Rating: 
Summary: Wordy? You bet! And every one of them worth reading. . .
Review: I've had this book recommended to me so many times that I could hardly not track down a copy, and boy am I glad I did. I must admit I was a little concerned going into it - some of the other reviews here are pretty harsh - but those concerns were unfounded. I guess my main advice to anyone seeking to enjoy this book is simply this: don't base your expectations on the cover blurb. It really has very little to do with this book. I must say that this doesn't surprise me, because this would be a very difficult book to sum up in a blurb.In that blurb, too, Witcover is compared to Anne Rice and Clive Barker. I beg to differ. His voice is entirely his own, and an enchanting voice it is. This book, as the cover notes, is "A dream . . . a fantasy . . . an illusion . . . an illumination." Yes, it's wordy, but every word is worth it. It's a beautiful, haunting novel; a story you won't soon forget, not least because, in all its surrealism, in all its fanastical elements, this book's lessons and morals hits very close to home. Also, it's surprising. More and more often I find that I know what's going to happen in a book long before it happens. Not so here. I didn't know where it was going, but the characters and story - and the twistedly delightful versions of common stories - were all compelling enough to make the ride a pleasure instead of a chore. Despite the book's moderate length - more than 400 pages in hardcover - I found it hard to put down. This book is a masterpiece - and it is only Witcover's first novel. I eagerly await whatever offering he sends TUMBLING AFTER. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Wordy? You bet! And every one of them worth reading. . .
Review: I've had this book recommended to me so many times that I could hardly not track down a copy, and boy am I glad I did. I must admit I was a little concerned going into it - some of the other reviews here are pretty harsh - but those concerns were unfounded. I guess my main advice to anyone seeking to enjoy this book is simply this: don't base your expectations on the cover blurb. It really has very little to do with this book. I must say that this doesn't surprise me, because this would be a very difficult book to sum up in a blurb. In that blurb, too, Witcover is compared to Anne Rice and Clive Barker. I beg to differ. His voice is entirely his own, and an enchanting voice it is. This book, as the cover notes, is "A dream . . . a fantasy . . . an illusion . . . an illumination." Yes, it's wordy, but every word is worth it. It's a beautiful, haunting novel; a story you won't soon forget, not least because, in all its surrealism, in all its fanastical elements, this book's lessons and morals hits very close to home. Also, it's surprising. More and more often I find that I know what's going to happen in a book long before it happens. Not so here. I didn't know where it was going, but the characters and story - and the twistedly delightful versions of common stories - were all compelling enough to make the ride a pleasure instead of a chore. Despite the book's moderate length - more than 400 pages in hardcover - I found it hard to put down. This book is a masterpiece - and it is only Witcover's first novel. I eagerly await whatever offering he sends TUMBLING AFTER. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: A startling work of genius
Review: If you must choose only one book to read this whole year, please make it WAKING BEAUTY by Paul Witcover. This is a feast of erotic literary fantasy, a horn of macabre plenty, a burst of truth, exquisite sadness and winged joy, a chord of acute intensity that pulls at you and stays with you always. I am still in awe of it.... And I cannot believe that this is a first novel! Paul Witcover is a true original.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: Ignore the fact that the cover of this book implies some creepy bondage thing. Ignore the synopsis written on the back, obviously penned by a person who's never read it. Instead listen to me. This book is excellent. It's the story of a world that turns upon the strict ordering of its society, adhering to a religion founded centuries ago; a religion that elevates men and supresses women, that reveres fireflies and fears Beauty. A strict caste system exists allowing the few to rise but only at the expense of another. Underneath the cities of this world the heretics hide, plotting a revolt and awaiting the second coming of their saviour, said to already walk their earth. We watch this drama unfold by following the travails of a country boy, his country wife who is thrust into the big city, and the girl he was once promised to marry who was exiled to a Cat house long ago. Witcover provides an excellent tale with a complete mythology and history which is leant an air of authenticity by loosely borrowing on tales that are familiar from our own experience. This level of world-building is on par with and may surpass that of the Baker's Boy trilogy and is equal to the world and religion created in the Kushiel's Dart trilogy. It was a fast read although a large book, and it was self-contained so I do not have to wait for or hunt down other books in a series. Definitely recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Wordy? An understatement
