Word: reader
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...Seen from above this way," writes novelist Barbara Kingsolver at the outset of The Poisonwood Bible (HarperCollins; 546 pages; $26), "they are pale, doomed blossoms, bound to appeal to your sympathies. Be careful. Later on you'll have to decide what sympathy they deserve." Fair warning, though what the reader must decide before finishing this turbulent, argumentative narrative goes beyond judging four white American daughters and their mother, set down deep in the Congo in the precarious year...
...vampires. How was it that Armand rose to such otherworldly prominence? Armand relates its title character's rise from slavery to vampirism under the tutelage of Marius, a beautiful and seemingly omnipotent predator long in the business of the undead. In both language and imagery, Rice skillfully immerses her reader in the world of vampirism, a realm of drawing rooms and bed chambers, sumptuous meals, perfumed sheets, unabashed seduction and lascivious blood thirst. The diction itself is formal almost to the point of stiffness; its linguistic archaism suits the nature of its time period and its subject, effectively transporting readers...
...teacher, throwing in vocabwords like "obstreperous" and "obviate," lingeringon tangents that are more educational than theyare relevant. Nothing makes criticism of Imarried a Communist more of a dilemma than thehalf tangential/half-conclusive speeches Murraymakes throughout. In a novel that doesn't revolvearound a climax that estranges its main characterfrom the reader by making him the subject of twoother people's conversation, Murray'sphilosophical effervescence is a rare source ofenergy. Yet, it cloys. For example, after a longdiscussion of how Ira's Estonian nurse used topoke fun at his dainty wife by daintily giving Irablow jobs, Murray mildly pontificates:"Revenge...nothing...
...about this self-explanatory connection, but at last Schine introduces a secret family feud. However, the writing again makes any interest vanish. Throughout the novel, the rules of algebra and syllogism appear, "If A=(?) and B=(?), then all one has to prove is (?)." The logic is straightforward, giving the reader time for their own conclusions: if chapter 1=(heavy blinking) and chapter 2=(mind shifting) then all one has to prove is (?). The blending of science and soul does not happen...
...journal entries sparkling with banality. At one point, underdeveloped character aboard ship Gloria screams, "Blame it one the stars!" Perhaps they are the culprits. But fate aside, Freud, Marx and all of the jargon undermine Schine's witty prose. As Jane's mother tells her daughter, the reader might associate with the author: "You are a girl of conviction. I admire that...