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There are currently 19 member reviews
for Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer
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Wendy E. (Mechanicsville, VA)
I Just Couldn't Embrace It
I wanted to like it. I certainly enjoyed the erudite language, the plentiful allusions and the premise -"music-club" men collecting authentic English songs before they were lost to time. This was a slow read. I was hoping for a more engaging mystery and a bit quicker pace. Sometimes that clever language and reference-rich prose became tiresome.
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Mary L. (Madison, MS)
Difficult Read
I received this book with much excitement. However, I struggled to read it. The plot was slow to develop. The book was written in the manner of speaking of Victorian England. It also had many references to opera and music that although I am fairly versed in this subject, I still had to look up the references. Once the plot finally gelled, I began to enjoy the book. (I read the ARC. I expect a good editor will tighten the plot). However, I was able to anticipate the plot twist. This book is a fair first attempt at a mystery. Any opera lover would enjoy this book just to gain a feel of English opera in Victorian England. up the references. Once the plot finally gelled, I began to enjoy the book.
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Deanna W. (Port Jefferson, NY)
Atonal Music - Atonal Plot
The story is set in the early 20th century. It deals with English Classical music set against a macabre and tragic tale of love and passion. As told by a first person narrator, the plot takes many twists and turns. However, the revelation of what really happened in the end was not that hard to predict.
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William E. (Honolulu, HI)
Obfuscation Lives
I thought that it would be an interesting read devoted to art music of the late 19th and early 20th century with a mystery thrown in. How could you lose? The book is a parallel to an actual murder by the composer Carlo Gesualdo; an interesting premise. For me the book bogs down in needless didacticism of the period and I found myself skipping portions of the book to "get to the plot." Engagement in the book and the characters never came and was actually relieved when I finished it. Perhaps it wasn't the right read for the time for me.
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Kaye D. (Huntley, IL)
Much as I tried couldn't read this book
The day after Thanksgiving and a morning of shopping I looked forward to sitting down and enjoying a good book. Unfortunately reading Charles Jessold, Considered As A Murderer wasn't the book. I had to force myself to keep reading and in all honesty finally just gave up. I kept telling myself that it would get better but after page 100 I was still forcing myself to keep reading one more page. I was really looking forward to doing a review of the whole book but just couldn't continue with it. It bored me to death.
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