Customer Reviews

Daylight

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

 

 

I am not a large fan of the vampire genre, nor am I a terribly big fan of Victorian-style fiction, so you and I both find it odd that I found myself reading _Daylight_. I have to say, this book was one of the most truely successful conversions of modern storytelling to classic literature style I have ever read. Knox expertly blends romantic European drama with easily identifiable modern life; characters 'Google' things, credit cards are taken advantage of and Jesuit priests consider HIV. Though the book gets off to a jerky start (rather like a slingshot, actually, it's slow and strained in the wind-up and a delightful shot in the release), the story itself is convoluted enough to be interesting, the characters are absolutely believable and the dialogue is brilliant. Even the strained subject of vampirism is dealt with in a scientific light and from the angle of a realist: what would a relationship with the undead be like? What if all vampires weren't actually 'evil'? What precisely is appealing about vampirism, and more importantly, isn't it a metaphor for most relationships? I really can't say enough good things about this clearly accomplished, very thoughful writer.

I detest vampire fiction and stopped reading "Interview with a Vampire" because I was so freaked out by the evilness of the characters. So why did I buy this book? The setting and the writing. My family has visited Menton, France, where much of the action takes place, and I love the entire region on both sides of the French/Italian border. I skimmed the book at the bookstore and immediately was hooked by Knox's prose. I also enjoy historical fiction and parts of this novel are set in the past. About two-thirds of the way through, I was getting uneasy about the possibility of a nun and saint being a vampire. Way too creepy. However, I persevered and was positively blown away by Knox's satisfying ending. I was worried that she would leave loose ends, but she didn't. All is revealed. I can't believe the reviewer who couldn't tell who was a vampire and who wasn't. This is no mystery by the end of the book. I still do not like vampire fiction; "Daylight" did include some pretty horrifying descriptions. However, the writing is so beautiful and characters so deftly drawn, that "Daylight" was worth the discomfort.

My only remaining question is: Why is this book out of print?

I did like it, but I didn't find it as captivating as some of her other books, such as Billie's Kiss or The Vintner's Luck (or Dreamhunter/Dreamquake, for that matter). The characters ranged from "okay" to "somewhat interesting", and I never really felt attached to any of them. The writing was pretty, but didn't make me stop to reread bits like the other books. I hate to say that I was disappointed, because if I hadn't read her other books, I would have really liked this - but my expectations were incredibly high because of how amazing her other books are. Overall, a good read, but I had been hoping for better from this author, just because of the very high standards she had set (with me) based on her other books.

This novel jumps back and forth between present and past as the novel develops different characters. It can be a chore to read. Just as you are becoming familiar with one character, he or she disappears while other characters are developed. The plot eventually is drawn together. It is a complex tale of people "infected" who live alongside normal prople (except they cannot go out in daylight, hence the name of the novel). Miracles are attributed to a nun executed during World War II, and she is beautified as a saint; but there are further inquiries into what really happened.

I found myself skimming some parts, which is not a good indication, but the main plot kept me interested enough to finish the novel. It is not recommended for people who have trouble dealing with stories about the supernatural. Everyone ends up going their own directions as the novel ends and, in that respect, the novel seems a little unfinished. Matters are solved, but not publicly. The vampires are still out there.

I absolutely adored The Vintner's luck but was very disappointed with this tale of other world creatures. I had trouble connecting the characters or even understanding who was a vampire or who was not. Elizabeth Knox's prose saved the book, for me, from not finishing it.

I chose this book because I was absolutely stunned by the beauty of Vintner's Luck. While I an not a fan of vampire lit, I also loved this book because of Knox's feeling for and understanding of Mediterranean culture and I liked the sophistication of the characters who casually cross borders and change languages.

I really enjoyed this book. It was beautiful and the characters were interesting. I wish there were more!

New Zealand police officer Brian "Bad" Phelan goes on vacation near the French-Italian border to recover from injuries he received while defusing a bomb. While there, he helps the locals recover the drowned body of a woman, but notices how the victim looks like the twin of someone he met years ago in an eerily similar scenario.

Unable to ignore the doppelganger, Bad begins making inquiries into the deceased, Martine Dardo, but he finds is his unofficial investigation is competing with other inquiries. His efforts lead to a Sister Raimondi. Father Daniel Octave, assisted by scholar Eve Moskelutz, has been looking into the qualifications for sainthood for the WW II heroine Sister Raimondi who was killed by Nazis. Meanwhile Eve's twin sister Dawn studies tongues and looking warily yet actively at the goings on is the vampire Lou Ila.

Whether you read this novel in DAYLIGHT or in the evening, this is one weird tale. The story line seems disconnected yet the talent of Elizabeth Knox pulls it together so that the audience begins to wonder whether God will provide signs that the deceased nun is a saint or whether a vampire is one of God's creatures? None of the cast is likable except the poetic vampire, but that is part of the unnatural fun as fans of Ms. Knox will enjoy this non-linear novel that makes a reader struggle to define saint.

Harriet Klausner