skmatson10's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is extraordinarily well written especially considering it’s time. If I hadn’t known better I would’ve thought it was a true Victorian gothic novel. The first novella I was more interested in plot wise, the second I’m sure I would have been more engaged with if I was in a different headspace but I just couldn’t concentrate on something so intellectual and convoluted. I also wasn’t as interested in the poetry in the second and I didn’t feel like I knew the history of the poets well enough to understand.
ainsleyiscariot's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kristinana's review
4.0
I quickly skimmed the first page of the other reader reviews of this book and discovered that my opinion in comparing the two novellas that comprise it is opposite of most readers. It seems most readers (from the top page, at least) prefer the first novella, "Morpho Eugenia" (the "Insects" section) to "The Conjugal Angel" (the "Angels" section).
For me, "Morpho Eugenia" was a little disappointing. I don't always need to be surprised by what I read, but the characters in this novella were a bit too derivative, the family secret incredibly obvious... well, actually, the whole plot and most of the characters were either obvious or one-dimensional. While I am utterly in awe of Byatt's ability to replicate Victorian prose debates about science and religion, I have to admit that, unlike her equally brilliant (but also beautiful and highly readable) faux Victorian poetry and fairy tales, I did not want to read her faux-Victorian debates. Ultimately things felt too simplistic; the story just didn't hang together for me.
So why the four stars? Well, part of it has to do with "The Conjugal Angel," which I'll get to in a minute. But part is that, despite my problems with the plot of "Morpho Eugenia," I have to admit that much of the imagery of the story has stuck with me. Especially the parts where human and insect sex and reproduction are compared. Ew, but also very haunting.
"The Conjugal Angel" I thought was completely brilliant. This could be my own personal bias in favor of stories about spiritualism, but in any case, I really loved it. It was different from any story I've recently read about spiritualists, in that it takes the idea seriously. To make it that much better, one of the main characters is Alfred Tennyson's sister... so there's lots of poetry and interpretation to boot, plus a beautifully imagined inner life of several historical figures. This novella, to me, approaches the achievements of Possession more nearly than the first; it is a gorgeous meditation on grief and love, the burdens of the past and how we idolize the dead, and how what is unseen to others can strangle us. Plus, lots of commentary on poetry and wordplay, and I love getting lost in Byatt's twisty sentence structure.
For me, "Morpho Eugenia" was a little disappointing. I don't always need to be surprised by what I read, but the characters in this novella were a bit too derivative, the family secret incredibly obvious... well, actually, the whole plot and most of the characters were either obvious or one-dimensional. While I am utterly in awe of Byatt's ability to replicate Victorian prose debates about science and religion, I have to admit that, unlike her equally brilliant (but also beautiful and highly readable) faux Victorian poetry and fairy tales, I did not want to read her faux-Victorian debates. Ultimately things felt too simplistic; the story just didn't hang together for me.
So why the four stars? Well, part of it has to do with "The Conjugal Angel," which I'll get to in a minute. But part is that, despite my problems with the plot of "Morpho Eugenia," I have to admit that much of the imagery of the story has stuck with me. Especially the parts where human and insect sex and reproduction are compared. Ew, but also very haunting.
"The Conjugal Angel" I thought was completely brilliant. This could be my own personal bias in favor of stories about spiritualism, but in any case, I really loved it. It was different from any story I've recently read about spiritualists, in that it takes the idea seriously. To make it that much better, one of the main characters is Alfred Tennyson's sister... so there's lots of poetry and interpretation to boot, plus a beautifully imagined inner life of several historical figures. This novella, to me, approaches the achievements of Possession more nearly than the first; it is a gorgeous meditation on grief and love, the burdens of the past and how we idolize the dead, and how what is unseen to others can strangle us. Plus, lots of commentary on poetry and wordplay, and I love getting lost in Byatt's twisty sentence structure.
katmackie's review
3.0
I've given myself a day between finishing this collection of two novellas and writing a review. I'm conflicted in my overall experience, but looking back I realize just how profound it really was for me.
A.S. Byatt is a magnificent writer. I was constantly caught off guard by how shockingly beautiful many of her sentences were. This is a great book to read on an electronic reading device, unless you don't mind highlighting wonderful tidbits in your physical copy! And of course the actual plots of the stories are just as inspired.
That being said, I found myself quite distant from how often Byatt conveys love of writing and poetry in both of these stories. Being a writer herself, you can see she's passionate for what she does for a living. This is beautiful in it's own way, but I found it tangling with my desire to carry on with the actual plot lines. And while I do have a place in my heart for poetry, when it's dispersed throughout the story it tends to take me out of that specific headspace I get into while reading a novel. I think I use a different part of my brain to process it. This is what pulls my review down to three stars instead of four, for it happened often enough to become frustrating for me. This happened less in the first story, which if I were to separate them, I would give four stars.
All in all, I did truly enjoy the visual and passionate moments of both stories. Byatt is a fantastic writer and I plan on reading more of her work.
*I also remember really enjoying the movie adaptation, which I'm excited to watch again after reading the book!
A.S. Byatt is a magnificent writer. I was constantly caught off guard by how shockingly beautiful many of her sentences were. This is a great book to read on an electronic reading device, unless you don't mind highlighting wonderful tidbits in your physical copy! And of course the actual plots of the stories are just as inspired.
That being said, I found myself quite distant from how often Byatt conveys love of writing and poetry in both of these stories. Being a writer herself, you can see she's passionate for what she does for a living. This is beautiful in it's own way, but I found it tangling with my desire to carry on with the actual plot lines. And while I do have a place in my heart for poetry, when it's dispersed throughout the story it tends to take me out of that specific headspace I get into while reading a novel. I think I use a different part of my brain to process it. This is what pulls my review down to three stars instead of four, for it happened often enough to become frustrating for me. This happened less in the first story, which if I were to separate them, I would give four stars.
All in all, I did truly enjoy the visual and passionate moments of both stories. Byatt is a fantastic writer and I plan on reading more of her work.
*I also remember really enjoying the movie adaptation, which I'm excited to watch again after reading the book!
papyruskaisla's review
While the first novella "Morpho Eugenia" was enjoyable, the second novella, "The Conjugial Angel" was borderline confusing with the introduction of so many characters at once. I am left uncertain of what exactly is happening and who is who.
After researching even a quick summary of what I am reading, the consensus seems to label it as a subpar experience. If you have to read this, just read "Morpho Eugenia".
After researching even a quick summary of what I am reading, the consensus seems to label it as a subpar experience. If you have to read this, just read "Morpho Eugenia".
ktrain3900's review
4.0
Byatt is one of those authors whose writing I find completely absorbing. You're taken into another world entirely. Well-crafted, escapist literary fiction.
libkatem's review
3.0
This book contains two stories:
Morpho Eugenia is a story about family secrets, passions, and metamorphosis. I can't really give too much away here, but the character William is working for the Alabaster family, and falls for the eldest daughter. Things are not what they seem.
As much as I loved the first novella, I couldn't seem to get in to the second one.
Morpho Eugenia is a story about family secrets, passions, and metamorphosis. I can't really give too much away here, but the character William is working for the Alabaster family, and falls for the eldest daughter. Things are not what they seem.
As much as I loved the first novella, I couldn't seem to get in to the second one.