Customer Reviews

The Marriage of Sticks

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Im so totally awestruck and in love that I HAD to run right in here and talk to you about it! I have never been so impressed with a writer. He doesn't do any fancy dancing--no literary gimmicks...but man oh man, this Carroll can WRITE!

His newest book Marriage of the Sticks starts off in a very ordinary way--a high school reunion. So ordinary that I thought, uh oh...I'm going to be disappointed. But then he slowly starts introducing characters that I would LOVE to know! I really really want to sit down and talk to them.

Every darn time he taps into something so odd yet familiar, something really appealing. I just don't know how he's doing this, but he writes about such interesting things and thoughts. And I've just read a couple of paragraphs that are worth the price of the book and the shipping from England! (it will be out here in september I think) Where does he GET these ideas???? I'm not saying what it is because it's too savory. You should come across it and discover it for yourself if you read this book. Now of course, one of the notions imbued in the reading of Carroll is a tension-ANYTHING could happen. So every knock on a door makes you wonder who might reappear; every dog that enters a room makes you ask...could this be Vanasque or someone I'll love?

Every segment has some little surprise and delight. The main character in this one is a woman (<G>) and she deals in rare books and other precious objects. The incidental characters (at least I think they are) are intriguing and yet unexplained in full. But they have flesh even though they only pass through a scene or two. The ideas....the things he talks about . . . it's like taking a mental bubble bath; I just want to soak and roll in sheer delight.

Can one fall in love just by reading a man's words, even though they're intended for millions? I feel so foolish, but this guy amazes me! Again!

For over 10 years I have read and enjoyed Carroll's novels. Every one gives you the same sensation: things start out seemingly normal until little by little odd things start to happen. In this sense, he reminds me of Rachel Ingalls, another one of my favorite but obscure writers. Because the odd things creep up slowly, everything seems plausible until you end up in a mind-blowing fantasy world and wonder how the heck you got there! Elevators open up into other epochs, animals talk and people look strangely familiar even though you have never met them before. I have never read a Carroll novel in more than 1 sitting: once you start, you are completely hooked until the end. I can't understand why he's not one of the most famous writers in the USA -- he's very popular in Europe (lives in Vienna), but here you can barely find his books -- all his classics except a few recent ones are out of print. Do yourself a favor and read his latest one, The Marriage of Sticks, as an introduction -- it's excellent, although others are better. I love Bones of the Moon and Voices of our Shadow the most. He inspires all sorts of subversive thoughts -- in my case, Carroll makes me wish I'd stolen the public library copies I found of all his old books. Seek out all his books and let's bring Carroll back to mainstream America. He'll change how you think.

Fans of Jonathan Carroll know what it's like to crave for something else by this man to read. So when The Marriage of Sticks came out, a sigh of relief was heard round the world. It's like a drug, and just when our DTs were getting their worst, we get another hit of Carroll. This is a magnificent book and absolutely beautiful in parts, which is hard to come by these days. If anyone cares what I think, I recommend this highly.

Every time Jonathan Carroll publishes a book I put my world on hold and happily go live in the new one he has created. The nicest thing about his books is I always get the feeling they are talking directly to me and not anyone else. The main character in THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS is a woman in her early thirties who is sort of stuck in her life and doesn't know which way to turn. Me too. But reading Carroll and seeing what he has to say about the subject helped in many ways for me to see my own problems more clearly and maybe even find a way through them. This has happened with every single book of his I have ever read and that is the main reason why I will go on reading Jonathan Carroll. As one of the blurbs say, his work is addictive.

Jonathan Carroll has written some of my favorite novels ever. LAND OF LAUGHS, BONES OF THE MOON, SLEEPING IN FLAME, and OUTSIDE THE DOG MUSEUM are all wonderful, insightful, brilliant. And as much as I wanted to like THE MARRIAGE OF STICKS, I just couldn't. It begins well and tugs you right in, but then about halfway through, it just sort of gives up the ghost (pun intended). From there on to the end, it's a sort of mishmash of trippy visionsquests, with an ending that is neither satisfying--as far as I was concerned--nor actually all that coherent. The characters are not particularly likeable; I never got the sense that they were real people. They came across, rather, as stock players with cool attributes, great one-liners, and the right clothes. And the sorts of little satoris that always happen to characters in Carroll novels, which in his best books really DO make you the reader gasp at the insight, are not, I'm sorry to say, particularly meaningful in this case. They are trite, or cute, or both. Often, in recent Carroll novels, this particular trait of his--like casually mentioned rock bands you never heard of, or Austrian street names--seems forced, as if he knows the readers expect it and doesn't want to let them down. But it doesn't work. If you want something great by Carroll, I recommend one of the early titles. But I can't recommend this one.

