Sleeping in Flame

Rating:
Summary: Fairy tales unbound
Review: I'm amazed Carroll hasn't taken off in the US. Most of his earlier works are out of print, which is a shame. He's one of of the most talented authors I've read. Some books have a couple of great lines that really stand out, with Carroll you get that every other page. The man is amazing in his ability to capture the moment between 2 people.

Most of his novels revolve a particular set of folkswhose orbits are somehow tied together. If you like this book I'd suggest Bones of the Moon and Outside the Dog Museum (if you can find them.) Just beware, his books are addicting!

Carroll is a true craftsman of his art.

Rating:
Summary: As fine a contemporary fantasy as you could read.
Review: I've only read two books by Jonathan Carroll so far, this one and The Voice of Our Shadow. This is my favorite of the two, mainly because Voice of Our Shadow is closer to being a true horror novel. And I don't usually read horror. But Sleeping in Flame is one of the finest fantasies I've ever read-- Extremely fine. Consider this: The hero of Sleeping in Flame has professional ties to the movie industry. As the story begins, he's walking down a city street when he looks back. A strange little man is trying to run him down on a bicycle! The story becomes one of self discovery for the hero as he tries to unravel the mystery of the strange little guy. Typical? Nope. This Carroll guy has one truly strange story in mind, and the vision to inject it with some of the most wonder-filled moments ever. Good luck guessing the end to this twisty maze!

Rating:
Summary: Carroll's Walker in Wonderland?
Review: If you are looking for a reading experience like none that you have had before Jonathan Carroll's "Sleeping In Flame" might just be the book for you. Other reviewers have likened Carroll's work to a "Twilight Zone" episode or a David Lynch film. This being my first Carroll novel, I found these to be accurate comparisons for the Carroll uninitiated. The novel starts innocently enough as we meet Walker Easterling, a recently divorced part-time actor from America living in Vienna. But soon readers are plunged into a bizarre, dreamlike world where it is simply impossible to predict where the author will take you next. In this respect, Jonathan Carroll may have something in common with namesake Lewis Carroll of "Alice in Wonderland" fame. Not unlike Alice, Walker in the second half of this is novel finds himself in quite a rabbit hole of his own.

To give away any of the details of "Sleeping In Flame" would spoil the fun of this novel. Whether one wishes to take Walker's wild and weird journey literally or figuratively, an open mind is a must. Many of the covers of Carroll's novels contain a blurb from Pat Conroy proclaiming the author "a cult waiting to be born." As with many "cult classic" candidates, "Sleeping In Flame" (and from what I gather Carroll, in general) may be too far a stretch for more conservative readers. However, for those willing to take a wacky ride, Jonathan Carroll is certainly a driver that will have you reaching for your seat belt.

Rating:
Summary: Carroll's Walker in Wonderland?
Review: If you are looking for a reading experience like none that you have had before Jonathan Carroll's "Sleeping In Flame" might just be the book for you. Other reviewers have likened Carroll's work to a "Twilight Zone" episode or a David Lynch film. This being my first Carroll novel, I found these to be accurate comparisons for the Carroll uninitiated. The novel starts innocently enough as we meet Walker Easterling, a recently divorced part-time actor from America living in Vienna. But soon readers are plunged into a bizarre, dreamlike world where it is simply impossible to predict where the author will take you next. In this respect, Jonathan Carroll may have something in common with namesake Lewis Carroll of "Alice in Wonderland" fame. Not unlike Alice, Walker in the second half of this is novel finds himself in quite a rabbit hole of his own.

To give away any of the details of "Sleeping In Flame" would spoil the fun of this novel. Whether one wishes to take Walker's wild and weird journey literally or figuratively, an open mind is a must. Many of the covers of Carroll's novels contain a blurb from Pat Conroy proclaiming the author "a cult waiting to be born." As with many "cult classic" candidates, "Sleeping In Flame" (and from what I gather Carroll, in general) may be too far a stretch for more conservative readers. However, for those willing to take a wacky ride, Jonathan Carroll is certainly a driver that will have you reaching for your seat belt.

Rating:
Summary: Carroll's Walker in Wonderland?
Review: If you are looking for a reading experience like none that you have had before Jonathan Carroll's "Sleeping In Flame" might just be the book for you. Other reviewers have likened Carroll's work to a "Twilight Zone" episode or a David Lynch film. This being my first Carroll novel, I found these to be accurate comparisons for the Carroll uninitiated. The novel starts innocently enough as we meet Walker Easterling, a recently divorced part-time actor from America living in Vienna. But soon readers are plunged into a bizarre, dreamlike world where it is simply impossible to predict where the author will take you next. In this respect, Jonathan Carroll may have something in common with namesake Lewis Carroll of "Alice in Wonderland" fame. Not unlike Alice, Walker in the second half of this is novel finds himself in quite a rabbit hole of his own.

