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marcatili's review against another edition
4.0
This is a difficult book for me to rate. As a big fan of 'Robin Hobb' novels, I've been looking forward to reading something with Megan Lindholm's name on it. 'Cloven Hooves' seemed thematically right down my alley, and in many ways it did not disappoint.
The author is a master at frustrating the reader by putting the protagonist through one injustice after another. Unlike works by Hobb, these injustices take place in the most mundane, domestic of settings. Be prepared to read a lot about cleaning houses and doing the shopping. The injustices build gradually higher until they're as unbearable for the reader as they are the protagonist. Escape becomes necessary.
Cloven Hooves is a complex book exploring the expectations put upon women. The protagonist, Evelyn, tries so hard to meet those expectations, but within her is the desire to be free. To be wild. This manifests in her love for the faun, which exists at the edges of her reality, urging her to leave the house and go into the forest.
Yet while Evelyn has a simmering strength of character below the surface, she is so often a passive protagonist, going where she is led and rarely standing up for herself in any way that goes beyond mere whining. Though her character journey from passive wife to free individual is part of the theme of the novel, she never escapes being reliant on men in her life.
The author is a master at frustrating the reader by putting the protagonist through one injustice after another. Unlike works by Hobb, these injustices take place in the most mundane, domestic of settings. Be prepared to read a lot about cleaning houses and doing the shopping. The injustices build gradually higher until they're as unbearable for the reader as they are the protagonist. Escape becomes necessary.
Cloven Hooves is a complex book exploring the expectations put upon women. The protagonist, Evelyn, tries so hard to meet those expectations, but within her is the desire to be free. To be wild. This manifests in her love for the faun, which exists at the edges of her reality, urging her to leave the house and go into the forest.
Yet while Evelyn has a simmering strength of character below the surface, she is so often a passive protagonist, going where she is led and rarely standing up for herself in any way that goes beyond mere whining. Though her character journey from passive wife to free individual is part of the theme of the novel, she never escapes being reliant on men in her life.
phunkypbj's review
3.0
This is a very unusual book. I can't say it's my favorite from Lindholm/Hobb but her talent for making you feel what a character feels and in building relationships you care about is in fine form here.
brightredday's review
4.0
This was a difficult book. It never went where I expected, and I've never read anything like it.
ortiga's review
3.0
This isn't a detailed review as I read the book nine months ago now and I tend to forget plot elements pretty quickly. Megan Lindholm (aka Robin Hobb) is my very favourite living author (the Farseer books are amazing) so of course, this is beautifully written, the subject matter is interesting and the characters are well drawn - but I just couldn't stomach the passivity of the protagonist.
clumsymummy's review against another edition
2.0
D'habitue j'aime bien même beaucoup trop Robin Hobb aka Megan Lindholm. Ici on est dans le réalisme magique (je crois en tout cas je l'ai perçu comme ça). Dans le vif du sujet on est dans les affres de la maternité à une époque ou internet, les blogs, twitter n'existent. On est dans le fin fond des Etats Unis. On y cause féminité et de la nature mais aussi masculinité et éducation. L'élément magique (irréel) est bien amené sous les traits d'un Faune.
La première partie est extrêmement longue mais la seconde nous amène dans les forêts, et le passage des saisons.
On est loin de l'univers de l'assassin royal et autres aventuriers de la mer, mais c'est intéressant sans plus.
La première partie est extrêmement longue mais la seconde nous amène dans les forêts, et le passage des saisons.
On est loin de l'univers de l'assassin royal et autres aventuriers de la mer, mais c'est intéressant sans plus.
janetlun's review
Absolutely loved this book. It's impossible fantasy grounded in reality, if that makes any sense. That is, it's not a romp in faerie, or a quest for the magic sword. It starts out very mundane, and then slides into the impossible. It has a powerful female character, which I like, too.
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