1. Premise 8
2. Prose 7
3.
Plot 8
4.
Characters 7
5.
Overall 7
Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)
Despite the low overall rating, this book – like all of Alexander McCall Smith’s books – is a pleasure to read. He does not intend to dazzle his readers, or to touch any overly emotional chords with them. But sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, he quietly holds our attention with thoughtful scenarios and plot devices. In this series – one of his many – the prose takes on a subtle, almost allegorical form, evoking the “English as a second language” phrasing of an African local; absent the more intricate or sophisticated phrasing of an original English speaker. This is all the more fascinating when compared to novels in all of his other series, where he shows himself to be as eloquent as any author from the UK. The characters are also revealed in less depth, in accordance with the prose. The relatively lower ratings in these two categories are more a comment on depth than they are on quality. Intentional as it is, there is an accompanying lack of emotional punch that goes with the territory. “Setting” gets at least a “9” here, if we include it, as the story evokes the feeling of being in Africa very nicely. “Consistency” gets a “9” also. Perhaps “Ability To Hold the Reader’s Attention” should be given a “9” or even a “10”. Smith’s gifts as a writer defy deep analysis for the most part; perhaps defying the effectiveness of our rating system, as well. This will certainly not prevent me from continuing to read his works on a regular basis!
Here’s the October line-up! (Happy Halloween!)
“Needful Things” by Stephen King [10/3]
“The Laughing Corpse” by Laurell K. Hamilton [10/10]
“The Hellbound Heart,” by Clive Barker [10/17]
“Violin,” by Ann Rice [10/24]
“Necroscope,” by Brian Lumley [10/31]
(As always, if there are any books you’d like to recommend for the next month, please do so!)
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