Juniper, Gentian, And Rosemary

Rating:
Summary: Curious, but tedious, too
Review: A passingly strange book, this. As a look into the life of a young teenage girl, her family and friends, this is an interesting tale. As a story that falls between the slats of horror and/or science fiction/fantasy, though, it leaves a lot to be desired. The story starts out compellingly enough; the author gets you interested in her characters and their quirky lives... sibling rivalry among the eponimous characters is well done and quite realistic. When it comes to resolving the mystery that she's somewhat awkardly developed through the tale, though, Dean becomes absolutely ham-handed. It's as though she could hear the music for the final credits already rolling and needed to wrap it up in a hurry. As a result, it barely makes sense. No, it makes no sense. And that's a pity, because with another 100 pages or so, she might have had a classic.

Rating:
Summary: What was that?
Review: After checking out The Dubious Hills from my local library and loving it, I immediately checked out the only other Pamela Dean book that they have, that obviously being this one. I almost never put it down and got through it in a few hours, not because the plot was that absorbing, but because I was trying to find out what the plot was. There's a lot of poetry and quotes, there's a lot of astronomy, there's a lot of interaction between Gentian and her friends . . but when the book was over I still didn't know who Dominic was or why he did anything that he had done.
Most of the book is about the life of Gentian Merriweather, an atheist astronomer who has a group of friends who refer to themselves as the Giant Ants. Sure, there's the weird guy who lives next door to her in an ugly red house, but that's really not the main focus. And then, suddenly, on page 298 (out of 350) Dominic and his 'science project' become the main focus of the story.
Although I really tried to like this book, I finished it with the impression that it was boring, confusing, and full of characters that I didn't like and couldn't relate to.

Rating:
Summary: Not the Best To Judge Her By
Review: After I read _Tam Lin_, I found myself intrigued by Pamela Dean's unique writing style: her pacing, her characters, her use of allusions--all seemed to cry out for more study. As such, I was very pleased to find _Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary_ at the local library. I was somewhat less pleased by the time I finished it.

Now, don't get me wrong. This book has its strengths and bright points: Gentian herself is a wonderful character, and though she and her friends may be somewhat erudite for their age, it makes sense within the world of the novel. The myriad references to the stars made me want to go raid my savings for the money to buy a telescope. It was no chore to me to read about Gentian's daily life and mundane exploits. If you come to be interested in her character, they are likely to entertain you similarly.

The problem here is one which showed up in _Tam Lin_, but taken to greater extremes: though alluded to throughout the book, the 'main' plot is one which only really shows up in the rushed and contrived ending. And this time there isn't even an explanation given for it. What precisely is Dominic? What does he want to build a time machine for? Why on earth would *anyone's* parents allow them to fall under an otherworldly sway for upwards of ten months? The lack of outside interference could be believed with _Tam Lin_'s Janet, but here seems ridiculous. Further, though Gentian solves her own problems, she does not consciously do so. There is no sense of triumph after reading the climactic scene, only bemusement and one lingering question: "What just happened?"

I'm really only giving this book four stars because I was on the whole pleased with it until it reached its ending, and because three and a half stars isn't an option. Anyone who is more interested in the plot of Sisters vs. Demon than in the character of Gentian specifically may wish to subtract a star; anyone who is also annoyed by puzzles, rampant literary quotations, and a dream-like fairy tale atmosphere would probably do better to read something by another author altogether.

Rating:
Summary: Not the Best To Judge Her By
Review: After I read _Tam Lin_, I found myself intrigued by Pamela Dean's unique writing style: her pacing, her characters, her use of allusions--all seemed to cry out for more study. As such, I was very pleased to find _Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary_ at the local library. I was somewhat less pleased by the time I finished it.

Now, don't get me wrong. This book has its strengths and bright points: Gentian herself is a wonderful character, and though she and her friends may be somewhat erudite for their age, it makes sense within the world of the novel. The myriad references to the stars made me want to go raid my savings for the money to buy a telescope. It was no chore to me to read about Gentian's daily life and mundane exploits. If you come to be interested in her character, they are likely to entertain you similarly.

The problem here is one which showed up in _Tam Lin_, but taken to greater extremes: though alluded to throughout the book, the 'main' plot is one which only really shows up in the rushed and contrived ending. And this time there isn't even an explanation given for it. What precisely is Dominic? What does he want to build a time machine for? Why on earth would *anyone's* parents allow them to fall under an otherworldly sway for upwards of ten months? The lack of outside interference could be believed with _Tam Lin_'s Janet, but here seems ridiculous. Further, though Gentian solves her own problems, she does not consciously do so. There is no sense of triumph after reading the climactic scene, only bemusement and one lingering question: "What just happened?"