I just finished The Marriage of Sticks by Jonathan Carroll this morning, and it was a wonderful, bewildering experience. Reading Carroll is like talking to that exciting friend of yours; you know the one, the person that makes you go places you wouldn't normally go, see things you wouldn't normally see, talk to people you would normally stare at quietly from across the room. If you EVER see a book by Jonathan Carroll on the bookshelves (he's typically listed in the Literature section, alongside Don De Lillo and Chinua Achebe and J.G. Ballard and Kurt Vonnegut and those fortunate enough to have escaped genre classification), grab it and don't let go. His books are very hard to find nowadays, and it's a rare treat to see one in a store. Tor, lovely book publisher that they are, have taken to reprinting some of his earlier books in a trade paperback, and The Marriage of Sticks is one of them, though it only came out a few years ago. This is Carroll's second-to-latest novel, it is the most similar to The Wooden Sea, in respect to style and technique and storytellingness. And characterization. Carroll's characters simply leap off the page and whisper their story in your ear. He has the phenomenal ability of drawing you into the story, like a big brother at a campfire. Carroll's books are to be treasured, and to be snagged wherever you can manage to find a copy.

A friend who knows my taste in books suggested I read Jonathan Carroll. She told me she was sure I would like his writing and she was right. I do. Although I bought three "Carroll books," I chose to read "The Marriage of Sticks" first because it seemed the most interesting. I especially liked the fact that I would find elements of both fantasy and horror in this book.

It seems to me that Carroll has what might be termed a "cult following" and this is, in one sense, a shame. While it's certainly not bad to have avid fans (I am now one of those fans), Carroll is such a good storyteller and such a first-rate writer that he really deserves to be far more widely read, especially in his native United States.

The fantasy of Jonathan Carroll is not the fantasy of Marian Zimmer Bradley and her legends of Arthuriana. It is not the fantasy of Tolkien. Carroll's books do not contain kings and queens, wizards and warriors or frogs who become princes when kissed by fair princesses. Don't get me wrong; I like that kind of fantasy, but I love Carroll's own unique brand, too.

Jonathan Carroll seems to write about everyday people in everyday settings. In the case of "The Marriage of Sticks," the "everyday" people are Miranda Romanac and Hugh Oakley, both people who love, hate, make friends, have careers and families and pets and, on the surface, at least, seem to want to do the best in life.

"Seem to want," seems to be a crucial phrase when talking about a Jonathan Carroll book. For his characters seem to be far more than we would have guessed had we met them at a dinner party or an outdoor cafe. They have strange, sometimes macabre, undercurrents and emotional lives that are often in a state of constant turmoil. And this is what makes them so interesting and compelling and alive. Fascinating even. We love to read about them, but we sure wouldn't want to be one of them.

The first half of "The Marriage of Sticks" belongs to Miranda and seems to be more of a realistic (though passionate) love story than anything supernatural. This is just part of Carroll's subtlety and delicacy and skill as a writer. When the supernatural elements make a stronger appearance, as they do in the second half of the book, we are well prepared for them, though we may not realize it at first.

Miranda Romanac is a woman who wants, and needs, to love. She's a warm and giving person, but she is a warm and giving person with one huge flaw...she preys upon others in a most unique way. It is this one terrible flaw, personified in the character of Frances Hatch, that will come to overshadow and torment Miranda's life (and Hugh's) in the most terrible of ways.

When Miranda and Hugh move into Frances' former home, Crane's View, the supernatural gains a firmer hold. I think the readers who didn't like the second half of this book might have rushed too quickly through the first half. I have a feeling that Carroll's subtle preparation for what is to come may be lost on readers who try to get to the end of the book too quickly. Jonathan Carroll is far too much of a gourmet feast to be rushed through; he needs to be savored.

