Critiques et Commentaires

A mesmerizing novel, where several voices and stories are connected with each other and the disappearance of a middle-aged nurse on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It's about getting lost, finding oneself again and trying to survive. And also about motherhood (so, also getting lost and trying to survive basically). It has the tension of a thriller and the poetry of contemplative literature.

In this second mystery in the series, our two sleuths investigate a murder in a traveling circus. It gives big Carnivale vibes (if you know, you know) and there's plenty of action and humour to keep it entertaining.

A classic whodunit with more modern undertones, it was fast-paced, fun and queer. Precisely what was needed on a dark December evening.

Superbly written (well, duh, Pulitzer winner and all), this is a story with multiple layers and voices, each different, each with a different aim, until the truth unfolds. It's a rare treat to read a book so well written, so thoughtfully constructed, and where nothing is evident or predictable. It is also a reflection on the stories we tell (ourselves and others) and how extreme wealth gives the power to shape them.

A book built with vignettes that weaves the perceptions and thoughts of the narrator, navigating through the anguish of the climate catastrophe, her marriage, and her demanding brother. This could be quite grim quite fast, fortunately the author has the wit and dry humor to carry it through.

I had high expectations after "This is how you lose the time war", and even though this is completely different, the writing is beautiful and poetic. The story is quite short, I wouldn't have minded if it had been a full novel actually.

I think I liked it? But maybe not all of the time? There are moments of sheer brilliance, but then there are moments when I was quite confused, wondering if I should push through. I'm glad I did, but I don't know what to make of it.

The Dawnhounds is full of things: magic, pirates, flawed characters, strange gods, mysterious voices, a good measure of horror, priests and cops, political intrigue... it does feel a bit much at times, yet it works and hopefully, more is explained in the #2 of the trilogy.

I wasn't sure that I would appreciate the style here, as it's so different from the Hobbit and LOTR, but it was oddly addictive, and finally reading the whole story since the beginning of the world feels incredible.

Qu'on ait apprécié Hélène Carrère d'Encausse ou pas, il est indéniable que sa vie et celle de sa famille ont un potentiel romanesque suffisant pour remplir pas mal de pages. Yoga, un des précédents récits de Carrère était très décevant, là il renoue avec quelque chose qui le dépasse et qui le touche, c'est fluide et passionnant.

I'm not sure how I came across this book and why I decided to read it. The mountaineering part probably attracted my curiosity. Overall, this reads much like a parody of the spy thriller genre like James Bond, and I'm not certain it was written to be one. There is intentional humour in it, but at other times, it really is what it is: a thriller written in the seventies, with mindless sex, a handsome hero with no patriotism whatsoever, a plot that doesn't make sense all the time, and the obligatory twist you see coming from a mountain away. I'm curious about the Clint Eastwood movie though, but for the climbing scenes of course.

Always a pleasure to read P Djèlí Clark, he knows how to make his stories and writing fun, highly imaginative and impossible to put down.

Weird, unsettling and quite lovely at the same time, I just couldn't put it down. The way things are revealed and evolve is incredibly well done.