tscott907's review against another edition
3.25
This book is crazy (I mean this as a compliment, promise!) Ambitious, sprawling, and pleasingly indebted to the Gothic novel. At no point in this book did I know what was going to happen, and at no point was I disappointed. A beautiful blend of thrills and historical fiction.
litwrite's review against another edition
3.0
The following conversation took place with my husband when I was about 2/3rds of the way through The Accursed:
"What are you reading now?"
"It's a gothic book by Joyce Carol Oates."
"Well, what happens in it?"
"Well, this one girl is about to get married and she leaves her husband at the altar and is kidnapped and gangraped by the devil and his friends and gives birth to a creepy devil baby. Also, her brother throws himself off a boat into the the seas of the north pole, her cousin turns into a statue, another woman in the same community gets turned into a vampire, and a succubus preys on all the fat old rich dudes."
"So it's a horror novel then?"
"Not really because all the characters in it are real people, like Woodrow Wilson who was a president of the USA, and Upton Sinclair who is a famous American author."
"Oh... wow that sounds really weird."
The Accursed really is such a strange, ambitious novel that's difficult to review and even more impossible to categorize, which serves as somewhat a conundrum for me because I usually like to frame a lot of my reviews with comparisons to other materials I've read or watched but this is so unlike anything else that I really can't compare it to anything else I've read.
Looking through the goodreads reviews for The Accursed, it's obvious that this is a novel of very polarizing opinions - you either love this, or you hate this. It's a critic's darling, with Stephen King calling it " the world's first postmodern gothic novel", and yet it seems entirely too strange for the unwashed plebes such as me.
In the end, I didn't love nor hate this novel but certainly it gave me a lot to think about which I always admire in a book. I've read a lot of Oates before, she is incredibly prolific and writes such a broad range of books but this is definitely her most unique novel that I've read. One of the problem points for me lies not with the novel itself but with the fact that, not being American, I don't really know a lot about American history and the merging of real life American figures with an over the top Gothic story line probably didn't affect me as much as someone who grew up in the old US of A and has more than a passing familiarity with Woodrow Wilson et al.
I do think the novel was a tad overlong, but the grandiose verbosity is par for the course with the Gothic tradition and Oates mimics it well. I'm not sure that I'd really recommend this to the casual reader but those who are fond of Gothic novels and won't mind the archaic writing style might enjoy.
"What are you reading now?"
"It's a gothic book by Joyce Carol Oates."
"Well, what happens in it?"
Spoiler
"Well, this one girl is about to get married and she leaves her husband at the altar and is kidnapped and gangraped by the devil and his friends and gives birth to a creepy devil baby. Also, her brother throws himself off a boat into the the seas of the north pole, her cousin turns into a statue, another woman in the same community gets turned into a vampire, and a succubus preys on all the fat old rich dudes."
"So it's a horror novel then?"
"Not really because all the characters in it are real people, like Woodrow Wilson who was a president of the USA, and Upton Sinclair who is a famous American author."
"Oh... wow that sounds really weird."
The Accursed really is such a strange, ambitious novel that's difficult to review and even more impossible to categorize, which serves as somewhat a conundrum for me because I usually like to frame a lot of my reviews with comparisons to other materials I've read or watched but this is so unlike anything else that I really can't compare it to anything else I've read.
Looking through the goodreads reviews for The Accursed, it's obvious that this is a novel of very polarizing opinions - you either love this, or you hate this. It's a critic's darling, with Stephen King calling it " the world's first postmodern gothic novel", and yet it seems entirely too strange for the unwashed plebes such as me.
In the end, I didn't love nor hate this novel but certainly it gave me a lot to think about which I always admire in a book. I've read a lot of Oates before, she is incredibly prolific and writes such a broad range of books but this is definitely her most unique novel that I've read. One of the problem points for me lies not with the novel itself but with the fact that, not being American, I don't really know a lot about American history and the merging of real life American figures with an over the top Gothic story line probably didn't affect me as much as someone who grew up in the old US of A and has more than a passing familiarity with Woodrow Wilson et al.
I do think the novel was a tad overlong, but the grandiose verbosity is par for the course with the Gothic tradition and Oates mimics it well. I'm not sure that I'd really recommend this to the casual reader but those who are fond of Gothic novels and won't mind the archaic writing style might enjoy.
ricparks's review against another edition
1.0
I gave up after 300 pages. Joyce Carol Oates is clearly a genius and her intelligence and erudition prattle on and on for page after page which I think is partly her intent. Life is too short to waste on self indulgent exercises such as this one.
radioisasoundsalvation's review against another edition
3.0
Joyce Carol Oates is one of my favorite authors. She has this ability to take stretch the ideas of femininity within her protagonists that I truly admire (see[b:Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang|303564|Foxfire Confessions of a Girl Gang|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347709223s/303564.jpg|1552090] and [b:A Fair Maiden|5711702|A Fair Maiden|Joyce Carol Oates|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348305883s/5711702.jpg|5883313]). She braves waters in terms of subject matter that the status quo either gloss over or completely ignore. This newest of her works is not only a fresh ground for the author, but my first of her historical novels.
This paranormal novel set within the town of Princeton, New Jersey, specifically during Woodrow Wilson's term as president of the University, is not for the faint of heart. DO NOT, dear reader, pick this up if you're idea of paranormal reading is [a:Laurell K. Hamilton|9550|Laurell K. Hamilton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352276598p2/9550.jpg]. This is a nod to the truest of gothic literature, ie [a:HP Lovecraft|7016314|HP Lovecraft|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and [a:Ann Radcliffe|43220|Ann Radcliffe|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206589711p2/43220.jpg]. It moves at a slow pace, luxuriating in the historical detailing of family legacies and Princeton. A dreaded curse is making its way through the elite families at the heart of Princeton, resulting in runaway brides, bloody murders, and mass hysteria!
