Rating: 
Summary: enchanting!
Review: I loved this book. It really draws you in in this wonderful and mystical mood that Fowler creates. I thought the development of the character throughout the book was enchanting and endearing. I was so sad when it was over, I loved reading it so much!
Rating:
Summary: enchanting!
Review: I loved this book. It really draws you in in this wonderful and mystical mood that Fowler creates. I thought the development of the character throughout the book was enchanting and endearing. I was so sad when it was over, I loved reading it so much!
Rating: 
Summary: Love San Francisco, Loved this book!
Review: I so enjoyed this book! I've lived in California, and in New York City. I've often wondered about how "self possessed" the people are in those areas. It started way back. Somehow, in the mix of outlaws, greedy capitalits, artists, crazies, etc., You get a mix that doesn't happen in "run of the mill" cities. Believe me, this book was a fun read. Her descriptions of migranes alone is awesome. She is a wonderful writer! As a person who finds Mary Ellen Pleasant, California and San Francisco all fascinating, this book gave me all of them! I so enjoyed it. Treat yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Love San Francisco, Loved this book!
Review: I so enjoyed this book! I've lived in California, and in New York City. I've often wondered about how "self possessed" the people are in those areas. It started way back. Somehow, in the mix of outlaws, greedy capitalits, artists, crazies, etc., You get a mix that doesn't happen in "run of the mill" cities. Believe me, this book was a fun read. Her descriptions of migranes alone is awesome. She is a wonderful writer! As a person who finds Mary Ellen Pleasant, California and San Francisco all fascinating, this book gave me all of them! I so enjoyed it. Treat yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor writing technique
Review: I was very excited to start this book, due to the fact that I live in San Francisco and am always interested in my city's history.
However, I only got as far as the first few chapters due to the author's writing style.
Every sentence is a short one. She uses no tone variation. The narrator's voice is staccato. She writes like this.
And so on....
All writers know that you need to mix up your writing with a blend of compound and simple sentences to keep things fluid. But every sentence is about 5 words long, and I was totally put off by that. I skipped ahead to the middle and end of the book, just to test it out and see if perhaps only the introduction was written in this style, but it pervades the entire novel.
Oh well. I'm just surprised that so many people felt that it was 'fine writing' when it was clearly amateur. I was also surprised to see that this was not the author's only book.
Rating:
Summary: A rare and speciaal reading experience
Review: In 1890 San Francisco, forty-year old spinster Lizzie Hayes, daughter of a wealthy man, has made few friends even though she belongs to two churches and has been a member of the Ladies Relief Home for a decade. Her father is outraged by Lizzie's rejection of every male he dumps on her. Though independent and feisty within the taut rules of high society, overall, Lizzie remains the obedient child in spite of her age. When Ellen Mary Pleasant meets Lizzie the world changes for the latter. The worldly Mrs. Pleasant has been involved in many unacceptable practices, at least that is the distasteful rumors about her. Some say she is a voodoo queen though she works as a charity leader. Other claim she is a retired prostitute who laundered her ill-gained money to fund Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Regardless, Lizzie sees Mrs. Pleasant as a role model, having lived life to the fullest. Mrs. Pleasant encourages Lizzie to be all that she can be and damn societal dictates that corset the real Lizzie. With Mrs. Pleasant as a guide and five-year old Jenny as an angel in need, Lizzie begins to take charge of her life. "To thine own self be true" is the central theme of a superb historical character study that focuses on the lives of San Franciscans during the Naughty Nineties. The story line uses humor, pathos, and tidbits of Americana to provide a full picture of society especially that of women. Fans of Americana fiction will relish SISTER NOON and seek Karen Joy Fowler's previous historical fictions (see SARAH CANARY). Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Evocation of Gilded Age San Francisco
Review: Karen Joy Fowler's latest novel is truly a feast for the eyes. In her vivid, terse, yet lyrical, prose, she conjurs up a fantastic view of 19th Century San Francisco, as it evolves from a Gold Rush mining camp to the spectacular Gilded Age city overlooking the Golden Gate. Using her magical language, Fowler describes a San Francisco that is steeped in reality, yet also becomes host to the vodoo magic which Mrs. Pleasant may - or may not - possess. Like a former resident of the Bay Area, critically acclaimed novelist Jonathan Lethem, Ms. Fowler's work easily crosses over between genres, from fantasy and science fiction to mainstream literature. Hers is a distinctively original voice which deserves a wide readership.