I'm really only giving this book four stars because I was on the whole pleased with it until it reached its ending, and because three and a half stars isn't an option. Anyone who is more interested in the plot of Sisters vs. Demon than in the character of Gentian specifically may wish to subtract a star; anyone who is also annoyed by puzzles, rampant literary quotations, and a dream-like fairy tale atmosphere would probably do better to read something by another author altogether.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing let down
Review: After reading and adoring Tam Lin, I rushed out to buy Juniper, Gentian, & Rosemary, but after the first few chapters I was bewildered, and finished the book out of duty, hoping it would take off. The literary references in Tam Lin inspired me to check out things I meant to read in college but never got around to, where as the references in Juniper, Gentian, & Rosemary just seemed pretentious. ( I guess one expects references from a university crowd, but not from young high school students) I kept waiting for something intriguing to happen, some element of Faerie, but when it revealed itself I was alternately relieved that I had finished the book, and disappointed that there was nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: reread before commenting
Review: Although I was immediately interested in Dean's characters, when I finished the first time, I wondered why she had included so many seemingly useless situations and dialogues. While Dominic is mentioned from the beginning, he and his project don't become important until the last fifty pages or so. When I reread the book again, however, I came to see how the absense of Gentian's real life (her conversations with Becky, her arguments with her sisters, etc) really emphasizes how lost she is when she works on Dominic's project. Certainly, I can see that Dean should have cut down the inital few hundred pages, but on closer inspection I see how important much of that "pre-project" life is.
Many people have remarked on how unlikely it is that Gentian and her friends/sisters would be such intellectuals at such a young age. While I do agree that this is very unlikely (most of the middle school girls I know do not speak so eloquently), I thought that this made her characters more interesting. They weren't the average teenage girls you could read about in any novel. I can definitely see how some people would become irritated with that aspect of the book, but I didn't find the characters to be annoyingly precocious--just intellectuals. My advise would be to give the book another try before just tossing it away. You might be surprised at what you missed the first time through.

Rating:
Summary: More here than meets the eye!
Review: At first I thought this book was almost obnoxiously cute, but I enjoyed the fantasy intellectual universe which reminded me of so many of my own favorite books and authors, and my own eccentric intellectual family. By the end I was bowled over by the way the book captured how absolutely terrifying and dangerous youth can be for girls.

The structure of the book is deceptive - rather than going for a standard plot structure, it's written as if viewed the wrong way through a telescope - which is totally in keeping with the situation, since the main character is an astronomer.

This is a real tour-de-force which either you will understand or you won't. I suspect a lot of male readers will feel very uncomfortable with it, but for many women, this book will be one of those amazing experiences where a writer casts light into our dark places. Easily read, not easily reviewed - but lots of fun, however you take it!

I give this book the highest rating because it's beautifully written, full of surprisingly lovely images and insights and, in the end, totally astonishing revelations. Which no doubt will go completely over some people's heads, but there you are - that's partly what this story is about. I wanted to review it because I'm liking it even better after finishing it, and want to read it again. Now that's a sign of a really good book.

Rating:
Summary: Puzzling
Review: Found this story very interesting and at the same time very aggravating. Couldn't put it down and yet stayed aggravated. Pamela Dean's magic is invitingly strong and disturbing. Good going Pamela!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific!
Review: Full of inside jokes for deep readers, plus a zinger ending! Ms. Dyer-Dean remembers what it's like to be that age. A marvelous story and good reading for anyone who can handle the rich language.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: I am a bit confused as to how I feel about this book. I really loved the book as I read it; I became involved in the book and kept trying to find time to read it. Nevertheless, I thought the ending was rather pitiful.

Titled for the three sisters in a family, most of this book is a fantastic "day in the life" picture of Gentian. As the story is told we come to know her passion for and habit of doing astronomy, we see love, quirks, and tension in her family, her fasinating group of friends, her personable cat, and her mysterious next door neighbor. Very little actually happens during thie first part of the book, but it is a great story. Gentian exists in a highly intellectual world. From her "open school" classes, to the parties with her friends, to dinner table conversations, Gentian's world is full of literary references, feminist education, and scientific instruction. I fell in love with her world - it is the life that I always wished I had.

Despite the great beginning, the story fell apart at the end. I found that part to be poorly written and rushed. Although I was able to see the symbolism and apparent parallels with earlier parts of the book, it all seemed too contrived. I was not convinced by Gentian's journey from strict naturalist to pseudo-supernaturalist. The dichotomy as presented didn't work. Her early naturalism consisted of a hatred of religion (with Christianity being the stereotypical whipping boy), but at the end she accepted Wiccan like magick. The development was not smooth and the result was not credulous.

The result comes, I think, from having a really good writer who had great characters, settings and themes, but who couldn't manage to find a decent plot. My suggestion is to read the book because parts of it are great, but just don't expect much from the plot.