IN A DARK WOOD : A NOVEL [Import] [Unbound]

AMANDA CRAIG (Author)

Product Details

• Unbound
• Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE (2002)
• ISBN-10: 0385505620
• ISBN-13: 978-0385505628
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darkness Prevails, April 3, 2002

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Hardcover)

IN A DARK WOOD is unlike any other book I've read - and I loved it! Topics include England, America, divorce, fairy tales, and skeletons in the family closet.

A man nearing 40 is getting a divorce from his wife and has to re-evaluate his life. He discovers a dark fairy tale book written by his mother, who killed herself when he was 6, and he has very little recollection of her. Tracking down his mother's friends and reading the stories help him learn about his past, his family and himself.

The writing style is very smart. The dark fairy stories within the book are killer and they neatly parallel what happened in the mother's past as well as the protagonist's present. The story starts off right in the middle of his moving out of his house, and then continues on a steady pace, building and spiraling until the end.

This book was right up my alley. I look forward to reading more works by Amanda Craig.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Year's Ten Best, May 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Hardcover)

Although the words "a real page-turner...couldn't put it down" are as over-used in reviews as an ATM in Vegas, no other words more accurately describe this book. From page one, Craig carries the reader through a delightful roller-coaster ride of emotions. Combining our hero's search for the truth (about his deceased mother) with the fairy tales (his Mother wrote) he can not escape, IN A DARK WOOD makes for an intriguing novel, sure to be on every critics "ten best" list come December. Please, more from Amanda Craig (she has a number of novels available in England, but not America)- and soon!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can I Read It Backwards?, July 20, 2002

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Hardcover)

Amanda Craig's book "In A Dark Wood" is the first of hers I've read. There must have been at least five times in the reading of the story that I put the book down in disgust wondering how anyone as obnoxiously self-centered as Benedick Hunter could be the main character. Craig certainly was not shooting for a "Conspiracy of Dunces" effect. It wasn't until I got to the end, realized what the unifying issue was to the character, that the heartstrings open and you feel great for having read this book. Having a protagonist with mental illness is always an uphill battle because sane readers need a handle to hold onto. While I agree that this was a great book, it was somewhat difficult to live with this character for the duration of the read. For example, near the end of the story when Benedick is in South Carolina, he hangs up on his ex-wife and says that he's not bringing their son back; how does one have sympathy for a kidnapper? I'm glad I came back and finished the book. The fairy tales within the book are marvelous. It would have been fun to have the illustrations referred to also included. The unravelling of the family secrets propels the novel and gives it a nice sense of pacing. While I think I might have enjoyed this book more if I could have read it backwards, I do think it's one worth the read.