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Catherine H. (Nashua, NH)
Writer with potential, can do better.
First, please remember this is a first book and give it a chance, I know I did and I was glad I finished the book. The story is of Jane and her "affliction", her only friends Madeline and Nathan in Victorian London "suburbs". After a slow and kind of painful beginning, I thought suspense builds up to the dramatic chapter in the "White Forest". I will let you discover the last chapter... Think of Moussourgsky and "Une nuit sur le Mont Chauve" while reading this book...
Nae
The White Forest
The word "forest" certainly is an appropriate word in the title, because for most of the book I felt like I was, indeed, stumbling around in a dark (or in this case, milk white) forest trying to follow some sort of mythical trail of crumbs.
It always pains me to have to admit that I did not really enjoy a book, especially when I know that someone labored lovingly to bring their vision to light ... but I just really did not enjoy this book. In fact, I finished it with an oddly unsettled, creepy, is that all there is sort of feeling, as if I had stepped an inch too far off the pathway and was now hopelessly stuck
…more in the middle of that same Empyrean the characters in this book were struggling so hard to attain. Perhaps that is what the author was aiming for, to create that unsettled feeling in the reader ... if it was then he certainly succeeded on that level.
I did admire the craft that went into this book. The ability to reproduce that florid, over-blown verbiage that Victorian gothic novels had without requiring the endless wading through adjectives to get to the salient point was very well done, without being "overdone." Something I know can be very, very hard to do.
At times there were certain sentences that resonated, "She was a woman born of plant matter," that I have to admit did keep me reading, hoping that somehow the plot line would do something to live up to those intriguing lines, but in the end, the plot just sort of petered out into a less than satisfying denouement. (less)As I read this book I felt that it just never reached its potential to be a page turner. The narrative often loses focus, interrupting any suspense or tension that has been created. The connection between the main characters, as well as the spiritual elements do not seem to be fully developed. This led to an ending that was unfortunately predictable.
Eloise F. (Poway, CA)
A disappointing read
I struggled to finish this and did, but only so I could complete my review. At first I enjoyed the writing and depiction of the era. Unfortunately the plot was tedious and ultimately incomprehensible. I'd like to see the author tell a story that is not so dark and takes advantage of his abilities. But he did not do so here.
Christine B. (St. Paul, MN)
The White Forest
I found this book to be almost ridiculous. The protagonist has the unusual ability to see "souls" in inanimate objects and transfer this ability to others with her touch. She was born inside a tree if this sort of clarifies how silly the book is. There is a godlessness to this story that is quite upsetting. I would not recommend this book.
Judy (Marysville, OH)
Not the book for me
I read all of The White Forest, hoping that it would redeem itself, because it is well written. It did not. The characters, the plot, the premise did not inspire a "willing suspension of disbelief," without which a story simply remains implausible. For example, I did not believe in the characters or care about them: The narrator, Jane, has a mean streak. She is set up in the book as a saint or saviour figure. Gradually, she discovers her identity and fulfills her destiny as a powerful goddess. Her "friends" Maddy and Nathan are untrustworthy and the three use each other for their own means. The villain, Ariston
…more Day, wants to free London from corruption by breaking down the boundaries between human-constructed reality and an Empyrean level of nothingness (the white forest of the title), from which life originated. But instead, in the effort, he corrupts and destroys London's finest young men. Jane, aka the Red Goddess, prevails against Day in preserving the essential boundaries that protect human life. None of this was compelling. The story remained implausible and the characters indifferent. This book is just not my cup of tea. (less)While Adam McOmber's The White Forest is dark and it is a mystery, it left this reader needing more. The plot seem to plod along at much too slow of a pace. This might have worked if the reader was hooked by the characters or an intriguing plot. Unfortunately, Jane, Mandy and Nathan needed more depth and personality; they lacked depth that would allow a reader to either want them to succeed or fail. And, while the premise of the book that combined the supernatural with human desire had great promise, in the end the story seemed forced and proved to be unsatisfying.
Anna R. (Oak Ridge, TN)
Disappointing
The White Forest was very disappointing. The characters were people who had too much time on their hands. The plot was so unbelievable that I had trouble finishing it. I loaned the book to my daughter who is also an avid reader. She disliked it so much that she didn't finish it.
There are so many wonderful books out there so don't waste your time on this one.
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