Customer Reviews

Blood: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From the very first page there is a foreshadowing of blood and tragedy, but thirty-five years old Norrie is the happiest shes been in her life. She is thrilled to have been awarded the Larkin Fellowship at Radcliff where they pay her for one year to paint in a studio of her own and relocate her to an apartment in Harvard Housing where she intends to do the brunt of her painting.

Her lover, Michael, an accomplished writer, is married but he seems ready to leave his wife and children for her. Having her own apartment, (her last one she shared with a roommate) allows Norrie and Michael to spend a lot of quality time together there. The only fly in the ointment is Clara, Norries next door neighbor, whose possessiveness turns Norrie against her. When one of the Larkies who happens to be Norries best friend is murdered, everyone on campus thinks Clara did it even though there is no evidence linking her to the crime.

BLOOD is an erotic, dark and foreboding work that is more about different relationships than a typical murder mystery. The first person narrative makes the action up close and personal while allowing the audience an insightful view into Norries thought processes. The action, though theres not a lot of it, is pivotal to the story line. Patricia Traxler is a very talented writer who exposes the dark side of the human psyche to the audience.

Harriet Klausner

I've always said that with good food, the best part was the taste in your mouth between bites & the same was true with this. That is as least until I got to the final quarter, which was finished today in one go. Entertaining & thought provoking throughout. I may not have always agreed with Norrie's beliefs on how life should be lived but I relished taking my time to reflect on what she had to say. Beautifully descriptive & poetic from the first sentence. *****

I bought this book on a whim, something I rarely do. I picked it up and flipped through the pages, and something about the dialogue and tone of the author's voice caught me, so I figured what the heck?

I am so glad I did - this book was one I found I could hardly put down. There were several times when the cleverness of the dialogue made me laugh out loud, and other times the descriptions of emotions made me want to weep. Being an artist myself (music and photography), I could thoroughly appreciate Norrie's struggle to be creative, how panicked she felt at the thought of that creativity deserting her and how obsessed she was once it got hold of her again.

There may have been some loose ends here and there, but I'm not a book critic - I just know this particular story spoke to my heart in a way that hasn't been done in a long time, and I hope Ms. Traxler graces us with more books before too long.

I was very moved by this book, in spite of some elements that I found to be rather lacking in depth or thought. Although the novel is touted for its eroticism, and is brave in its depiction of the liberties and dangers that go along with intimate, 'forbidden' sex, the protagonist's (Honora) romantic liaison was the least interesting aspect for this reader. We've seen this before: married artistic man + intelligent and passionate lover = disappointment. But what we haven't seen at all enough of, and what _Blood_ so compellingly explores, is the profound possibility that opens up when women artists push the boundaries of friendship.

Traxler's beautiful portrayal of Devi, cultured and brilliant Indian poet, is extraodrinarily fine. The growing friendship and the creative inspiration between Honora and Devi is marvelous, really well done and quite believable. So all that goes along with it, and the pain of loss that is at the heart of this novel, is especially difficult to read. Honora's paintings of Devi, and the decisions she must make about their exhbition, are extremely well-rendered.

At the book's end I was surprised by the message its conclusion conveys, seemingly in spite of itself: love is to be trusted, as is art, but it is friendship (particularly that between women), not romantic/sexual love, which ultimately provides a kind of salvation. I'm not at all confident that this was the author's intention, but it was more than good enough for me.

The book also serves as a kind of memorial to Radcliffe's Bunting Fellowships (here referred to as "Larkins"), which still exist but are now open to men and thus have been changed utterly. Traxler, the one-time recipient of a Bunting, is sensitive in her appreciation and questioning of the exclusivity of the program. Honora's initial skepticism about 'sisterhood' and eventual, earned reliance on and trust in the all-female program make this a sort of elegy for one of the VERY few fellowship programs in the country that, up until recently, so actively supported the work of women scholar and artists.

