Customer Reviews

The Falstaff Vampire Files

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have never been interested in vampires, Frankenstein, or fairy tales, or the mythologies surrounding them. However, my son went through his middle and high school years wearing fangs and a ruffled formal shirt and tails to school periodically and I went to school to defend his right to do that. And he was in the St. Louis Rocky Horror Cast and so I spent a lot of time with the other kids in the cast and watching the movie and talking about why I thought it was a wonderful thing for kids to be involved with because of all the positive values it encouraged -- especially an embrace of diversity. I've heard a lot about how Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an important feminist text. So my disinterest in the three fantasy strands so popular in our contemporary culture is not chosen nor is it the result of lack of exposure; it's just my innate temperament. However, my older granddaughter is interested in the vampire literature that is so popular with her peers so I decided to read a vampire novel to see if I could understand the appeal.

I chose Lynne Murray's book as my first vampire novel because I already knew I liked her writing and her plotting from having read and enjoyed her Josephine Fuller mysteriesLarger Than Death (Josephine Fuller Mystery) and her terrific Bride of the Living Dead Bride of the Living Dead. I can't talk about The Falstaff Vampire Files in the context of vampire literature -- but I enjoyed this novel because it tells a good story filled with brilliantly witty and erudite references to Shakespeare and English history -- characters and quotations. Murray incorporates and plays with Shakespeare as if his work is a kind of cultural melody that inhabits her novel the way rock and roll inhabits the work of other writers. I loved sharing Murray's obvious fun upending the back-stories of "world famous" fictional characters. Finding out the truth about who Falstaff "really" was, was fascinating. I don't know if she made it up or if it is a current scholarly controversy -- framed something like this: We all know that Shakespear never invented a thing, not a plot or a character. It was all borrowed from some body or some place else. We all know that Shakespear wasn't even Shakespear; somebody else wrote all those plays based on borrowings or stealings of other people work and lives. So now we will unmask who is really behind the Falstaff character. I haven't kept up with current Shakespeare scholarship and controversy since 1969. Other writers have won my heart and I have read them and written about them and collected their work into anthologies The Strange History of Suzanne LaFleshe: And Other Stories of Women and Fatness (The Women's Stories Project)and taken on their tropes as the best expressions of what I know about women's lives.

My interest in women's literature leads me to what most captured me about this book: it's a women's story. It's not just a woman's story but it's the story of a group of women. Women of different ages, different "stations" in life, different shapes and sizes, relationships with different power dynamics (therapist/client, landlady/renter, etc.) all involved with each other in complex emotional relationships without reference to men as an element of how they relate to each other. There are elements of women's friendships, mother/daughter types of relationships Between Mothers and Daughters : Stories Across a Generation (The Women's Stories Project), women being forced into the position of being "the other woman" in another woman's life who meet and have to negotiate that element in their relationship The Other Woman: Stories of Two Women and a Man. So much relationship variety and complexity! Only one woman remains outside of the female bonding and she is irretrievably lost; she drowns in faceless ghostly gray blobbiness! The Falstaff Vampire Files The Falstaff Vampire Filesis truly and deeply rich in the most important elements of classical women's literature. And I guess that includes the tradition of women's love for animals, too; in this case, it is cats, as it so often is, who enrich women's lives.

The writing is intelligent, witty, nicely paced. It is a substantial book filled with erudition, wit, and depth masquerading as light-weigh bit of genre stuff. The audience for FALSTAFF should be enormous because it can feed so many literary appetites. And of course, it is a book about appetites -- for something other than the usual steak and baked potato.

Lynne Murray's engaging writing has pulled me past my prejudice against vampires. Like all her witty books, the great characters in The Falstaff Vampire Files grabbed me from the first page and kept me reading to the end. There were some spine-tingling moments, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a dash of romance. This book shows a different kind of vampire and an invisible otherworldly after-dark society that fits under the surface of San Francisco like a glove. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Therapist Kris Marlowe's bad luck is about to get worse. First her sexy, younger lover Hal turns out to have asked one of her clients to get married (I actually know someone who experienced something similar - two women who compared notes about their boyfriends until it became obvious they were talking about the same guy!) Then sKris is attacked by vampires, which, to add insult to injury, she doesn't even believe in. It's a book about all kind of appetites, not just for blood, but also for good sex and good food. Funny, sexy, and a little bit spooky!

The Falstaff Vampire Files drew me in right from the start and I was intrigued by each character as they reported their own findings. All the main characters are very interesting and some are extremely likeable. I found Kristin, Mina, Ned and Bram so likeable and as each appeared in the story I couldn't wait to see what happened next for them. The character Hal was different for me and along with Sir John I was suspicious of him from the start. I warmed to Sir John largely because he is such fun.

There is social comment woven into this story for those who recognize it and I loved the fact that the main female character was a more realistic body shape than can be found in many novels.

The story has everything you could wish for; romance, intrigue, horror, fun, humor, and a very engaging plot. It is an exceptionally well-written and crafted novel.

There are lovely descriptive phrases which enable the reader to picture the scenes. For instance,

The flat ocean stretched an opalescent pearl color under the late afternoon haze.

