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Through A Glass Darkly, by Karleen Koen
Apr. 24th, 2007 06:31 pmGenre: Fiction/Historical
Rating: C+
743 pages (hardcover)
I stuck this title on my library to-read list a long time ago, but it was pretty far down the list so I figured that I'd get to it sometime in the next year or so. But while browsing the woefully sparse shelves of the local library (in a temporary location during revonations), I found an old copy--so old it didn't even have a book jacket--and decided to try reading it, even though it's horribly long. Turns out it's not a bad read, though perhaps not worth the time it took for me to get through almost 750 pages. Nevertheless, I stayed up 'til midnight reading to the end; it's quite engrossing after the slow beginning. Koen attempts to tell a truly epic story, but she only succeeds in part. I was interested in every subplot, but I think they each deserved their own book instead of being jammed together into one lengthy volume. In particular, I wish that the story had focused more purely on Barbara--her love and subsequent despair are touching, fully realized emotions and I adore the intricacies of her relationships with various characters.
Koen's prose style is rather strange--ultilitarian and historically accurate throughout, even in the detailed descriptions of, let us say, intimate acts. It's an odd juxtaposition of style and content, one that I'm not sure I like. The aforementioned historical accuracy is stifling at times--pages of setting description are the norm rather than the exception. Otherwise, only one major issue jumped out at me. Koen skips over the "mini-climax" of Barbara discovering Richard's secret (which I'd already guessed a few hundred pages back) and jumps right into her life in the aftermath of the revelation. For love of the God I don't believe in, don't skip important plot scenes! I already knew the secret, but I was still confused when the narration went from Barbara fainting to Barbara being a promiscuous whore. WTF?
Overall, this novel is recommended only to people who already enjoy historical novels, or those who are willing to persevere through all the shortcomings for the beautiful (and realistic) romance.
Rating: C+
743 pages (hardcover)
I stuck this title on my library to-read list a long time ago, but it was pretty far down the list so I figured that I'd get to it sometime in the next year or so. But while browsing the woefully sparse shelves of the local library (in a temporary location during revonations), I found an old copy--so old it didn't even have a book jacket--and decided to try reading it, even though it's horribly long. Turns out it's not a bad read, though perhaps not worth the time it took for me to get through almost 750 pages. Nevertheless, I stayed up 'til midnight reading to the end; it's quite engrossing after the slow beginning. Koen attempts to tell a truly epic story, but she only succeeds in part. I was interested in every subplot, but I think they each deserved their own book instead of being jammed together into one lengthy volume. In particular, I wish that the story had focused more purely on Barbara--her love and subsequent despair are touching, fully realized emotions and I adore the intricacies of her relationships with various characters.
Koen's prose style is rather strange--ultilitarian and historically accurate throughout, even in the detailed descriptions of, let us say, intimate acts. It's an odd juxtaposition of style and content, one that I'm not sure I like. The aforementioned historical accuracy is stifling at times--pages of setting description are the norm rather than the exception. Otherwise, only one major issue jumped out at me. Koen skips over the "mini-climax" of Barbara discovering Richard's secret (which I'd already guessed a few hundred pages back) and jumps right into her life in the aftermath of the revelation. For love of the God I don't believe in, don't skip important plot scenes! I already knew the secret, but I was still confused when the narration went from Barbara fainting to Barbara being a promiscuous whore. WTF?
Overall, this novel is recommended only to people who already enjoy historical novels, or those who are willing to persevere through all the shortcomings for the beautiful (and realistic) romance.
