Customer Reviews

The Wolf Pit

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

 

 

"The Wolf Pit" does what few other examples of historical fiction do, it introduces us to characters in another time who act like characters in that time, not like modern characters in old fashioned cloths. The novel contains a range of human experiences which are woven with beautiful language and keen insight. The reader is reminded of Dickens as the foibles, cruelty, ambition and nobility of the players in the story are developed. The rich writing and examination of issues still of foremost concern (human cruelty, racism, bravery, sacrifice) will entrance the reader of literary fiction, the rich detail and authentic depictions will be of great interest to the armchair historian. While other "modern" books slide into irrelavence in their striving for hip cynacism, this novel boldly looks at the issues that should engaged thinking readers.

The narrative progresses slowly, Biblical and intense, replenishing itself with great gulps of history and panorama. Youmans writes like the child of Allan Gurganus and Toni Morrison, with Morrison's gift for sentences that carry theme and incident in their sheer craft. And, the use of the "ancient tale" structure is inspired. Youmans subtitles each chapter as if it were an age-old ballad: "Concerning wolves and wolf pits And a fight in the burning wilderness," or "Two narrative of loss, Comprising a picnic on the last careless day And a pilgrimage to harvest wands." It's oracular, touching deep wells-springs of storytelling.
The Wolf Pit resembles Cold Mountain in its use of landscape to shade its motifs and its occasionally complex éclat. You may read it for its dark tale and, at the same time, savor its rich prose.

This is what I would call a 'Dark, dark story of two lives that actually never meet. I would not place it in a "historical novel" category as the actual historical value was very meager. The story of Robin, the soldier and Agate, the slave girl are actually two diffirent stories altogether and the book never brings them together as I expected. The reason I call it a 'dark' read is simply that despair,tragedy,and total lack of hope fills the pages from beginning to end. The flow between the two main characters is clumsy at best. Mix all that in with mythical characters in and out of the story and you are left thinking that maybe YOU have fallen into a Wolf Pit.
The only reason I give this work even three stars is because of the poetic style of the author, not for its' contents.

"The Wolf Pit", by Marly Youmans is a beautifully rendered, passionate and poetic account of primarily two individuals and their lives during this country's civil war. One is a mulatto slave woman, the other a soldier for the Confederate Army. Through these two people the author recounts a wide range of familiar events and cruelties that were a part of this conflict. The two never meet with the exception of an intermediary that knows both individuals, the latter are either somewhat aware, or ignorant of the other's existence. Whether you enjoy this novel will largely turn upon how much you enjoy the style of the writing and the presentation.

I had trouble engaging this book. Events take place in the past, present, and are recalled through a diary and memories that you will either enjoy or you will not. The principle characters embody every conviction and contradiction the war produced, from the visually apparent mixed parentage of Agate, to the Confederate Soldier Robin who questions the war as he fights it, and as he endures a graphically horrific time both on ship, and as a prisoner of war in Elmira New York. The author lets neither side claim virtue nor purity of motive. Whether events takes place in Virginia or New York, the condemnation of both sides is clear.

There are portions of the book that were brilliantly written, a passage about a marble statue and its placement struck me as particularly poignant. However in general the book was a bit too poetic, reflective, and almost mild even as the most horrific acts were described. There is no question the author is a talented writer, the issue is one of her style and how well it works for you.

This book has 1) lyrical prose, 2) a good rendering of time and place, 3)believeable characters, and 4) obtuse reflections. It does not have a strong narrative thrust. There is no plot as such. Because the last civil war book I read was "Cold Mountain" I was expecting something equally engaging. It didn't happen. The poignancy of wolves and green children was elusive.