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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Whoa., October 27, 1999
This is one of the most original, unusual, eccentric, competent books I have ever read. It's so unusual and different that one almost can't believe that the book comes out as well put-together and nicely crafted as it does. The novel succeeds at being extremely odd while reading like mainstream fiction. How does Carroll do it? It's really too bad that Carroll's stuff is so hard to find; I searched for this book for six years before finding it, believe it or not. Carroll has such an individual voice, is so original, that all of his stuff should be readily available. The only problems I have with this book are the plot's leapfrogs from one style of novel to another; when I read the book, I felt like I was reading several stories at once. While it is usually good to have different themes running together at once, somehow this novel didn't come off as one book with many themes, or even many books with their own themes, but as all kinds of authors and ideas taking hold of the novel at different times. You've got a little Richard Bach there for a while, then some brothers Grimm, then some Tanith Lee, all with a Milan Kundera-type voice. Very strange. Plus, the ending is so abrupt, I found myself wondering if perhaps I'd lost a page or two. However, the book is well-written enough and entertaining enough and literary enough to go beyond its bizarre literary flightiness, and what comes out is a masterful, wonderful, classic novel. I highly recommend it.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where are the U.S. editions of all of Carroll's books?????, October 1, 1998
It's one of the great publishing mysteries why Jonathan Carroll isn't among the most popular novelists in the world. I've just scanned Amazon for the availability of his novels, only to find that most of them are out of print. Carroll is a most uncommon writer: his stories are deep, brooding, and grotesque, and yet are told with an easy-going charm that makes them almost impossible to put down. "Sleeping in Flame" adheres to the common Carroll formula: draw the reader in with an engaging opening conflict, bring on the cast of charismatic eccentrics, weave in a convincing and involving romance, and then, just as the readers are lulled by all of this, drop the floor out from under them and plunge them into a world of chilling, grotesque fantasy. I'm not giving anything away when I say that "Sleeping in Flame" is a rather unique spin on the story of Rumpelstilskin. How he introduces the elements of that story, and where he takes it, are so original and fascinating, you'll never think of Rumpelstilskin the same way again. I recommend this book, but I think you'd be better served by telling Amazon to hunt down copies of "Child Across the Sky" or "Land of Laughs," his two greatest novels. My copies are British editions -- I have no idea whether they even had US versions. Even though Carroll is from the US (his dad was the co-screenwriter for "The Hustler") he lives in Vienna and his audience is mostly European. If your problem with American fiction is that it's too mundane and convential (which it is, oppressively so), or that the novelists with the greatest imaginations are ensnared by genre formulas (which they are), Jonathan Carroll is the answer to your prayers. His wild imagination, compelling characters, and his great narrative voice are unique, and he deserves a huge audience.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Otherworldly offbeat fiction, September 20, 2003
Not your usual run-of-the-mill novel, Sleeping in Flame will win your heart with its delightful blend of romance and humor. But then, people who at first glance seem strikingly glamorous turn...well, weird. This book and its author have the potential of developing a cult following. It begins with Walker, a screenwriter living in Vienna, meeting Maris, a model on the run from a potentially violent lover. The two fall in love, and then author Carroll begins leading us and them down bizarre and frightening paths - all the while making sure we're laughing at every twist in the path. Don't think you've got the tone of this novel figured out; the author's about to pull the rug out from under you. But you'll willingly suspend belief and go along for the magic carpet ride, I betcha.
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