Good plot, but too indulgent (Rating 3 of 5)
» Procrastinator
This was my first Mark Mills book, and having read it I would consider reading more of his work. Unless it was about the history of art. I don't know the author's background but my guess would be that it's very closely related to this field. The book contains pages and pages of in depth descriptions of buildings and sculptures, and the author has written it as if the reader has the same in depth knowledge themselves. I found myself having to read some parts of the book twice, as I'd realise I hadn't taken in any of the last five pages that I'd read because they were all describing one building. This spoiled it for me, as these lengthy descriptions got in the way of a well written and intriguing story. If some of these descriptions had been cut down then the book might have flowed more easily, which would have earned it four or five stars from me. A good story, ruined slightly by the author showing off. If you're into art history then this is definitely a book for you
Just above average - once you've read 1/3 of the book (Rating 3 of 5)
» Louise Amkaer
Alex, an art history student in the 1950s, is broken up with and finds an offer to study the garden of the Docci villa in Tuscany a welcome chance to get away. He is drawn into a wilderness of a family secret and the secret of the centuries' old garden and its artwork. "The Savage Garden" is about pulling back and leafed branch and stepping into the unknown and daring to see.
I found this novel difficult to get start. The beginning is a series of horticultural description and scenes that seems out of place. However, about a third into the novel, it gripped me. By then, finally, Alex was three-dimensional and so were the other characters, the matriarch Docci and her sensual granddaughter. The horticultural elements became part of what set "The Savage Garden" apart from other novels. When I finished, I had even reached the conclusion that this is a great book.
The plotline in "The Savage Garden" is divided between Alex's experiences, the search for the murderer of the uncle during WWII, and the interpretation of the garden with its ties to Dante's circles of hell and mythology. I found the garden-plotline most interesting. The poking around for the murderer of the uncle seems rather trivial.
All in all, given the chance, this book is just above average.
Louise
Very very average - and strangely similar to Kate Mosse's Labarinth (Rating 2 of 5)
» Manda Moo
Hmmm, isn't it odd how some Richard and Judy books are spot on and others are so far off the mark. I read this at speed on holiday. If I hadn't I wouldn't have finished it. It gave me a strange sense of deja vu as I was in the same place when I read Kate Mosse's Labarinth (which I wasn't very keen on) and the stories were so similar. I wouldn't bother reading this, it sounds promising and then is so dull and lacking in depth that you'll have wasted your time
Good build up throughout book but finished too quickly (Rating 4 of 5)
» Janie U
I really enjoyed the gradual unfolding of the story and the way that the characters were developed. The book felt like an old fashioned murder mystery where clues were being dropped along the way in an Agatha Christie style.
None of the characters were too cliched and I felt that just the right amount of information was given about them.
The only problem I had with the book was the ending, it all happened far too quickly and I felt that I must have missed something earlier on. I did, however, like the way that the letter summarised the conclusion
Waking the Dead (Rating 3 of 5)
» Lotus Eater
Adam Strickland solves a 400-year-old murder, but although this novel is a pleasant read, it cannot be described as either 'captivating' or 'intriguing', as claimed by various newspapers' critic's reviews. In fact, I found it rather bland and totally predictable. Even the Italian influence disappointed me; I love Italy, but found the prose to be totally lacking in its ability to conjure up the atmosphere of that wonderful country. A plus point - Art History was at the heart of the novel and as a reader with no knowledge of the subject whatsoever, the details regarding this were of great interest to me; it was probably this that kept me reading! Although well written, I found the romantic aspects of the story to be quite naive and at times felt I was reading a novel with input from two different people!
(Rating 3 of 5)
(Rating 2 of 5)
(Rating 4 of 5)