In this intelligent and informed book I recognized the style of and allusions to some Shakespearean works aside from of course Sir John who is Falstaff for me. The mystery surrounding Sir John and his status is great fun and some of his dialogue had me laughing out loud, it is clever and funny. This is a particular favorite of mine,

Sir John reports,

But now, the drape pulled aside, I greet a new dusk and the ladies have a male companion.

"Good evening, Mistress Kit and my Hostess Violet. Some new blood, I see."

"I'll be damned" the man says.

"I hope not so, but you must better know the state of your own soul."

So clever.

The spooky "Others" are an inventive twist in characters, (they reminded me of piranhas) and though in true Shakespearean style Sir John receives blame it is the opportunity for him to become the hero.

For an entertaining, different, sometimes spooky, fun, engaging, romantic vampire story, you can't go wrong in choosing this book.

It is a great book and I enjoyed it immensely it must have five stars.

Having lived in San Francisco for a good while, I loved the story and the background places were a major treat for me. It made me miss S.F. so much but considering that there now have been sitings of vampires there, I may visit and I may not..... I can't wait for the next book from Lynne to see where Falstaff is now making his "mark", yes, every pun intended.

Everything I look for in a good read...and more!

Let me preface my review with some background. I dont usually read vampire or paranormal novels. In the past I tried reading Patricia Briggs and couldnt finish the book - so poor Ms Murray started on the back foot.

But within the first few pages she'd got me hook line and sinker.

Written in short, snappy chapters from differing point of views, the story builds from a painful relationship break up and discovery that (SPOILER ALERT) the creepy shed of the ex-boyfriend contains a coffin, through to the unleashing of the terrifying "Others" (Dont talk about them, it gives them more power.)

This book is beautifully written with living, breathing characters who at first are every bit as sceptical about vampires as I was. But through their eyes and experiences my disbelief is suspended and I revelled in the story.

There are so truly lovely touches, such as the relationship between cat mad Vi, and her less cat-loving neighbour Kit Marlowe.

One of the few books that I can hand on heart say that I'm so glad I read it (the last was The Hunger Games - so gives you an idea of the standard!)

Way to go Ms Murray - more please!

Different. I honestly am still not sure what to think of this book. It was an interesting read. I did not have a hard time getting through this book whatsoever. The characters were enjoyable. I did like the fact that the vampires in this story weren't the gorgeous hunky vampires in some stories - they seemed more real even with a few flaws. The fact that Kris and Mina were sleeping with the same man, Hal, and that Kris was Mina's therapist was somewhat weird. There is a little bit of romance in this story with Kris and Abraham Van Helsing that was sweet - Loved some of the character's names in this book. All in all this book really did not do much for me. As not all books are for everybody, I would definite suggest that you check out the other reviews and make your own decision. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Plot summary: Kris Marlow, psychologist, formerly mistress of a happy life, has just discovered that her lover is, well, loving someone else. She wants to hold it together, to work through it, but life interferes, and some of that life is supernatural. Vampiric even. And then her neighbor gets involved . . .

The good: This is a story you'll lose yourself in. Murray's writing skill flies far above the norm, and the characters are realistic, and smart, and real. I wanted to hate the girlfriend, but I couldn't. I wanted to scoff at the vampire, but I couldn't. I read this so closely I nearly missed the Shakespearean references. Best part, IMO: the characters are not just real, they're real-life-sized.

What needs work: Not one single thing.

This is one of those rare, five-star books. One that you buy in hard copy just to put on your shelf because you know that in the future you're going to be reading this one again.

I don't read vampire books..... no interviews, no twilight, no true blood. Something about them makes me think "Ewwwww. Gross" I think it is the blood and blood bourne pathogens. Yuck! But I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it and I tried a sample and I have a touch of OCD so once I started it and it wasn't awful I felt the need to finish it.

I enjoyed the the book, most of the characters were likeable and the interaction between them was well written. I at first felt that if the main character didn't believe in vampires and then all the sudden accepted them was strange but then I thought about that and came to the conclusion that seeing was believing. If someone just told me about dogs I might not believe in them but once I saw a dog I would say "So, that is a dog"

I don't think that the main character being overweight added anything to the story although if didn't necessarily take anything away either. I see that the author is a writer of tales in regards to overweight woman and assume that is why she added the weight onto the character. Either way the story is a good one and well worth anyone's time in reading it. I wonder if she is also a feeder of feral cats and if that is why they were added to the book. Again the cats didn't seem to add anything to the story but they didn't take away anything either.

I see how Falstaff could charm people but the other vampires just don't seem to have much personality so I don't see how they manage to survive. I am not ever going to think that I need to read all vampire books but maybe I will give another story I find a try in the future instead of always passing on books with vampires mentioned because I did enjoy this book very much.

Lynne Murray's engaging writing has pulled me past my prejudice against vampires. Like all her witty books, the great characters in The Falstaff Vampire Files grabbed me from the first page and kept me reading to the end. There were some spine-tingling moments, some laugh-out-loud moments, and a dash of romance. This book shows a different kind of vampire and an invisible otherworldly after-dark society that fits under the surface of San Francisco like a glove. I wholeheartedly recommend it.