Murther & Walking Spirits

Rating:
Summary: It's Like a Film Festival in Purgatory
Review: My quick advice: if you love Davies and you've read absolutely everything else, nothing I say will stop you.

If you love Davies and there's something else you haven't read, go read it before this one.

If you haven't read Davies, please, please don't start here because this is awful and just not indicative of what a great writer he is.

Davies was clearly touched by a bit of nostalgia, did some digging into his family tree and then decided to build a long boring story around it. The book is deceptive because it starts out as a murder and you expect to witness the ghost inflict revenge in some cunning fashion. No such excitement. Try two hundred years of immigrant movements disguised as one of those excruciating never ending black and white marathon film festivals. If this makes no sense the book probably won't either.

Rating:
Summary: Yikes. What was he thinking?
Review: OK, this is not a good book. Some of his other books are fun, but this one is like watching a train wreck. What was he thinking? The protagonist was bludgeoned with a cudgel. Who says 'cudgel'? Who says 'bludgeoned'? And by the way, Robertson... It's 'murder', not 'murther', OK? I don't care if it's an epigram. Welcome to the 90's.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific premise, excellent writing, tedious story
Review: Terrific premise, technically excellent writing, an occasional boring section, difficult structure. I realize even excellent authors falter--but this plodding story left me with a tired memory of a Davies' book, and I'm sure it's unfortunate that this is my first Davies book, since with no other reference, I'll probably always balk at reaching for his better-received works.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific premise, excellent writing, tedious story
Review: Terrific premise, technically excellent writing, an occasional boring section, difficult structure. I realize even excellent authors falter--but this plodding story left me with a tired memory of a Davies' book, and I'm sure it's unfortunate that this is my first Davies book, since with no other reference, I'll probably always balk at reaching for his better-received works.

Rating:
Summary: A truly strange book, often moving but in the end a letdown
Review: This book was a pleasure to read. Though not a favourite of mine, it is more tender in a way than any of Davies' novels. It is slower than some of his earlier work and deals more intimately and thoroughly with the family history of the (ghost-)narrator. It may seem odd to say so but it's as if Davies is reviewing his own life, or aspects of it. A recommended read to the old man's fans.

Rating:
Summary: The cinema of life.
Review: This book was a pleasure to read. Though not a favourite of mine, it is more tender in a way than any of Davies' novels. It is slower than some of his earlier work and deals more intimately and thoroughly with the family history of the (ghost-)narrator. It may seem odd to say so but it's as if Davies is reviewing his own life, or aspects of it. A recommended read to the old man's fans.