Okay, I could probably write a book about this novel, it brought up so many thoughts.  And, I suppose, that's what I liked most about it.  There was lots to analyze.  If you want a mindless read, don't read this book.  As someone who skims when an author gets too wordy about something that doesn't need tons of attention, I must say I didn't skim at all. If I did, I would miss something important.

The story is told from the viewpoint of several generations of people, the youngest born in 1950, the oldest born in 1880. It's the story of how a family interacts with each other in dark and dysfunctional ways, keeping secrets that involve murder and insanity. On the underbelly side of this tale, it's the story of personalities and how people do what they do to cope with who they are, hide truths from themselves and others, and make choices that have consequences.

On the downside, it was tough getting into this book because the first narrator is Elyse (born in 1950) and she's talking about things the reader can't understand yet. Frankly, it was annoying and until I got past the opening and oriented to what this book was about, I almost didn't read it. Also, sometimes the author was too obscure for my taste. She would tease the reader with information and then not make it fully clear what happened.  You had to keep reading to find out. That annoyed me a few times. And then I have to admit I found some of the surprises she dished up implausible. But, hey, it made for good storytelling.  I'll go with it.

I thought maybe, some of these characters were people the author knew, they were that complex. Francis is unlikable and the author never tries to make up for his failings by giving him redeeming qualities. He isn't bad in the sense that he's a serial killer. He's a master at self-pity and that's his downfall. Still I wanted to read his point of view about things. He's fascinating.

I couldn't relate to much in this book. I thought I would because of the Elyse character which is what made me get the book in the first place. She was born in 1950 and I was born in 1952. However, her experiences were nothing like mine. She didn't even like it when the family moved to a street with 40 kids living there. I did relate to the part where her family is taught to feel superior to the Baptists on the street because her family had become Roman Catholic. My family was Protestant and the Catholic lady down the street made it clear what she thought of us.

In the end, answers to mysteries are revealed and the story lines tied up.
 
I found the novel intriguing and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. 



 

"Bed of Thorns" is a short thriller with an ending you won't see coming!

Callie is over forty, rich, attractive and bored. Her latest boy toy has taken her into dangerous territory and that's okay with her. At least until she realizes her life is at stake.

Full of twists, turns and intrigue, "Bed of Thorns" will keep you guessing.

Free on Kindle November 14 - 18. 

Click here to go to Amazon.

When I first started reading this book I thought for sure I'd found a book that was a home run. The plot drew me in right away. The author knows how to put words together and layered characters that were unique and real. Never once did I not want to finish reading this book. I had to know what was going to happen.

But as I got closer to the end of the story, things crumbled a bit. I thought Finn was an idiot for not telling Yost (the detective) everything he knew.  Tally got to be too screwy and I never cared if she and Finn united in the end of the story. In fact, I thought they were better off without each other. The detective's total about-face from having to solve a twenty-year-old cold case before he retired to not caring all that much was annoying and didn't ring true. And there were a few other bothersome things. 

Pages and pages of Finn and Yost being in their heads analyzing who committed the murder got tedious. And a writer of this caliber (she really is top notch) shouldn't have head-hopping going on; she should know the difference between blonde and blond and she should know how to use quotes when a character's dialogue continues to the next paragraph.  

But in the end, I'd say the pros outweigh the cons.  The story is engaging and the writing excellent. I'm glad I read this book and I'd recommend it to others who like mysteries and weird characters.

I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.  

I would give this book 10 stars out of 10 for the concept. The human desire to remain forever young seems to be ingrained in us. Add to that the idea that we can hide our sins but they still count against us somewhere is, in my opinion, truth.  The other thing I loved about this book is that it is thought provoking. Man, did lots of thoughts go through my mind as I was reading.

I’ve read reviews or introductions of this book that say Dorian Gray was a sociopath who sold his soul to the devil for eternal youth.  I don’t think he did. He wished for something and it came true. It wasn’t because he thought things through, believed it would happen and said, “Okay, it’s a deal.”

I don’t think he was a sociopath. This is what makes the tale a horror story. What if supernatural forces took away your humanity and made you heartless? What if you couldn’t control it? 

It seemed to me that Dorian did not start out a bad person, and even though his actions became abhorrent, especially when he committed murder, he seemed possessed. The fact that he wanted to change at the end of the story, whether he could or not, made me think he was more human than psycho. Does a sociopath ever desire to be different? Would a sociopath fear a painting where his or her sins are visible? I think he or she might relish in such a thing and smugly think, “Look what I’m getting away with.” Dorian cringed at the sight of the painting and not just out of vanity. 

Then there is Lord Henry Wotton and his witty bull crap. I kept thinking, if you are a person with a high IQ and you say outrageous things with complete confidence, slipping in something that might be true here and there, will people start to believe everything you believe is correct?  

Here are a few quotes from the book, some from Lord Henry, some from Wilde’s narrative. In a couple of places I’ve added my thought in parentheses:

“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”  (I’m thinking Miley Cyrus here.)

“When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.”

“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.” 

“Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.” 

“Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.” 

“Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love: it is the faithless who know love’s tragedies.”

He was gathering his harvest while it was yet spring. (Made me think of the people who envy another’s success even when that other person earned his or her success through years of practice and time and money spent, while the envious did nothing but wish and hate because of their jealousy. The jealous want a harvest either without ever having sown or they think they've earned it too soon.) 

“There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel that no one else has a right to blame us.” (I have to admit I’ve done this.)


This book does have weaknesses and I think it is in the storytelling. Okay, how do you judge a book written in another era for people of that time? Some references in the story, I didn’t understand and that’s when I lost interest. Obviously, Oscar Wilde was well read and very smart, so this is no doubt a frailty of mine. I kept thinking, however, they remake movies. Someone should rewrite this in today’s contemporary style. I’m not talking theme, I mean the whole story.  I think it would be fascinating. 

Instead of all the passages about how Dorian passed his time with literature and art, I would have liked to see more of Dorian’s sins in the making. It seemed to me that a lot, if not most, of the horrible actions he took were vaguely referenced. So, for these last two reasons I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.