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gmw · 08-27-2018, 11:21 PM

I just finished (well, not so much finished as stopped reading) Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson.

The writing is rich and deeply evocative, and it is very effective at pulling the reader back into the past - even the multiple layers of the past that Atkinson draws the reader through in the book. There is a huge cast of diverse characters, each well painted, believable and highly individual. But, for all that, I lost patience with it. I got to chapter 4 (about 1/3rd the way through) and skipped to the last chapter ... and nothing felt out of place. It was as if I had missed nothing, because - as far as I can tell - there was nothing much to miss. I don't think there is a story here as such, just a history, Ruby's extended family history.

Spoiler:

I prefer a bit more story or purpose. It doesn't have to be a lot, but a reason to keep moving on to the next chapter helps to give characters and situations a better context, a reason for the reader to care. Kate Atkinson definitely writes well enough that I will be looking at other books by her, but next time I might try one of her mysteries.

08-27-2018, 11:21 PM	#27449
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	I just finished (well, not so much finished as stopped reading) Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. The writing is rich and deeply evocative, and it is very effective at pulling the reader back into the past - even the multiple layers of the past that Atkinson draws the reader through in the book. There is a huge cast of diverse characters, each well painted, believable and highly individual. But, for all that, I lost patience with it. I got to chapter 4 (about 1/3rd the way through) and skipped to the last chapter ... and nothing felt out of place. It was as if I had missed nothing, because - as far as I can tell - there was nothing much to miss. I don't think there is a story here as such, just a history, Ruby's extended family history. Spoiler: The intriguing opening (told through the "eyes" of the just conceived fetus) seemed wasted (to me) because this little piece of intrigue went nowhere and meant nothing - it was clever writing, but that was all. To me this seemed to be the main feature of this book, clever writing with little substance. I prefer a bit more story or purpose. It doesn't have to be a lot, but a reason to keep moving on to the next chapter helps to give characters and situations a better context, a reason for the reader to care. Kate Atkinson definitely writes well enough that I will be looking at other books by her, but next time I might try one of her mysteries.