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S. Dunn
An Uneven Read
This book was just not my cup of tea. The narrators changing mid-paragraph didn't seem clever to me ... more like the author was going for a stream-of-consciousness type of thing but it seemed to me rather amateurish.
Given the design of the cover and the summary description I guess I was expecting that the names of the characters would be entirely original, or more ethereal or something. So I felt oddly disappointed that the author chose entirely ordinary names: Mary, Edward, Annie, Richard etc.
It also seemed like there was so much effort put into establishing the setting, background, etc but not so much regarding the themes which were so disappointingly prosaic. All men are horrible one-note brutes and yet despite this all of the women were blessed and would succeed no matter what. It seemed as though the men had to fail in order for the women to triumph which is much too simplistic even for the Victorian era.
The editing needed to be tightened up. Some paragraphs seemed to go on and on and on without much happening at all. Overly wordy in some areas and insufficiently descriptive in others. It read as though it was a very rough first draft that hadn't yet been edited.
Jennie_W
The Gifts
I was excited to read this book. The description sounded fascinating. It touches on science, religion, nature. I looked forward to diving right in. The writing is beautiful and descriptive with five different perspectives. Once I started reading, I just couldn't connect with the story. I couldn't always keep track of which character each chapter was about and the plot just didn't seem to come together as quickly as I would have liked.
Sonya_M
Angels in London, The Gifts
While the book is well written and tells the intriguing story of four women in Victorian London, it takes a dark turn mid-way. And the brutality of men, one in particular, became difficult for me. Vivid stories of man's brutality towards women are hard to read. However, that's a personal bias and should not reflect on this fascinating story. Set in Victorian London, the setting and characters are beautifully written and unique. It tells the well-known history of women of that era having no personal or financial independence. Women are sprouting angel wings—one found dead in the Thames, two others emerging as the story continues. And a doctor's ego overpowering any morality as he rushes to study the angels. The four women represent different classes of that era, the high standing of a doctor's wife, an impoverished orphan who wants to be a writer raised by gay men, a woman who loses her home to her brother after her father's death, and an immigrant seeking a new life in London. The book provides fascinating insight into an era with few social supports for the poor, workhouses, child labor, a strict social structure. It really is a fascinating story, very unique in structure and style. The writing tends towards more of a YA style, short chapters.
Chris_H
The Gifts
Although I found the book page-turning and always wanted to know what was next, I thought it lacked a central, attached story. Three women grew wings during different time periods which I was interested in and also confused by. I wanted a more in depth story of perhaps one or two perspectives instead of five! This book "explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition." Too much!! Left me wanting more with less.
Victoria B. (Little River, SC)
Too Much of a Stew For Me
In The Gifts, Liz Hyder has swirled together themes of feminism, religion, and ambition in this historical, magical realism novel. Told in the voices of multiple characters, their stories interweave into a knotted tale. A woman with wings is found dead in the Thames in 1840, another woman has sprouted wings and is being held prisoner by a surgeon, and yet a third is sprouting wings at the start of the book. Presumably metaphors for the growth of feminism during the same time period, the book doesn't quite deliver the bewitching, addictive promise of the blurbs.
Due to the short chapters and multiple voices, the book needs close focus by the reader. It seems to this reader that the author has tried to incorporate too many genres into what could have been an interesting read. Instead it was a messy attempt albeit with beautiful writing.
Sandy F. (Davis, CA)
The Gifts
Through 2/3rds of this book, I struggled to keep the 4 main characters straight and to care about them. If I had not requested this book to review, I would not have finished it. The last third of the book was better written and more enjoyable to read. 'The Gifts' never captured my imagination and Parts of it were repetitious and boring.
Lynne L. (Tamarac, FL)
Extraordinary Mystery
The Gifts by Liz Hyder is clearly a labor of love. It has, from the subtext of the title, "It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are," the idea that these characters are bound by the manifestation of some great force beyond their control. The problem is that there are too many characters, the extraordinary feels contrived, and developing the themes of love, ambition, obsession, the empowerment of women, among others, weighs down the narrative. All four of the women have talent ,passion, personal conflicts and dreams. They are very different in background but are thrown together in one novel with too many stories to tell. There is arguably enough material in their lives for four separate novels. By juxtaposing them in one overall narrative, they become superficial. They are held hostage to the great mystery at the heart of the novel. Unfortunately, that extraordinary mystery remains just that, a mystery with no explanation.
There are some wonderfully evocative descriptive passages, flashes of believable dialogue and relationships that pull the reader forward. But the novel can't seem to decide if it is YA or adult fiction. The extremely short chapters become distracting to an adult reader. The illustrations are charming, but unnecessary, except for the chapter heading icons that signify the character under discussion.
In terms of discovering who they really are and pursuing their destinies in a world dominated by men, only Mary, the journalist, seems to have a chance… even if she sometimes is forced to masquerade as a man to do so. Etta, the naturalist and Annie, the artist, remain mere hobbyists. Natalia, the storyteller, is forced to find an alternative lifestyle with Etta.
I really wanted to like this novel based on the promotional material. I love historical fiction and there is enough historical flavor in The Gifts to satisfy. The problem for me is that I could not buy into the premise of the novel. As the narrator states on page three, "It is impossible. It cannot be." Those words ring true all the way through the hefty 423 pages of the book. If I want to read about believable angels, I will stick with Neil Gaimon.
I cannot recommend this book as an example of any particular genre. Is it historical fiction? Is it fantasy fiction? Is it YA? Is it an adult novel? Because it can't seem to decide where it fits, I found it unsettling. I certainly recognized the author's passion and hard work, but not enough to pass the novel along to my book club or other adult friends.
Patty S. (Towson, MD)
All Over the Place
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It hits all of my happy places in subject matter: "science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition" (from the back cover) but it jumped around too fast. Short chapters can work great but because we were following so many characters, it took me half the book to figure out what was going on. I think the gratuitous description of the killing of a dog in a very early chapter didn't help. I did like the ending, though. I gave it an extra star for that.
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