Review: Paul Witcover, Waking Beauty (Harper, 1997) After three long months of wrestling with this monstrosity, I finally gave up. "Ponderous" is the best word to describe Witcover's style, which plods along with no consideration for the reader whatsoever, and little more for the characters therein. Things happen to the characters, all of which are described in lush detail, but somehow the detail never manages to convey any emotion whatsoever. If you've managed to learn to care about what happens to anyone in this book within the first fifty pages, you're doing a whole lot better than I did. And it never gets better. (zero, of course)
Rating:
Summary: Exotic and unconventional
Review: The difficulty of the fantasy genre is coming up with new variations on a theme. Witcover successfully clears this hurdle, and combines a plethora of familiar cultural icons with some exotic twists to create a wholly enthralling society in conflict with itself. This book is not for children, and is obviously aimed at an adult/college audience which is in and of itself refreshing. The vivid imagery and none too subtle attacks on a variety of contemporary customs, for example plastic surgery, are well mixed to keep the messages from overwhelming the story. Taken in measured doses or all at once, this story captivates, entertains, and provides thought provoking observations on contemporary issues all at once. Looking forward to his future offerings.
Rating:
Summary: Exotic and unconventional
Review: The difficulty of the fantasy genre is coming up with new variations on a theme. Witcover successfully clears this hurdle, and combines a plethora of familiar cultural icons with some exotic twists to create a wholly enthralling society in conflict with itself. This book is not for children, and is obviously aimed at an adult/college audience which is in and of itself refreshing. The vivid imagery and none too subtle attacks on a variety of contemporary customs, for example plastic surgery, are well mixed to keep the messages from overwhelming the story. Taken in measured doses or all at once, this story captivates, entertains, and provides thought provoking observations on contemporary issues all at once. Looking forward to his future offerings.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: The jacket blurb engrossed me at the bookstore. I shelled out the hardback price. I immediately found gross similarities to Christianity, Nazi Germany,etc. The novel intrigued me until I realized where the author was going. It could have been a great book but became predictable. A bit more imagination would have helped
Rating:
Summary: Perverse, repellent -- and wholly intoxicating. Brilliant.
Review: The most original fantasy of the decade: always two steps to the left of where you expect it to be. A necropolis rose, unfolding layers of corruption to reveal astonishing beauty. There are those who sneer at fantasy as the literature of the familiar, the comfortable, the safe; they have never read this wholly adult, wholly disturbing novel. READ THIS BOOK -- then go out and tell everyone you know to read it, too.
Rating:
Summary: As close to perfect as any book I've ever read.
Review: This book is truly astonishing. Paul Witcover has taken our everyday world, distilled it down to its very essence, and disguised it as the Hierarchate. The book is one immense parable. It covers the cruelty, sexism and unmitigated power of the Christian Church, interweaving Christian mythology with well-known fairy tales and pagan folklore. The symbology in this book is overwhelming - on every page there is something that makes me stop and grab my copy of "The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" by Barbara G. Walker (which I highly recommend you read before, during or after "Waking Beauty" if you want to fully appreciate its vast multiple layers; also, a Latin dictionary is useful for uncovering the hidden symbology in the names of the saints). Towards the end it becomes difficult to tell if Witcover intends the three Viridis Lacrimatas to represent the Christian Trinity in female garb, or the Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother and Crone) - however, given his level of awareness about religious-social issues I'm inclined to interpret it as the Goddess. This book is far deeper than it appears on the surface to the idle reader...it is not mere fantasy, it is a living, breathing, scathing commentary on the structure of the world we are forced to live in; and this author is a man I would love to meet and talk to over a long, delicious lunch! Blessed Be.
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