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'Dazzling,' (People) 'Exuberant,' (Vogue) 'marvelously entertaining,' (The Dallas Morning News) Marisha Pessl's mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this ?cracking good read-4 is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway school, she finds some-a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party) in this novel-with ?visual aids? drawn by the author-that has won over readers of all ages.
Pessl's showy (often too showy) debut novel, littered as it is with literary references and obscure citations, would seem to make an unlikely candidate for a successful audiobook. Yet actor and singer Emily Janice Card (a North Carolina native like the author) has a ball with Pessl's knotty, digressive prose, eating up Pessl's array of voices, impressions and asides like an ice-cream sundae. Card reads as if she is composing the book as she goes along, with a palpable sense of enjoyment present in almost every line reading. Her girlish voice, immature but knowing, is the perfect sound for Pessl's protagonist and narrator Blue van Meer, wise beyond her years even as she stumbles through a disastrous final year of high school. Card brings out the best in Pessl's novel and papers over its weak spots as ably as she can. Simultaneous release with the Penguin paperback (Reviews, May 22, 2006) (May)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationI really wanted to give this book five stars. I REALLY did. Pessl is a first-rate writer. I kept a pen with me the whole time I was reading so I could underline my favorite passages. The plot keeps you turning pages voraciously. It is so tightly woven that you're blown away by the conclusion, realizing that the author had it all intricately mapped out from the very beginning. And the main character, Blue...when I finished the book I felt a little sad that I couldn't follow her on her journey.
BUT, Pessl's genius is also her downfall. As a rule, I'm a big fan of superfluous verbosity, but I have to admit that I got a little exhausted at points. The constant interruption of her sentences with parenthesized information tended to get irritating, and I'm sure I ended up skipping over some of the doubtlessly insightful information therein - but I just really wanted to get along with the story. Also, while clever, her incessant literary references became cumbersome at points (and sometimes weren't all that clever). And while many of her metaphors were stunning, I think there are probably 10,000 instances of the word "like" in the book, which can get tedious.
So, while I absolutely LOVED this book, couldn't put it down, and would highly recommend it, I couldn't give it the five stars I reserve for the crème de la crème.
But regardless, I stand humbly in the long shadow of Marisha Pessl's genius.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ErinDenver
Posted October 31, 2008
I hate Marisha Pessl the way everybody in her book hates Deity Looks Edition, which is to say I don't hate her at all but want to wake up tomorrow and be her. That is to say, in my mind she is America and I am a Russian Mail Order Bride; she represents endless opportunity and talent and I represent moldy bread at the end of a two hour wait in snow. <BR/>Anyway, enough about how Marisha Pessl turns me into a communist lesbian and on to why I'm hyper hyper gay for this book. I'm an elitist. I read books. And, jesus, do I love my celebrity gossip. And this is a smart, well written, dry and extremely dark compilation of all things wonderful.<BR/><BR/>For a full review, check out: http://thebooksnob.blogspot.com/
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 22, 2006
i am hard-pressed to remember a time when i was less impressed by a novel, but i suppose i have now learned my lesson (see 'buying books based on publisher-generated hype', stevens 1986). The characters were flat and unbelievable, and the author seemed more intent on impressing the reader with her pretentiousness than on creating a good novel( see 'substituting pedantic style and obscure references for good writing: your key to literary success' journal of writing, nov. 2004). The pseudo-surprise twist at the end fell incredibly flat, and seems inspired by too many tv shows and movies where it is considered avant-garde and masterful to drop a bomb at the end in order to shock the audience, no matter how ill-conceived and out of context it may happen to be (see 'suprise twists: use them to disguise bad writing', wilson, et al, random house 2001). if you think the review with citations was annoying, imagine an entire book filled with them. save yourself the trouble and go read 'the secret history' by donna tartt. it is no academic masterpiece, but it is a great read with some good commentary and characters, and it is obviously the book that pessl read and is trying to copy.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2011
Slow to get into, but ultimately worth it. Fun, smart, incredibly witty--Pessl has a knick for good prose. :) Recommended!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.At its base, this is the story of a smarter-than-average teen-aged girl learning whom to trust. It is set primarily in an upper class east coast town and private high school. I live in California, so I can't tell you if the atmosphere is accurately described. It seemed cliche to me.
