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Summary: Desperately trying to finish it...
Review: I've been trying to finish this book for weeks now. Granted, it IS long, but it's just so tiring and endless. I came back to this site to see if it's worth suffering through the last 200 or so pages, and I've read mixed reviews. I've decided to go on, but it's going to be painful...
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Summary: Somewhat Difficult to Follow, But Grasping Till the End
Review: Wow! How bad can a family get? How much does someone has to suffer? It brought to my mind memoirs of 100 Years of Solitude, when I had to write on a separate sheet the genealogy tree of the Buendias.The intriguing atmosphere, the constant luck changing and the misfortunes made me difficult to shut the book, but, again I had to concentrate at my most to follow it. Do not read it while commuting!, but invest your time in this exciting deja vu with history
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Summary: A Gripping Challenge to Any Faith in Human Kindness
Review: This beautifully written book transports you into Victorian England. Even during the times you are not reading it you will still be breathing, thinking and feeling engulfed in that age and place. The plot, while superficially complicated, is in essence a challenge to any belief in alturism and human kindness. Slowly and methodically the innocence and trusting of the child protagonist is widdled away at by the notion that most people are inherantly selfish and greedy. The central character, who desperately wants to trust others, is betrayed over and over again by those he trusts. Yet, the intricacies of the plot overcome its depressing nature and compel the reader to finish the book to see whether human kindness triumphs in the end.
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Summary: A most enjoyable read
Review: Is it really fair to compare The Quincunx with works by Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens? Charles Palliser's novel is set in 19th century England and is a story of family desception and greed, this is where the similarities to one or two of the the former authors' work end. I would recommend that any potential reader of this wonderful book appreciate Palliser's work in its own right .. it is a most enjoyable read.
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Summary: Enthralling
Review: The deeper I got into this book, the harder it was to put down, until by the end I was addicted. It did take well over 100 pages for me to get into it and the plot has so much happening that it defies realism, but it is an excellent story and obviously was well researched and paints such a vivid picture of life in England over 150 years ago that those far outweighed the few drawbacks.
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Summary: I couldn't pick it up
Review: I tried to get through this mammoth novel, but gave up after about 250 pages. I tried, I tried... but it was so poorly written, the characters so unconvincing, the 'dramatic' scenes so contrived and trivial, that I had to jack it in. I give it 1 star because unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an option for '0 stars'. One of the direst novels I've ever tried to read.
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Summary: Goes Dickens one better
Review: I love Dickens-- don't get me wrong. But although people refer to this work as Dickensian, it is better than that. Most incredibly, this twisted convoluted intricate plot makes sense without resorting to Dickens's usual coincidence and accident. Moreover, there is a psychological darkness and depth here that Dickens never quite touched.
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Summary: You cannot put this book down!
Review: I just read the book in Dutch for the first time and I will start all over today. Without understanding half of it at first, I found out that the mystery solved itself slowely and in the proces, the period the story takes place is coming alife. You can smell the dirt and the fog of London in what must have been about 1820 I think. Regent street was still new and "poor mister Shelley" already dead. The maps of London are very interesting. I found a map of London in 1827 on Internet, that is really a great help while reading this book. (look for Greenwood map London 1827 on the Webferret.) Is it possible to get an authograph from the author?
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Summary: Fabulous reading - totally engulfs you
Review: This is a mystery which takes place in England Circa 1800. The first 100 pages are a bit difficult to follow, but things get going after that. Much like a Dickens novel, there are many, many characters (hint: a list is included in the back of the book). Tackles issues of social morality and justice.
Rating:
Summary: They don't come much better than this
Review: Palliser's novel is simply breathtaking - it combines the best of Charles Dickens with the best of Wilkie Collins. Give this thriller 100 pages, and I guarantee you, you will not be able to put it down. The novel's scope is enormous as is the intricacy of the plot. There is no wonder it took Palliser 10 years to write the novel.
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