Customer Reviews

Poison: A Novel

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

 

 

What a sad day when publishers are willing to go through the trouble of supporting a book such as this. There is no doubt that the author has talent, but this was a misguided effort.
After 100 pages (I did try) I closed the book and put it into my give away pile. Shades of Atlas Shrugged. Dark, depressing, repetitive and rambling.
There is a terrific story here, but it was missed by a mile. I wish I had more skill to be able to say what I feel about the writing, but it is enough to say that I didn't finish the book. That is rare for me.
Better luck in future efforts. A good author is a terrible thing to waste.

This book had a quite promising opening. Immediately, I was engaged and curiously turning page after page. Yet, as the pages progressed, the book deviated into becoming more of a character study. Had this been a book about characters I liked, I don't think I would have been as deeply disappointed as I was. And, in the end, nothing seemed resolved at all. The beginning hinted at secrets and revelations... but in 600+ pages, it failed to deliver.

That is not to say that writing wasn't good. My only complaint from that aspect had to do with POV, which became a little muddled at times. I don't think that I would recommend this to anyone that I liked, nor would I seek out other works by this author.

This book was a huge disappointment--600 pages that seemed to keep retracing the same territory. By page 300 or so I realized there was no longer a single character with whom I was sympathetic. The epistolary letters from Hughes (oops Peter) rang false. They were not believable as the writings of a male poet, or of any man to his brother. No, more like a woman trying to cram a whole lot of character development into a false framework. Hate it when a book starts out great, then turns into a tedious duty to finish.

Susan Fromberg Schaeffer is amazing- to read her words is like sitting down at a great feast- I want to simply consume every word in sight and reach out for more- Reading Poison is an intimate experience in the beautiful power of a wordsmith at her peak. It's a book that I will not let go of- Order it now- read it- then get Madness of a Seduced Woman and Buffalo Afternoon- She's AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Another wonderful read from one of the very best comtemporary writers. Read this and your library of Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
wii begin to grow exponentially.