Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
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.
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. |
I think you have missed out by doing this,
gmw, but I suppose we all feel differently about books. I enjoyed
Behind the Scenes at the Museum very much indeed, and thought Atkinson pulled off the difficult feat of writing a book that was very funny and absolutely heartbreaking at the same time.
You may enjoy her Jackson Brodie books, starting with
Case Histories, but they aren't conventional mysteries.