In the second half of "The Marriage of Sticks," Carroll gradually peels away the layers of "everyday" veneer that gloss his characters to reveal who they really are and what horrors they must face. These revelations are extraordinary, fascinating, horrifying and, ultimately, haunting.

I loved the way Carroll juxtaposed the mundane with the fantastic. For me, this made Miranda's situation all the more horrifying; it made it seem as though it could, very definitely, happen to me. Add to this Carroll's delicate, perfectly-nuanced, watercolor prose and you have a truly haunting book that you will never forget.

"The Marriage of Sticks" is, in my opinion, a very underrated book and Jonathan Carroll is a very underrated writer. His is first-rate writing coupled with first-rate storytelling skills. When added together, they make for a rich, rewarding and enjoyable experience that is simply unique.

As someone recently bit by the Carroll bug, I may not be the most impartial critic. Still I found this book was very enjoyable. I understand the swiftly shifting underlying cosmology of the novel will lose many readers. But it is this which drew me in deeper. Yes, the characters may seem alittle too privledged to connect with some but the underpinnings are sound. I like the fact that while Miranda is sympathetic that when the revelation about her character comes we are not unaware of her personal flaws up to this point. The key to much of the characterization is though we like the characters, we can see their shortcomings. How often do you see that?!

Also having read The Wooden Sea first, I was thrilled to see Frannie again. It should be noted that Kissing The Beehive, this novel, and The Wooden Sea make a rather discrete trilogy of novels. While indvidual stories, they certainly lend a certain resonance to each other.

So if you want something that entertains and provokes thought, you can't go wrong with Carroll. Not the best place to start - I read Sleeping in Flame first but would recommend The Wooden Sea as a good place to start - but still very good. Then again just pick one and jump in. Well worth the time.

There is a bitter sweet surreal quality about this book, that is often found in Jonathan Carroll's work that I find incredibly addictive. This novel offers glimpses into the selfishness of our world and also the fear that drives that me-me-meness. The magic of caring for another person to the point of rising above this emotional epidemic of our time shines as well as the price exacted by the wonder of it. Its a terrifying, wonderful piece of work...I only wish it were longer.

After reading 5 of Jonathan Carroll's novels, I am certain of this much: his stories, told in clear and urbane prose, are compelling page-turners that, much like British fantasist Graham Joyce's, straddle the threshold of reality and fantasy. In The Marriage of Sticks, Miranda, his first-person elderly narrator, recounts in her journal a life turned upside down after mysterious, seemingly coincidental occurrences begin taking place after attending a 15-year class reunion.

What's so enjoyable about Carroll's writing is the investment he puts in to his protagonists. Miranda is no different: I found her to be a sympathetic, flawed, and likable narrator. Which is why the explanation of the strange phenomena in Miranda's life, revealed in the book's second half, left me a tad befuddled. Without giving too much away, it was hard for me to believe this character, who seemed to go through life without treating others with too much malice or magnanimity, was declared by Carroll as a metaphorical vampire!

Now, Miranda seems neither more or less of a vampire than the rest of human kind, and that may be Carroll's point: to make his readers examine themselves and question their own actions. If Miranda is selfish though appears otherwise, might we also be guilty of a similar selfishness? Might our actions, like Miranda's, reverberate with all of those we touch in the world?

Needless to say, The Marriage of Sticks is filled with wonderful observations about life - as are all of Carroll's books. Unfortunately, also like his other books, the fantasy element, the metaphysics that make up the Carroll-world, feel incomplete and are rendered a bit sloppily: too much explanation through dialogue of his surreal world, which eliminates much of the story's mystery. Of course, this short changing of a richer fantasy world is one of the reasons The Marriage of Sticks can clock in at under 300 pages. Ironically, one of Carroll's comendable traits is his ability to write such taut novels.

I really enjoyed The Marriage of Sticks, and also highly recommend the related, semi-sequel The Wooden Sea. Carroll's books, regardless of your opinion on their merits, are essential reading to understanding what's happening in contemporary fantasy.