One caveat: the character sketch of Clara, possesive and unhinged South American quasi-lesbian, is rather difficult to take. The broad strokes Traxler uses here, as if to provide a counter-model of the dangers of female love and friendship, are in contrast to her fine detail and emotional richness elsewhere. She seems out of her depth here.

Flawless. I only wish she had slept with her stalker / neighbour. I recommend this to everyone who likes a good thrill.

This is one of those books that you hate to finish. I felt like I knew Norrie, and knew I would miss her when it ended. Gripping, heart wrenching and elegantly written, I know I will think about this book for a long time.

Reading the preceding review, I have to wonder how anyone who reads at all can take this fascinating and beautifully written novel for a "murder mystery." The author opens with the unforgettable line, "Though it's true there is a killing in my story, its principal violence is, I think I'd have to say, the violence of love." That single sentence signals the intentions of this novel very well: It is not a murder mystery, although there is a murder in the plot'line and, yes, the story is mysterious...but it's so much more than that. I'd say Blood is most of all an engrossing, psychologically complex (and yes, suspenseful) story that examines desires in conflict''in this case, the protagonist's desire to make art, the desire to make love, and the desire for some kind of spiritual meaning in her life. There is also the jealous desire of her possessive neighbor, Clara, who wishes to be "thisclose" to Norrie Blume, and who carries that desire to lengths that
become unsettling to Norrie. I'm honestly baffled how any reader could describe this story's erotic content as "raw sex" without tenderness or romantic love. After all, sexual desire and deep romantic love are not mutually exclusive, and I think Traxler wanted to explore the ethics and conflicts of a love that is considered illicit, and to allow Norrie Blume, a decent and moral person, to do something that she knows very well is ethically questionable at best. That Traxler makes this moral quandary so very real and engrossing allows us to imagine ourselves in the protagonist's shoes, and invites us to question our own choices if faced with this dilemma. If you can say this is just a murder mystery, then you haven't understood the book at all. Too bad. Seriously''that's a shame.

My ears perk up when I hear the phrase "my favorite book."I just can't resist reading a book when I hear it is someone's favorite.

I can easily see the draw of this book. Norrie Blume is involved in a compelling stay-go relationship with a man who has a firm commitment to his wife and children. Norrie also develops two equally compelling relationships with two women, relationships that both satisfy and frustrate her, much like her relationship to the married man. Norrie is an artist; she is able to bring all the joys and difficulties of her life into her paintings. It is fascinating for the reader to watch Norrie paint her joys and difficulties into objects of beauty and horror. That's what I liked about the book.

But there was much I did not like. I found it difficult to believe that after two years of an affair, the wife never caught on. Blood was tossed here and there throughout the story, and was often tossed into places that filled me with revulsion. I never saw the attraction of Norrie to the married man. Despite these qualities, I dove into the book and read page after page, hoping for an ending that would draw everything together. This ending did not happen. The ending was very unsatisfactory to me. Everything was left broken. It was not clear how Norrie finally managed to let go of the boyfriend. It was not clear how Norrie's admirer was finally able to let go of Norrie. The ending felt very jumbled; the ending felt like the author got tired and tried to finish everything up by sewing together all the questions, but not in a way that seemed justified by the story.

the fact that the author says right away that this is a murder mystery --that takes 1/2 the mystery away. then to read on--in the very begining where that author writes from the first person--this is very engaging and very interesting. after she starts her book--all interest fades. it focuses on a sexual relationship with a married man. and one askes themself--why was this book published? it has no real plot. we do not have to wonder if there was a murder--we only wonder "who did it?, and why?"
while the author is telling us clues, she is having sex with her sweetheart. the sex is written very poorly. i would imagine that the author had no sexual experience what so ever before writing this book. i always hear that one should write about what they know--this author needs to experience a beautiful, tender, loving intimate relationship--and THEN write about it. there is no intimacy, no tenderness, just raw boring sex. i found myself skipping through the book hoping to find a reason to keep reading it. finally it ended! halliluiah!
why was this book even considered by a publisher to be printed? it must have been
the authors previous sucesses and the publisher liked printing meaningless, boring, empty sex.