rach_eb's review against another edition
3.0
In a recent interview on Queerly Reads, author K.J. Charles described this book with the following: "The plot really falls apart in the latter half but the first half is a sweaty fever dream of queerness and shifting gender and Orientalism, terrified and fascinated." I personally could not agree more. This was one of my more bizarre reads to date. It's certainly got major problems, the glaring racism of all of the narrators chief among them, but it was nevertheless an interesting peek into the fears of late 19th-century, upper class British white people.
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
3.0
*probably more of a 2.5 star read
The Beetle, published in 1897, initially outsold Dracula. Yet everyone knows the latter, and has never heard of the former. It's interesting how things go out of style.
The Beetle was a weird story. Paul Lessingham, the eminent politician, is being haunted by the Beetle, creature from the depths of ancient Egypt who is bent on revenge for crimes committed against the disciples of a centuries-old cult.
I quite enjoyed Marsh's writings style - it was an easy read and the change of narration was engaging. I liked hearing the story from multiple perspectives. I also found the story every interesting; it kind of reminded me of The Mummy (which is a film I LOVED when I was younger).
However, at times, it got a little boring. I found myself disengaging with the story. I found the ending very unsatisfying and a little too easy.
Glad I was asked to read it for uni, otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked this up so soon!
The Beetle, published in 1897, initially outsold Dracula. Yet everyone knows the latter, and has never heard of the former. It's interesting how things go out of style.
The Beetle was a weird story. Paul Lessingham, the eminent politician, is being haunted by the Beetle, creature from the depths of ancient Egypt who is bent on revenge for crimes committed against the disciples of a centuries-old cult.
I quite enjoyed Marsh's writings style - it was an easy read and the change of narration was engaging. I liked hearing the story from multiple perspectives. I also found the story every interesting; it kind of reminded me of The Mummy (which is a film I LOVED when I was younger).
However, at times, it got a little boring. I found myself disengaging with the story. I found the ending very unsatisfying and a little too easy.
Glad I was asked to read it for uni, otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked this up so soon!
lukija's review against another edition
3.0
No nyt oli menoa ja tekemisen meininkiä ja sählinkiä ja jännitystä ja kauhuällötystä ja hihitystä ja sen sellaista tässä 1800-luvun lopulta ilmestyneessä tarinassa. Neljä kertojaa, neljä tarinaa. Viihdyin lukumatkalla.
Blogissa jokin pikkusepustus tästä: kosminenk.wordpress.com :)
Blogissa jokin pikkusepustus tästä: kosminenk.wordpress.com :)
jeansbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
fruitkate's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
mfrost's review against another edition
3.0
cool concept but the xenophobia, sexism, and racism are very prevalent
audreybethc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Beetle is compared frequently to Dracula because they were published the same year and have similar writing styles and a fantasy/horror bent. I much preferred The Beetle because I found the underlying mechanism used to generate fear to be more interesting. Beyond the surface level cozy mystery, Marsh has much to say about gender and colonialism. There is a constant push and pull between male and female in the novel. A huge part of the fear in this book comes from, at its root, the fear of a loss of masculinity. Classically masculine characters are made weak, taken advantage of, and dominated in the face of a gender shifting (although ultimately female) monster, who acts in the name of a female god. In the end, the novel reads as moral tale of what happens when Victorian values are challenged by outsiders.