Rating:
Summary: Ironically told tale of a woman in 1890s San Francisco
Review: One of my most eagerly anticipated books this year was Karen Joy Fowler's new novel, _Sister Noon_. Fowler is one of my favorite writers. _Sister Noon_ is set in San Francisco in 1890. The central character is Lizzy Hayes, a fortyish spinster, treasurerer of the Ladies' Relief and Protection Society Home, which takes in orphans and raises them. Lizzy believes herself happy despite a fairly boring life. One day the notorious Mrs. Pleasant, an elderly ex-slave, reputed to have been an, er, "working woman", and a very wealthy woman, comes to visit, with a new child for the Home. This child is an odd 5-year old girl named Jenny Ijub. The novel interleaves details about the history of Mrs. Pleasant and her curious menage at the Bell household with Lizzy's modest adventures and difficulties at the Home, especially difficulties involving Jenny and also a Chinese orphan named Ti Wong. Mrs. Pleasant came to San Francisco passing for white, then, at a notorious party revealed that she was black, and an ex-slave. Over time she made a fortune as a cook, and as a woman who knew many of the secrets of the leading men of the new and growing city, in particular one Thomas Bell. In 1890 Mrs. Pleasant serves as housekeeper for Thomas Bell and his strange wife, at a notorious house called the House of Mystery. They have several children, and rumours abound as to which of the women is the mother of any of them, and indeed how many of the children might be the result of Mrs. Pleasant's rumoured business activities. At the same time Jenny is having a hard time adjusting to life in the Home, as she is persecuted by the other children. Lizzy finds herself visiting the House of Mystery several times, and having a number of ambiguous and almost phantasmagorical conversations with both Mrs. Pleasant and Mrs. Bell. In addition the Home is subjected to a diptheria epidemic, and quarantine. And Lizzy must also fight off questions from her society friends about her association with Mrs. Pleasant, and about the horrible thought that Jenny might actually be part-black (can't have a black girl in with white orphans!). And finally Lizzy starts to question aspects of her own family history, especially her father's possible dealings with Mrs. Pleasant. Also Jenny Ijub is threatened with kidnapping, and Lizzy's decision to take in the Chinese boy Ti Wong causes additional stress. The book is continually intriguing, driven especially by Fowler's wonderful ironic prose. Clearly the question of race is at the center of the book, as well as the place of women, in particular spinsters, in society. But even more, it turns out, the book is about families. Not surprisingly, with so many orphans about, stories of broken families abound -- Mrs. Pleasant's story and Mrs. Bell's story both involve mistreatment as a child, and even Lizzy has family issues. And when we learn what Lizzy wants, it's not a husband, nor money, nor even more adventure, but a family. I found the book a bit harder to grasp, to engage with, than either _Sarah Canary_ or _The Sweetheart Season_, so I might rank it third among Fowler's novels. But that, surely, is not so terrible: _Sister Noon_ is a very fine novel, very well worth reading (and her other novels, as well as her short stories, collected in _Black Glass_ and in _Artificial Things_, are outstanding).
Rating:
Summary: History and Mystery Unite in This Fascinating Novel
Review: The major strength of this novel is its eerily evocative prose. Fowler is one of those writers who makes novel-writing seem effortless. In addition, her writing style and stories are unique because of the seamless way she blends fact with fiction. This particular novel takes place in San Francisco in the late-1800s. It centers on a spinster named Lizzie who finds herself intrigued by one of the city's most notorious women. There are surprises throughout the novel, so I don't want to give too much of the plot away. But this type of story will appeal to three kinds of readers: 1) Someone who has read and enjoyed Fowler's other novels and short stories, 2) someone who likes novels that take liberties with historical facts in order to imagine a character's inner life and 3) a person who enjoys character-driven stories and is less concerned with plot.
_Sister Noon_ does follow some central plot threads, but the focus of the story meanders, and the end leaves things open. Anyone looking for a neat and tidy story where everything is resolved by the final pages OR anyone hoping for a conventional historical mystery/thriller would probably be disappointed in this novel. But those who enjoy stories that unfold like dreams (hazy and mysterious, but full of all kinds of possible meanings) will likely enjoy this book. Those who appreciate lyrical, elegant prose and subtle humor should also find _Sister Noon_ a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: A Dream Come True
Review: You keep hoping you'll find a book that'll draw you in, enchant you, keep you enthralled until you finish the last word. This is that book. I'm not normally a fan of speculative fiction (or whatever they're calling scifi these days) but this book seduced me. I ached for the characters, believed every minute, couldn't wait to see how it turned out. This is a writer in control. I'm in awe. And can't wait to read her next book!
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