To give away any of the details of "Sleeping In Flame" would spoil the fun of this novel. Whether one wishes to take Walker's wild and weird journey literally or figuratively, an open mind is a must. Many of the covers of Carroll's novels contain a blurb from Pat Conroy proclaiming the author "a cult waiting to be born." As with many "cult classic" candidates, "Sleeping In Flame" (and from what I gather Carroll, in general) may be too far a stretch for more conservative readers. However, for those willing to take a wacky ride, Jonathan Carroll is certainly a driver that will have you reaching for your seat belt.

Rating:
Summary: from THE NATION magazine
Review: In Carroll's masterpiece, Sleeping in Flame, what begins as a brooding,witty and bittersweet novel--think Paul Auster or Haruki Murakami--about a film actor and his desire for the beautiful and androgynous Maris York, has,by its end, traversed a world of shamans and sea monsters in an astonishing
reworking of the Grimm tale "Rumpelstiltskin."

Rating:
Summary: exhilarating reincarnation romantic suspense
Review: In Vienna, model Maris York insists that screenwriter Walker Easterling saved her life as her former boyfriend of a year was apt to violently harm her. As Maris and Walker become acquainted they fall in love. For both this is a shocking miracle as he thought he knew love when he was married to Victoria and she felt Luc was the real thing.

As Walker's love flourishes, he develops paranormal abilities that frighten him. He begins seeing Venasque the mage and others for help. As love grows, paranoia grows exponentially because Walker soon believes that Maris is his eternal soulmate, but that their past lives together have ended tragically with his father being part of the triangle; however, in this present life Walker has no idea who sired him. Still will history repeat itself?

SLEEPING IN FLAME is a reprint of an exhilarating reincarnation romantic suspense that is at its best when the plot focuses on the psychological impact of knowing the results of the interconnection between the champion and the woman he loves in past lives. This Kafka through the Looking Glass tale hooks the audience to follow Walker as he learns more about what happened before, but has no idea how to prevent it occurring again. Maris is a fine counterpart, but the book belongs to Walker, whose struggles with being a bit more than human will grip readers even when he journeys down side roads that seem outside the main plot yet keep the audience reading more of this terrific offbeat tale.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: Where are the U.S. editions of all of Carroll's books?????
Review: It's one of the great publishing mysteries why Jonathan Carroll isn't among the most popular novelists in the world. I've just scanned Amazon for the availability of his novels, only to find that most of them are out of print. Carroll is a most uncommon writer: his stories are deep, brooding, and grotesque, and yet are told with an easy-going charm that makes them almost impossible to put down. "Sleeping in Flame" adheres to the common Carroll formula: draw the reader in with an engaging opening conflict, bring on the cast of charismatic eccentrics, weave in a convincing and involving romance, and then, just as the readers are lulled by all of this, drop the floor out from under them and plunge them into a world of chilling, grotesque fantasy. I'm not giving anything away when I say that "Sleeping in Flame" is a rather unique spin on the story of Rumpelstilskin. How he introduces the elements of that story, and where he takes it, are so original and fascinating, you'll never think of Rumpelstilskin the same way again. I recommend this book, but I think you'd be better served by telling Amazon to hunt down copies of "Child Across the Sky" or "Land of Laughs," his two greatest novels. My copies are British editions -- I have no idea whether they even had US versions. Even though Carroll is from the US (his dad was the co-screenwriter for "The Hustler") he lives in Vienna and his audience is mostly European.

If your problem with American fiction is that it's too mundane and convential (which it is, oppressively so), or that the novelists with the greatest imaginations are ensnared by genre formulas (which they are), Jonathan Carroll is the answer to your prayers. His wild imagination, compelling characters, and his great narrative voice are unique, and he deserves a huge audience.

Rating:
Summary: Otherworldly offbeat fiction
Review: Not your usual run-of-the-mill novel, Sleeping in Flame will win your heart with its delightful blend of romance and humor. But then, people who at first glance seem strikingly glamorous turn...well, weird. This book and its author have the potential of developing a cult following. It begins with Walker, a screenwriter living in Vienna, meeting Maris, a model on the run from a potentially violent lover. The two fall in love, and then author Carroll begins leading us and them down bizarre and frightening paths - all the while making sure we're laughing at every twist in the path.
Don't think you've got the tone of this novel figured out; the author's about to pull the rug out from under you. But you'll willingly suspend belief and go along for the magic carpet ride, I betcha.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book again and again....
Review: The first time I was introduced to this book was by an English professor of mine in college. Ususual for most college level classes, the book list for the semester consisted of only three novels: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, and this book. Read these novels together, they make for such an alluring and profound literary trio.