So did the In Crowd that our heroine, Blue, is thrust in to.
Blue's father has been her life until he decides that they should suspend their peripatetic ways for her senior year of high school. She begins to learn about kids her own age through the agency of a quirky film history teacher, Hannah, who feeds dinner to the aforementioned In Crowd on Sundays. They all worship her, so when she asks them to include Blue in their reindeer games they attempt to comply. Not graciously, though. The story gets darker from there.
The most noteworthy aspect of this novel is Blue's voice. After her mother died, her genius father raised her in his own image. He is a teacher of political science, his specialty is revolutions. He moves from college to college as a special lecturer. The car games that they play as they drive around the country will make factoid freaks drool. He is also quite a ladies' man.
So Blue is more than precocious intellectually. Her narrative wanders off on literary, political, cinematic, and geographic tangents. There are even footnotes added for academic comic relief. I suppose it is possible that these tangents are a purposeful delaying tactic that the author starts using long before the suspense begins to build. Perhaps I have just ruined the parlor trick.
But in spite of my obvious reservations about the rococo quality of the prose, I read the whole thing. I was pulled through it, I continued to find ideas and turns of phrase that entertained me, and I did get caught up in the mystery.
I found the ending anticlimactic, but appropriate. I will follow that example.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.amrahne
Posted August 29, 2009
I really enjoyed the over-the-top campiness of this novel. I found myself laughing out loud while reading the book. As someone who loves to read, I appreciated many of the literary references in the book.
The main character, Blue, transformed a bit through the process of the book, but her main core remained unchanged. I found her fascination with her father a little weird, but the flaw is understandable, given her constant movement and lack of other figures in her formative years.
The plot twist at the end was a little implausible, but the suspension of disbelief is a great thing. I did go back and reread the beginning after I finished the book to see what I had missed the first time.
Overall, a good, funny read that does require a little whimsy. I can see that this would not be for everyone, but I really liked it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 14, 2006
I was lured into buying this book due to all of the great reviews it received. However, I found it very irritating to have to stop and think about this reference or that, these parenthetical comments or that...I felt that the author over compensated with the academic and literary prowess at the reader's expense. I didn't really get half of the references, eventually stopped trying to, and found myself skipping entire pages in search of dialogue or paragraphs that were related to the actual story line. Maybe I just wasn't smart enough for this book. I did not enjoy it very much.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.konk
Posted July 11, 2012
This writer is amazing. Don't read if you're just looking for plot; this book is almost ALL character development. I'd say it's a tough read too, although that's what I enjoy. I can't wait for her next book. I feel supremely educated after reading this book and want MORE. I underlined, highlighted, and made notes throughout the book. If you like your books gift wrapped and tied with a bow at the end, don't read. This is for those who can appreciate literary excellence!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 21, 2012
Although the author seems determined to make us work for the answer to whodunnit, this novel is one of the most fun books I have read in a while.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 5, 2010
I had originally picked up Pessl's Special Topics to complete a deal on books, but had no intention on reading anything above and beyond the ordinary. It turns out to be a wonderful tale of young confusion and wild twists all made by the unusually tedious yet ornate style.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Aglaia
Posted April 10, 2010
A friend of mine lent me this book, and then I went on to buy it for myself, because I am planning to reread it at some point.
First off, the idea is original, the style, while not yet refined, is not bad, and enjoyable. The story is compelling, exciting, and it entangles you entirely. It is a novel that is very hard to put down.
I was sometimes tired of all the references. It was too obviously clever and smartish in a way. And I also thought the ending was a bit anticlimatic, and a lot of questions remained unanswered, which was obviously done on purpose, but hey, I still complain.
Great characters as well. Little Blue is a bit clueless, a bit too clueless for my taste, but anyway. Good read, I really recommend it to all.
