Rating: 
Summary: Rally good work of fiction
Review: Graduate student and aspiring poet, Roberta Spire, desperately wants to study the correspondence between T.S. Eliot and Bostonian Emily Hale. She pleads with the university archivist, Matthias Lane to allow her the opportunity, but he refuses. When the packages were bequested to the school, the stipulation was that they were to remain sealed until 2019. The elderly Matt and the youthful Roberta argue over her having access to the Hale letters. She has more than just an academic interest in them. Though he continues to guard them, Matt finds that the budding poet has reminded him of his own past that parallels that of Eliot. Matt thinks back to 1965, the year that Eliot died. His own spouse, like that of Eliot's, was committed to an institution where she ultimately killed herself. For three decades, he has refused to feel, but Roberta finally forces him to look into his personal grief and guilt as he struggles with his own deeds. THE ARCHIVIST is an interesting debut novel that makes the reader think and feel at the same time, a rare occurrence for the most experienced of writers. All the characters feel so real it's as if they bleed with pain. Martha Cooley clearly has a great futureahead of her as a writer as she shows tremendous artistic abilities similar to those written by the grandmasters. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: a different perspective
Review: I admit that it takes some personal discipline to read this book. Depending on my mood, it can be easier to read a page-turner or a book that offers a more action-oriented plot. But The Archivist offers solid rewards for those readers who care to engage with the characters to uncover the gems of meaning contained in the story. This novel reminded me of some other great works about madness, such as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. The "heroine" Judith, if she can be called that, documents her descent into ever-deeper madness in her journal, which takes up the middle portion of the book. I found this section highly compelling, as the journal entries have an inexorable quality that made me understand early on that there would be no redemption for Judith. I also enjoyed the way Martha Cooley applies passages of T. S. Eliot to the lives of the main characters. While I have always loved Eliot, reading Cooley's interpretation of his work deepened my appreciation for this great poet and led me to re-read The Waste Land, which I am doing now. And near the end, when Matt comes to believe that he mishandled Judith and her mental illness, I found myself identifying with something quite unrelated from my own life, which tells me that the feelings Cooley describes are universal, and not tied only to her characters and their situations. I'm struck by the level of sophistication and nuance that Cooley serves up in her first (and apparently, only) novel and hope that we see more entries from her in the near future. While it is true, as another reviewer has observed, that this novel is likely to appeal to "bookworms," I don't believe that we are the only critters who will find it worthwhile. All serious thinkers, particularly those who are interested in Eliot, will enjoy this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the Effort
Review: I admit that it takes some personal discipline to read this book. Depending on my mood, it can be easier to read a page-turner or a book that offers a more action-oriented plot. But The Archivist offers solid rewards for those readers who care to engage with the characters to uncover the gems of meaning contained in the story. This novel reminded me of some other great works about madness, such as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. The "heroine" Judith, if she can be called that, documents her descent into ever-deeper madness in her journal, which takes up the middle portion of the book. I found this section highly compelling, as the journal entries have an inexorable quality that made me understand early on that there would be no redemption for Judith. I also enjoyed the way Martha Cooley applies passages of T. S. Eliot to the lives of the main characters. While I have always loved Eliot, reading Cooley's interpretation of his work deepened my appreciation for this great poet and led me to re-read The Waste Land, which I am doing now. And near the end, when Matt comes to believe that he mishandled Judith and her mental illness, I found myself identifying with something quite unrelated from my own life, which tells me that the feelings Cooley describes are universal, and not tied only to her characters and their situations. I'm struck by the level of sophistication and nuance that Cooley serves up in her first (and apparently, only) novel and hope that we see more entries from her in the near future. While it is true, as another reviewer has observed, that this novel is likely to appeal to "bookworms," I don't believe that we are the only critters who will find it worthwhile. All serious thinkers, particularly those who are interested in Eliot, will enjoy this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Unique, Intelligent Novel
Review: I bought this book a couple of years ago, and finally read it last week. What a find! The way this story plays out is remarkable. The parallels, both obvious and arcane, fill The Archivist with thoughtful, meaningful--if not cautionary--tales. I had hoped that I would find that Cooley had something else published, but alas, no. This is a great find, a very good read, and an important addition to any library.
Rating: 
Summary: Painfully necessary?
Review: I have to admit that I didn't enjoy reading this book most of the time. I found it interesting, and I respect the author's talent, but I couldn't squeeze any enjoyment out of the characters and their actions. Many reviewers have said that they didn't enjoy the middle part of the book -- but for me it was the most compelling. The least interesting part of the book for me was the relationship between Mathias and Roberta Spire -- I found her tedious and strange and unbelievable in the extreme. Also, I couldn't understand her emotions at her family's betrayal -- it made no sense to me. Judith was the only character who stood out in any kind of clear way to me. Her madness and obsession seemed entirely logical and believable to me. There are people in the world who can internalize the knowledge of huge evils -- such as the Holocaust -- and turn it into something positive in their own lives. It can drive them to work for justice, or to become more contemplative, or to at least try to learn from the lessons of the past and not let the evil affect their daily life in a more negative way. And then there are the people, like Judith, who, upon truly realizing the vastness and profundity of evil in the world -- represented in this book by the Holocaust -- and they cannot synthesize it into a balanced and logical view of the world. It consumes them, and taints everything that's good. The enormity and utter incomprehensibility of the truth of evil drives these people to an obsession -- like Judith's obsession with the cabalistic principle of "healing the world". Have not we all felt like this at one time? That one act or event so colors the world with the red and black of true human evil, that we cannot avert our internal gaze from it? Have not all of us, in sad and trying times, felt that the evil has become more real, and affects more of our life, than any good we have known? Most of us can pull ourselves from this, with strength and other's help. Judith cannot --whether because of her manic depression, or because her vision of the world and knowledge of the evil is so keen that it causes her manic depression we will never know. Her descent made perfect sense, and is a horrifying example of madness and how it kills a person, even before the body is dead. I read this book hoping for more investigation into Eliot -- it's there, but it's incomplete. This is not a literary criticism of Eliot's poetry encased inside a novel. I felt the skimming of Eliot's substance to be a bit cursory -- yes, they quoted his poems and explored his motives, but never in a complete way. I can understand why Eliot was chosen -- his poetry has always been popular because it is quotable in a variety of situations, and is, at least on the surface, quite accesible. For me, Eliot has written some of the few 20th century verses that spring to my mind in daily life, in relation to people and situations. He was an easy choice for this novel, but not as completely covered as I would have liked. I found the parallel between the Eliot/Vivienne - Mathias/Judith relationship to incongruent. And, as I mentioned before, the whole Roberta Spire story really sank to a depth of irrelevance. I would have liked it more if the book concentrated more on Judith and Mathias, and the relationship to the poetry. I was also hoping for more of treasure/hunt or mystery involved with the Emily Hale letters. Perhaps I've mised Ms Cooley's point :) I found the cabbalistic and Judaism references interesting, as well as the archaelogical mining of old Manhattan jazz culture. If you're thinking of reading this because you're a Eliot hound, there are other, better books. If you're looking for a literary mystery, move on. If you're looking for a love story, move on. This is about mental illness and 20th Century history -- the rest seems to be window dressing to me. That said, Martha Cooley is a fine writer.
Rating:
Summary: great find!
Review: I've had this book on my shelf for some time now, finally picked it up and read it. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It is a book rich with the author's style and knowledge on jazz, judaism, Jewish feelings regarding WWII, Christianity, the New York scene and much more. I was very taken by the middle part of the book where the reader is introduced to Judith's letters while she is in the sanitorium. I felt somewhat taken aback by the feeling that Matthias, the loner husband, preferred having his wife imprisoned in the institution, rather than having her released and dealing with her anger and frustrations. She seemed to have some very real frustrations regarding the War and the Holocaust. I found it disturbing that other people in her life did not get upset over the death of all those Jews. I understood her anger and emotion. Did Mattias really want her to get better? Why did the doctor keep raising her dosage of anti-depressant? Could she have gone home and tried to get better with the help of her husband? Was he unable (not unlike Eliot) to deal with her emotions? Were those emotions really good reason to lock her up? It seems so one-sided and unfair. Somewhat typical of the view of female depression during the 1950's and 60's. Lock'em up and keep them away from the rest of us. Sad. Excellent author, my regret is that I cannot find any other books she has written.
Rating:
Summary: Incisive and insightful
Review: Matthias Lane has been a university archivist forever, as far as the students on his campus know. He lives a quiet life, practicing a profession that satisfies him. A graduate student named Roberta Spire interrupts his peaceful existence with her demand to research a collection that won't be opened, per the terms of its donation, for years to come. The collection? Letters sent by T.S. Eliot to one Emily Hale. When Matt Lane won't violate his ethics to satisfy her interest, Roberta maneuvers herself into his life - personal and professional - in a way that both amuses and fascinates him. Roberta reminds him poignantly of his wife, Judith, who died long ago. Roberta and Judith have two things in common. First, they are (or were) both poets; and second, they both grew up in families that kept life-shattering secrets from them. Supposedly, of course, for the noblest of reasons.
Since I've worked for many years in an archives environment, I had heard a great deal about this book. I finally read it after receiving it as a gift. The middle portion, written from an institutionalized Judith Lane's viewpoint, is wrenching. What comes before and after - Matt's point of view, sometimes in the present and sometimes in flashbacks - is incisive and insightful, as he comes to realize exactly what role he played in his wife's disintegration. However, the ending made me want to shake him. Just when I thought he had surely learned that secrets kill....
Rating: 
Summary: very disappointing
Review: Reading the jacket description of this book, I thought it sounded interesting. But I ended up hating this book and was barely able to finish it. This book tries to cover too many things, including the Holocaust, the life of a weird librarian, his "relationship" with a student, and his crazy wife who is now deceased. Everyone in the book is obsessed with the poet T.S. Eliot and snippets of his poems are scattered throughout the book at random and awkward moments which ultimately detract from the story instead of enhancing it. Cooley has an abstract philosophical way of writing which I found extremely annoying. The characters are too involved in their own selfish worlds and were completely uninteresting. Terrible book.
Rating:
Summary: a book for bookworms
Review: The Archivist, though a well written novel, was difficult for me to read. I forced myself to finish it on recommendation from another avid reader. The voice of the novel improved when Judith, the archivist's mentally ill wife, is heard through her journal. I found Judith's journal to be very clinical and more schizophrenic than manic depressive. Though low key, the book does have its own element of suspense and a bit of surprise at the end. This would be a great read for one who is a fan of TS Eliot and loves poetry in general. A good read for someone who majored in English! The setting of the book was difficult for me to identify with...two insulated, academic couples with mentally unstable wives.
Rating:
Summary: Reads like a poem, if you can handle it.
Review: The first part of the book is the easiest to read, and really the most enjoyable, but the rest does leave you with alot to think about in a well done manner. This book is not meant to be a page turning thriller, but to read more like a poem, where one has to take the time to stop, re-read, go back, and ponder, and if a reader can handle through this style of reading, instead of expecting to go simply from point A to point Z without pause it is a great book. Contrary to most of the other reviews I found the middle third interesting once I got into it. Judith's diaries did not seem long at all. I thought they very consicley chronicled her time at Hayden, and her feelings toward everyone in her life. Cooley does an excellent job of staying concise yet fleshed out. She also does a very good job dealing with the big and small issues, WWII, The Holocaust, as well as in individual relationships of the characters and not making it seem pretentous. I disagree with those who say that the parallels were to distant and made too obvious. In life no parallel is total, just emotionally valuable. Matthias realizes this, and learns, and transforms from these parallels, though I felt this was more because the writer felt forced to adhere to the formula of an ending transformation for the protagonist, than because it fit the character. Matthias seemed like much too smart a man to act so frivilously and on the spot. The one problem I had with the book was the idea that Matthias has read the Emily Hale letters. Not that this is implausable, given his position, but so much is based on their content that at the end of the book I was left thinking "but wait, they really are sealed up till 2020, the author is making this up." This left me pretty deflated since most of the revelations the characters make seem focused on the fact that Eliot has revealed in those letters a lot about his conversion to Christianity, and his his relationship with his wife. For all we know he could have mailed Hale something as random as the phone book. For me this really took alot of the life out of characters that otherwise would have felt as real as the people next door. It is possible to write a book on history not yet discovered, look at books on the Holy Grail, etc. Cooley just doesn't do a good job of it. Next time I hope Cooley can find something more concrete to base all her characters actions on.
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