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ellemnope 's review for:
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau
by Michael Zapata
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
2.5 stars.
This is likely to have been a case of "it's not you, it's me. The premise for this book sounded amazing and the writing is great, but I could not connect with it. In fact, it took me forever to slog through. There a lot of redeeming qualities to both the narrative and the writing, but it just didn't work for my reading tastes.
There is a lot going on in this less than 300 page novel. There are several timelines interweaving along with several different plots and a lot of characters. Dense historical information fills the pages, mostly regarding political strife. This was quite thorough and obviously well researched. However, the frequent shifts in character focus, time period, and story pieces made things disorienting. In fact, the book felt several times as if it were really several different books compressed into one. I had trouble staying focused with the narrative as it shifted from section to section and found it hard to care about the diverging side plots, though they were admittedly about interesting subjects. Perhaps further investigation of these individual pieces would have made me feel more involved with the plot, but I'm not sure that would have resolved my issues fully. As it was, it felt like an attempt to make too much fit into a small space.
I think my biggest struggle was with the pacing. There were several long stretches of slow burn followed by quick bursts of good and intriguing movement. For those who enjoy a slow and methodical character analysis, this might be a much better fit. I will admit that I am not usually drawn to character driven plots, so this was another strike against me as a reader.
Regardless of my struggles, I have to admit that there is a lot of talent in the writing. It is highly descriptive with excellent attention to detail. The character development and movement can be terribly impressive and the sweeping nature of the plot does demonstrate skill that perhaps just needs some refinement. There is a lot that is intricate and well-conceived, just not as excellently executed for my personal tastes.
2.5 stars.
This is likely to have been a case of "it's not you, it's me. The premise for this book sounded amazing and the writing is great, but I could not connect with it. In fact, it took me forever to slog through. There a lot of redeeming qualities to both the narrative and the writing, but it just didn't work for my reading tastes.
There is a lot going on in this less than 300 page novel. There are several timelines interweaving along with several different plots and a lot of characters. Dense historical information fills the pages, mostly regarding political strife. This was quite thorough and obviously well researched. However, the frequent shifts in character focus, time period, and story pieces made things disorienting. In fact, the book felt several times as if it were really several different books compressed into one. I had trouble staying focused with the narrative as it shifted from section to section and found it hard to care about the diverging side plots, though they were admittedly about interesting subjects. Perhaps further investigation of these individual pieces would have made me feel more involved with the plot, but I'm not sure that would have resolved my issues fully. As it was, it felt like an attempt to make too much fit into a small space.
I think my biggest struggle was with the pacing. There were several long stretches of slow burn followed by quick bursts of good and intriguing movement. For those who enjoy a slow and methodical character analysis, this might be a much better fit. I will admit that I am not usually drawn to character driven plots, so this was another strike against me as a reader.
Regardless of my struggles, I have to admit that there is a lot of talent in the writing. It is highly descriptive with excellent attention to detail. The character development and movement can be terribly impressive and the sweeping nature of the plot does demonstrate skill that perhaps just needs some refinement. There is a lot that is intricate and well-conceived, just not as excellently executed for my personal tastes.