The Murdered House

Rating:
Summary: I'll be darned!
Review: A reasonably entertaining murder mystery (both plausible and mentally challenging) but more so a wonderful historical portrait of post WWI Provence. The character development was such that following the narrative was relaxing and watching their day to day activities engrossing. If it were suggested that this had been written in another century I would have easily agreed. The writing is that beautiful. I could only imagine how fantastic the original French must be. Highly recommended and someday a wonderful movie.

Rating:
Summary: a wonderfully lyrical historical mystery
Review: A reasonably entertaining murder mystery (both plausible and mentally challenging) but more so a wonderful historical portrait of post WWI Provence. The character development was such that following the narrative was relaxing and watching their day to day activities engrossing. If it were suggested that this had been written in another century I would have easily agreed. The writing is that beautiful. I could only imagine how fantastic the original French must be. Highly recommended and someday a wonderful movie.

Rating:
Summary: I'll be darned!
Review: Reading this book I continually visualized the Gothic-surreal world of the French filmmakers Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Delicatessen," "City of Lost Children.") Though structured as a murder mystery, this is a literary novel par excellence, full of disturbing sensual texture and dreamlike irrationality. I wouldn't say it was a pleasant reading experience and I never quite knew what to make of it, but I suspect that keeping the reader off-balance was exactly the author's intention and I've got to hand it to him.