Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roses and Thorns, December 31, 2007
Well, I spent the first 3/4 of this book racked by horror movie syndrome: you know, when you're watching the girl go down the long, dark hall and reach for the doorknob, having split off from the rest of the group, and you're yelling, "Don't do it!" at the screen? Only in this case, I was yelling at Gemma not to trust all the wrong people and misuse the magic she holds. She does both, repeatedly, for hundreds of pages.
Yet Bray's point seems to be that it's hard to know what to do when you're a 17-year-old girl, let alone when you carry far too great a responsibility and everyone around you is clamoring for you to hand it over to them. So while Gemma naturally distrusts the authoritarian Order and the Rakshana, she is more conflicted about her supposed allies in the realms, particularly two--make that three--individuals who are not nearly as dead as they should be.
At the same time, Gemma and her friends are trying to figure out what to do about their oh-so-scripted futures, not to mention troubles with family members. And Gemma worries over her feelings for Kartik, who pulls away, then doesn't, then does, even as she tries to make sense of events in the Realms and the warnings she is receiving in visions.
It kind of reminds me of how Harry Potter and his friends spend the middle of the last book glumly hiding out and quarreling because they lack all kinds of important information--and simply because they're teenagers and really don't know what to do next.
The Sweet Far Thing is a long read, but it is incredibly well written and moves at a surprisingly fast clip. (Watch for some lovely metaphors tucked here and there in Bray's prose.)
As for the ending, I would normally object, but I think this story is clearly focused on Gemma's efforts to make good choices and know, truly know, who she is, rather than on a stereotypical happy ending. A key theme of The Sweet Far Thing is that Gemma feels she is all alone, in spite of her friendships and allies and family--a feeling that this book ultimately confirms, though Gemma does manage to make peace with that knowledge.
The most telling moment for me is when the gate of the Winterlands demands each girl's greatest fear and greatest wish. Gemma's wish is this: "I don't know! I don't know what I want, but I wish I did. And that is the truest answer I can give."
For my part, I wish it were easier for Gemma to untangle the deceit and confusion that buffet her like storm winds, but in the end, she and her friends do what all of us have to do--the best that they can under the circumstances. And yes, they save the world. Bravo, Libba Bray!
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50 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not everything has a happy ending, January 3, 2008
Gemma and her friends Ann and Felicity are back in Ms. Bray's final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Gemma and Fee are waiting to enter society as women and Ann is preparing to become a nanny. The girls have much to discover, such as their desires, destines and who are their true friends and enemies.
The book is a long 800+ pages, and to be frank sometimes it felt like it. The book starts out with a lot of talk about balls and the Victorian Era. For people who want to read about the Realms and Kartik the first 200/300 pages maybe a bit tiresome. Also I felt the book could have moved a little more quickly. Around page 600 or so I found myself flipping through the pages in order to get to the good stuff.
The writing is good. The plot dragged a tad, and after much thought I agree Gemma's character didn't progress as I hoped it would.
The ending is bittersweet for Gemma and many readers are having a difficult time with this. I can understand that because when I read Little Women I was upset when Jo refused to marry Laurie. Still, the readers' passion impresses me because these are teens that care deeply for characters in a YA book series. And who says teens don't read!
Gemma's decision at the end was a bit of a shocker. I kept scratching my head thinking "where did that come from?" It made no sense and was never hinted at in the previous two books. It just seemed to happen out of the blue, which was a bit difficult to swallow.
Overall, I did enjoy the novel, but I think that Ms. Bray's characters were able to get away with far too much. Each one got what they wanted in the end, which was rather disappointing. As a person who has studied, and taught history, I thought the girls were far too modern in their beliefs. It would have been nice if one of the girls had been trapped by their station in life and had been forced to mold to society's views.
As a series I enjoyed it very much and I hope that Ms. Bray continues to write.
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32 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dissappointing conclusion to an original series, December 27, 2007
MILD SPOILERS PRESENT:I have been eagerly awaiting this concluding book, but I have to say now that I finished it, I am dissappointed. I had hoped to see Gemma mature in this last book. However she remains as immature and self centered as when the first novel started. Sometimes I just wanted to slap her! It seems to me that Felicity and Ann were only friends with her because they could get to the Realms through her magical abilities.She continues with the same insecurities about her friends and her father. I like the part where is starts getting corrupted and overwhelmed by holding all the magic to herself, but even then she seems to have little insight into her own behavior. She makes bad choices through out- how could she trust Circe again! Kartik however shines- he has the maturity and courage that Gemma does not. When Gemma grants him some magic to do whatever he wants, instead of using the magic like her friends Fee and Ann, Kartik declines to use it and instead embraces Gemma. This was the most romantic scene ever! The conclusion to Kartik and Gemma love story was a real let down. I think most of us were hoping for a happiliy ever after ending.His self sacrifice seemed wasted, since I am not sure Gemma has learnt anything from it. Why does she decide to sail off to America- this seems to come out of left field.I would have preferrred and ending where Gemma and Kartik go back to India together. Overall a real downer to an otherwise imaginative series.
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