Smitten_5
Posted April 8, 2010
I Also Recommend:
I found this to be a fun book. Interesting characters and intriquely written. At times I gave myself permission to skim, as Pessl's style (due to the main character) is sometimes tiring. Worth it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 18, 2010
This book was absolutely amazing. The author's writing style is unique and rich with vocabulary and interesting facts. In no way do I agree with some of the other reviewers and think that she is "showing off". She is a genuinely good writer and I look forward to her second novel.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I really liked this book, until I got to the end. I have never in my life gotten so physically anger at a book before, but there is always a first. It was ab engaging piece of fiction, but the only redeeming character in the book was Blue. Everyone else, except the boy who befriended her in the end, were selfish jerks.After everything Blue goes through and for her father to do what he does..well...it just makes me angry. It was a great story,but if anything was missing, it was a happy ending for...more I really liked this book, until I got to the end. I have never in my life gotten so physically anger at a book before, but there is always a first. It was ab engaging piece of fiction, but the only redeeming character in the book was Blue. Everyone else, except the boy who befriended her in the end, were selfish jerks.After everything Blue goes through and for her father to do what he does..well...it just makes me angry. It was a great story,but if anything was missing, it was a happy ending for Blue. Maybe in the next book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book begins as a highly original literary novel. Character, Plot, Action, Dialog, Song, and Spectacle all fall neatly in line just as Aristotle described in Poetics centuries before the clever author was even a gleam in her father's eye. The genius in this book blazes forth in the final third when, after some preliminary shuffling about in the depths of the genre closet, it emerges as a full out thriller, or at least a passing resemblance of one. Normally I'd find it unsettling to have an author change horses this dramatically so late in the work but a close reading reveals the clues were abundantly distributed all along. The story itself is so darn good, the writing so intelligent, and the 'cleverness' so inseparable from the outcome that I can only shake my head in amazement and think "Wow, I wish I could do that." Shakespeare may have been the last English language author to master such ingeniousness in twisting a story into surprising and wonderful shapes right under the reader's nose, revealing the 'it' as the grandest surprise of all. This book goes in the special bookcase, the one for books that support the argument for reading and writing as the most worthy of human endeavors.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 27, 2008
*An overly used device in this book that quickly runs out of cleverness.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.tomatogirl
Posted October 15, 2008
The intersection of the history of political philosophy, literature including much genre mystery, psychology, and knowledge of life within and outside of university culture, combines with a teenager's ultimate desire to fit in as well as to stand out. The language dazzles and requires the reader to combine incisive thought and creative imagination. Not everyone will be able to keep up with all of the subtleties in this fabulous tome, but those who can and do will be immensely rewarded. Ms. Pessl stole my heart with her character, Blue, and Blue's iconoclastic dad.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 20, 2008
I think it is an understatement to say that the author is a young, bright talent. We all get that. I was led to believe that this was going to resemble Dave Eggers 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius'. Another young talentrd author, but very funny. This book was extremely verbose and could have used a good second edit. The first half moved slowly and some action started when you got about two-thirds of the way finished. I thought the technique was original although I got to the point that I would skip the father's quotes because, although humourous, arrogant and intellectually snobby, they were just too darn long.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 24, 2008
and an ostentatious eruption of metaphors, analogies, allusions, SAT vocabulary words, parenthetical citations, and canonized literature, then you have heard correctly. However, trudging through that verbiage is the entire point of the novel. How well does her father's academic discourse hold up at the end when Blue needs to find the truth when Blue needs to extend some emotion? The style of this novel is an integral part of this story about truth, deception, and the odd, inconsistent nature of language.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2007
I absolutely love this book!! Finally a move away from the mindless blather that inundates 'literature' today. I can't wait for more from Ms. Pessl. Highly recommended if you're looking for intellectual writing. You may not want to heed my review, however if you are into 'chick lit', because chick lit this is not. Blue Van Meer is a striking protagonist a highly intelligent young woman who must learn a lot of things the hard way because of her upbringing. Great novel.
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Overview
'Dazzling,' (People) 'Exuberant,' (Vogue) 'marvelously entertaining,' (The Dallas Morning News) Marisha Pessl's mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this ?cracking good read-4 is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway school, she finds some-a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods....