Hello to the Cannibals : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Interesting premise, disappointing read
Review: I guess the older I get, the less patience I have for characters mired in unhappiness, and this book is full of those characters. As mentioned by previous reviews, I too found the Mary Kingsley portions of the book more interesting then the fictional storyline.

I would advise to skip this book, but do research the remarkable life of Ms. Kingsley.

Rating:
Summary: Dull and disjointed with occasional flashes of brilliance
Review: I purchased this novel after listening to Richard Bausch's interview with Diane Rehm on NPR. The author sounded so passionate about his work, and I thought the idea of bringing the two parallel stories of fictional Lily and Mary Kingsley together was inspired.
Unfortunately Lily's character is never brought to the same level of wholeness and interest as her historical predecessor. Her cautious, withdrawn, but intelligent personality seems incompatible with the impulsive choices she makes in her personal life. Because she never seemed quite real to me I was unable to take much of an interest in her part of the novel. I appreciated the analogy to "Dallas" that another reviewer brought up, although the characters in the Mississippi story were certainly better drawn than any television series personalities. It's just that they seemed a bit like props designed to move the story forward, not as vibrant personalities in their own right. I think all of the charcters in the modern day story were somehow stilted by the need to tie the two stories together, or by the inherent difficulties involved in creating interesting modern characters who appear to actually belong in our media-anesthetized culture.
The Mary Kingsley story soars, and I was able to finish the book only becuase I was dying to hear the rest her tale. My feeling is that the author, talented as he shows himself to be in the historical aspects of the novel, bit off more than he could chew.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Gripping Tale of Two Women
Review: Richard Bausch's "Hello To The Cannibals" is an amazing tale of two women who never meet. This interwoven book of a young Victorian women and a modern day girl takes off into an unexpected world of discovery. I loved the language, characters, settings (both modern and historical) and thought it blended beautifully into both worlds.

Mr. Bausch is a gifted storyteller with many many wonderful voices inside - waiting to tell their own stories. Can't wait for more of his work... a real triumph!