Instead, we're left with a bland protagonist who would be instantly forgettable if it weren't for the fact that she has pink hair. The only character worth mentioning is Lord Hollowhume, who is clearly Knox's device for continuing the exploration of God's personality that she established in The Vintner's Luck. Knox's version of God is a terrible being whose jealousy and manipulations bring ruin to all. However, if it weren't for these qualities which come forth from this exploration, Lord Hollowhume would be as forgettable as the others in this book.

It seems apparent that Billie's Kiss was Knox's attempt to mimic the sweeping passions and powerful landscapes that typify the Gothic Romance. Yet, the Gothic Romance wasn't just about style. The genre's best works contained memorable characters for which the reader cared and an emotional sincerity that still rings true today. Without those characteristics present, one is left with a tedious read whose ending is simply outlandish. Billie's Kiss is a major disappointment on all levels, and a work that should definitely be avoided.