Customer Reviews

NEVERMORE

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Though the partnership of Poe and Crocket is unlikely to have ever worked, the premise is fun. The author must have had enjoyed working the numerous references to Poe's stories into the details and plot of Nevermore. As a fan of Poe, I delighted in Schechter's attempt to duplicate the stilted and often tedious writing structure used by Poe - it made the first person narrative work. The whonunnit aspect of the book is somewhat contrived and rather anti-climactic, but the read is still enjoyable.

I suffer from an auditory processing disability which makes it rough getting through most books. My concentration and comprehension in layman's terms is just lousy. However, I found this book so fascinating that I could hardly put it down. Schechter's words describe the action in such a clear and dramatic style that you feel as though you're there watching all the action. He combines all the stuff I learned about Poe this past year in eighth grade Lit. and molds it into a creative masterpiece that even Poe, the toughest of critics would give a great review. I can hardly wait till Schechter's next book. I hear he teams Poe up with P.T. Barnum!! Cool!

I read through the many reviews of this book, astonished at the number of people who apparently missed the point (or the several points). Like several of those who DID get it, I laughed almost continuously, as would most readers had any fondness for or familiarity with the era's writing style (ergo the use of italics, which I found hilarious, likewise the exclamation points which ended almost every chapter). I was more than impressed at the thoroughness of the author's grasp of the style, in fact, and really savored his skill in capturing the flavor of Poe.

I found the Poe characterization charming, unlike some who found him tedious-- every time he rhapsodized about his manly prowess in some "pugilistic art," he got woozy at the point of action and had to be rescued by Crockett; also, he would ramble on in high-flown style, only to have Crockett or some other normal person paraphrase it for us. I really enjoyed the endless Crockettisms, too-- along the lines of the recent election debacle's catch-phrase, "nibbled to death by a duck."

I should note that I bought this book to serve as a theatrical prop-- it was remaindered (hardcover) at a B&N, and worked perfectly as Gerald McBoing-Boing's schoolbook in a kids' show. Rather than pack it away, I read it-- and really enjoyed it, enough to want to check out the reviews..., and seeing the misinterpretations of so many readers, am now defending it!

In conclusion-- this is NOT a historical account of anything, it's not a standard mystery novel, it's not an exploration of some long-lost serial killer's psyche. It's a very funny parody of Poe, his stories, poems and writing style, VERY cleverly interwoven with a respectable murder mystery.

I loved this book. It is eloquently written from Edgar Allen Poe's perspective and is thoroughly engrossing. The idea of pairing frontiersman Davy Crockett and Poe is genius as the two actually work well together. Highly credible dialog and a historically atypical setting in old Baltimore make for a delightful read. If this is the author's first foray into fiction (I know he specializes in true crime pieces) I only hope he continues. I recommend this book highly to anyone who enjoys history and mystery stories. Poe's refined vocabulary may send some for their Webster's, but it is worth the effort.

I could not stop imagining Johnny Depp and John Wayne cast as the main characters in this book! It was awesome to me, but as a native of San Antonio, my opinion is biased. I am also a fan of Poe and enjoyed the made-up recounts of the "fall of the house of Asher!" Read it, if you dare!

I just finished reading this book, and found it to be delightful. The ending is MAYBE just a little too far-fetched, but then again, the whole premise of the novel is somewhat far fetched. Can you imagine if Poe and Crockett had actually known each other, much less worked together for a common cause? I think the real Poe would have thought himself to be too superior to "rub elbows" with Crockett. At first, I was thrown off my the absurdity of Crockett's language--no one could have spoken that poorly--but then I realized that the story is being told from Poe's point-of-view. In Poe's mind, Crockett was a backward hick who couldn't even use colliqualisms correctly. When you view how "backwards" Crockett appears to be, it must be remembered that Poe is the one who is drawing this picture. Throughout the book there are similarities with Poe's actual works of fiction. Hence, Asher ultimately becomes Usher from the House of Usher. These allusions to Poe's fiction are what made this such a fun story--the whole time I was trying to match up incidents from the book with Poe's actual work. "Ok, so such & such story came out of what happened in this part of the novel," is what I kept telling myself while reading it. It was fun to pretend that this was a true story and that the bulk of Poe's writing evolved from his encounter with Crockett. I also liked the way Schechter made Poe to be such a weakling in the reader's eyes, while Poe, himself, never thinks he's been less than heroic. A couple of the scenes were downright brutal, so for those who like the blood and gore--it's there--it's just intermingled with a silly, but charming fairy tale that is supposed to have happened with Poe & Crockett. As long as you don't take this novel too seriously, it's a fun piece of work and very entertaining. It won't go down in history as being a great work of art, but it should bring a smile to the face of anyone who reads it.

I recently read Harold Schechter"s novel "Nevermore", and was pleasantly surprised. I actually picked the book off of the bargain table not having heard anything about the author or the book. However, my interest in Edgar Allan Poe's works prompted me to buy it. I thoroughly enjoyed being transported to 1830's Baltimore, a city I have spent some time in. Mr.Schechter nearly convinced me that I was reading one of Poe's actual works. I could actually feel the dark oppresive atmosphere of the setting. I have always enjoyed reading the prose of the nineteenth century American writers, and Schechter seems to have an exceptional talent in this arena. I did have to use a dictionary to enable myself to be transported into the story, but what a ride, and what a learning experience as well. It is a shame that this type of writing is no longer popular.

The conceit of this book is that it is written by Poe, and incorporates in the plot many elements of his poems and stories. It should work, but it doesn't. The wordy, faux-Victorian prose style is deadly. If Poe really wrote like this, you'd never have heard of him. Poe's prose, whatever else it is, is readable, and this is not. Somebody needs to try this idea again and make it work.

The best part of this story, to me, was the use of the unreliable narrator, Poe himself, to tell this story. Every time he mentions that it is not jealousy that drove his emotions or that he rarely imbibes is a classic scenario in which (just as in "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Tell-Tale Heart", etc.) we know that the person telling the story is skewing it towards his point of view. That, and the high-falutin' language should surely cause the reader to chuckle. The fact that Davy Crockett is not only a self-promoting egoist who, in fact, possesses all of the powers that he claims to have, just adds to the humor. Sometimes the language bogs down the reader, but in general it adds to the contrast between the two disparate "heroes". The only fault I have is the end. The culprit is too contrived for my taste. On a personal side note, I liked the fall of the house of "Asher".

Maybe this book should have gotten two stars instead of three, it all depends on how prepared you are to read long, sometimes very long, passages of Poe's horror. He (Poe) comes across as extremely neurotic and passive, this, while maybe realistic, becomes very tiresome and predictable after a while. The coupleing with Davy Crockett works very well and is one of the high points of the book, allthough you tend to wonder why Crockett puts up with Poe's continous mishandelings of the mystery.

Altogether not a book I'd recommend unless you're into Poe as an author