Don't get bogged down by the pacing(those of you who will read this novel can giggle at my little pun later). The novel is satisfying in its wholeness as the pieces of the curse and the effects it's having on the carefully crafted community come together. It's not the height of suspense, but a methodical, gothic nightmare.
My only trouble with this book was the time it spent with Upton Sinclair, so deeply embroiled in his Socialist agenda that it sometimes took away from the fearful atmosphere the rich of Princeton were experiencing. Having said that though, his subplot helps to illuminate the growing political and social changes happening in the years represented by this VERY fictitious novel. Indeed, it led to a very interesting 'sexual politics' reading of the curses' onset within the community. Any attempts to interpret the fantastical as anything otherwise are for naught, as the novel progresses to it's unbelievable ending!
It was certainly a fun novel, with the characteristic fearlessness both in subject and styling of so many wonderful Oates novels! Oates mixes the narration with diary entries, heightening the depth of the plot and its characters. She doesn't leave out classism, sexism, or racism as the issues of the era. I'm quite interested to see what others make of this novel, as so many of the fantastical and historical elements may appeal to such a range of readers!
This paranormal novel set within the town of Princeton, New Jersey, specifically during Woodrow Wilson's term as president of the University, is not for the faint of heart. DO NOT, dear reader, pick this up if you're idea of paranormal reading is [a:Laurell K. Hamilton|9550|Laurell K. Hamilton|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1352276598p2/9550.jpg]. This is a nod to the truest of gothic literature, ie [a:HP Lovecraft|7016314|HP Lovecraft|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and [a:Ann Radcliffe|43220|Ann Radcliffe|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206589711p2/43220.jpg]. It moves at a slow pace, luxuriating in the historical detailing of family legacies and Princeton. A dreaded curse is making its way through the elite families at the heart of Princeton, resulting in runaway brides, bloody murders, and mass hysteria!
Don't get bogged down by the pacing(those of you who will read this novel can giggle at my little pun later). The novel is satisfying in its wholeness as the pieces of the curse and the effects it's having on the carefully crafted community come together. It's not the height of suspense, but a methodical, gothic nightmare.
My only trouble with this book was the time it spent with Upton Sinclair, so deeply embroiled in his Socialist agenda that it sometimes took away from the fearful atmosphere the rich of Princeton were experiencing. Having said that though, his subplot helps to illuminate the growing political and social changes happening in the years represented by this VERY fictitious novel. Indeed, it led to a very interesting 'sexual politics' reading of the curses' onset within the community.
Spoiler
Did anyone else just start to assume that all of the talk about "the unspeakable" and Miss Slade's seduction were just turn of the century fear of rape/women's sexual awareness?It was certainly a fun novel, with the characteristic fearlessness both in subject and styling of so many wonderful Oates novels! Oates mixes the narration with diary entries, heightening the depth of the plot and its characters. She doesn't leave out classism, sexism, or racism as the issues of the era. I'm quite interested to see what others make of this novel, as so many of the fantastical and historical elements may appeal to such a range of readers!
okenwillow's review against another edition
3.0
Le dernier roman de la série dite “gothique” de Joyce Carol Oates, un pavé conséquent que j’ai mis beaucoup de temps à lire. Beaucoup.
[...]
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
[...]
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
readingthethings's review against another edition
2.0
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟi read this novel ONLY because a friend gifted it to me assuming i'd love it ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ i winced through the whole thing ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ i completely see what oates was doing in this & even kind of like what she was doing ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ but the writing style is soooooooo much ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ it leaves me wanting to reach the surface of the water & get some air ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟi imagine this is a taste thing and not a reflection of the book ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ i've tried a couple by oates, whose work is well thought of by many ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ it's just not my style at all ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟalso, i don't really go for horror most of the time ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ in this case i can completely see why she was using horror: she was using it as a metaphor for what was actually happening in history ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ i love the idea of that ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ reminds me of northanger abbey ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ however, i still don't like horror ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ sorry ms. oates! ♡
paigicus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Infidelity, and Mental illness
into_thewreck's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free copy of The Accursed as part of a Goodreads, First Reads giveaway. It was a hefty read, but a fascinating one nonetheless. Joyce Carol Oates writes in the voice of a historian recounting a series of strange and otherworldly events that happened in turn of the century Princeton. Some readers will complain that the novel drags on at points and certain chapters are filled with unnecessary information and footnotes. I believe this was Oates' intention to give the story the feel of a history written by a verbose and somewhat singularly focused scholar. Some of our historian narrators chapters and footnotes can be skipped over entirely by the reader who is more interested in getting to the meat of the story. I found the extra information useful in terms of laying out the complete backdrop to the novel.
The Accursed is a true gothic novel with all kinds of equally fascinating and horrific characters. I enjoyed the blending of true historical figures with completely factionalized persons and events. It would be interesting to do some research to see how accurate Oates' portrayal was of figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Overall, it was an enjoyable albeit long read that also provided an interesting glimpse at the social and political landscape of turn-of-the-century New England.
The Accursed is a true gothic novel with all kinds of equally fascinating and horrific characters. I enjoyed the blending of true historical figures with completely factionalized persons and events. It would be interesting to do some research to see how accurate Oates' portrayal was of figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. Overall, it was an enjoyable albeit long read that also provided an interesting glimpse at the social and political landscape of turn-of-the-century New England.
atb's review against another edition
2.0
I felt like the author's style got in the way of the story. The stopping and starting with the historian took me out of the flow.