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Sept 2005 A Christmas gift from my loving, book-addict Mother.
Goodness me, but here was a good book.
It is a novel, a biographical novel, set in 19th century England. I loved the setting. I loved some characters, despised others, pitied others, and was in awe of others still. The style was simple, but sufficient to communicate the story. The depressing bits were depressing enough, that I really, Really felt I needed to go on reading, because I refused to go to sleep with such tragedy before my eyes. At other times, I went on reading just because it was good.
I can't say that I was transported into the world of this book; I didn't feel the cold of the winter nights, and I couldn't picture the valleys, sunsets, rivers, skylines, and so on which were described. But what Was very real to me, were the people. I felt I knew them, and that we had met. And then, to my surprise, they would do something I'd not expected of them. (And the fact I expected such-and-such actions from them, Proves that I felt I knew them.) I find that this was the greatest strength of the novel.
The second greatest thing about it, was the way that the story of this man's life... was not one of joy, discovery, and small complications to be overcome. It was simple happiness at times, and problems, huge problems, which seem to be insurmountable. At the darkest points, I was sure it was going to be a tragedy, and that he would wind up dying like this one old friend of his; alone, destitute, unsatisfied, without accomplishing anything at all with his life. It was at these points, I couldn't stop reading, because I just Had to see him get better.
The other thing that sets him apart from what I see as the typical protagonist, is that his weaknesses were so great. He could never, Never in his life, get over some of them. The reader is just screaming at him, begging him, to forget about it, and see the situation clearly. But he can't really, can he? This made him real, and alive, and... it was all just good!
Nice book. Good book. Leaves one with a romantic feeling afterwards.
Incidentally, just after I read it, (I read the whole thing over a long weekend,) I got an SMS, which confused me, rather a lot. You could read about it here if you'd like.