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sian_m's review against another edition
4.0
This book oozed intoxicating and prevalent teenage angst. It was atmospheric and described an evocative coming of age. I felt consumed in the dark moodiness of Richard’s character. It rippled off the pages and compelled me to read on.
I loved the layout of the story and felt the completion was well executed. A worthy read, when it forces me to pause, reflect and catch my breath.
I loved the layout of the story and felt the completion was well executed. A worthy read, when it forces me to pause, reflect and catch my breath.
radishcake's review against another edition
4.0
I would have enjoyed this book even more if there had been illustrations to go with the gallery descriptions.
bookishblond's review against another edition
4.0
Sucked me in from the very first page. This book is so beautiful - I know I'll be thinking about the themes and emotions for a long time.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the intro of each chapter with the description of a painting or drawing. I thought it gave each chapter an almost magical feel. It made the world, for me, so real it was almost tangible.
I thought this was a great story about first love and first loss. About the possessive struggle within yourself that you may experience with "your first".
There will never be another "first" like that and sometimes it's hard not to want to smother that person ~ want to hold them and constantly be near them. I could totally understand his jealously and mistrust that comes along at that age. I thought this was a great read for an older teen.
I thought this was a great story about first love and first loss. About the possessive struggle within yourself that you may experience with "your first".
There will never be another "first" like that and sometimes it's hard not to want to smother that person ~ want to hold them and constantly be near them. I could totally understand his jealously and mistrust that comes along at that age. I thought this was a great read for an older teen.
eslismyjam's review against another edition
3.0
Atmospheric is certainly the word for this one. Indeed, there is almost nothing but atmosphere here. I kept waiting for something to happen, something to warrant the lengthy descriptions and extreme attention to the most minute details of scenery, but nada. The descriptions are beautiful, poetic and extremely rich in detail, but I felt that it dragged at points. The story was interesting, it took me a minute to get into it, told from the present and flashing back to the 70s when our protagonist was a teenager enthralled with the lovely Clio, but it worked. As others have noted the juxtaposition of descriptions of the works of art at the start of each chapter with the story interwoven added a complexity to the story that I appreciated. But when the final twist came I was left scratching my head. It wasn't much of a twist and it wasn't very exciting. The Rees does such a great job of setting her scene and creating nuanced characters that I expected more. I was sorely disappointed by anti-climatic ending. I listened to audiobook and I have to say the narrator was FANTASTIC. Love a good British narrator. LOVE.
jayse's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful prose filled with vivid details of a beautiful summer. Richard didn't just have a love affaire with Clio but her whole family learning something new from them all. Loved it.
orestes's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting but... weird? Boring?
I dont know.
I realy liked some parts but; a lot of sex and a weak plot.
This is the perfect word for this book; weak.
Interesting but weak.
I dont know.
I realy liked some parts but; a lot of sex and a weak plot.
This is the perfect word for this book; weak.
Interesting but weak.
philyra91's review against another edition
2.0
Unfortunately, this turned out to be a disappointing read for me. There is no doubt that Rees is a very skilled and exceptional writer. The descriptions are very vivid, the prose is beautiful, and there were many underlying themes and meanings all weaved in together. I just found the story to be a little cliche.
Boy meets girl. Girl introduces boy to wonderful, strange new world, which in this case, involves a lot of nudity, sex and paintings. Something terrible happens and they're separated only to be reunited many, many years later.
Somehow, I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't find myself relating to the characters and I found Clio to be an annoying character, rather selfish really. In addition, while I found the added descriptions of paintings to be interesting, it would have been even better if illustrations of the paintings could have been included as well.
I really do hope Cees' other books will prove to be more engaging for me.
Boy meets girl. Girl introduces boy to wonderful, strange new world, which in this case, involves a lot of nudity, sex and paintings. Something terrible happens and they're separated only to be reunited many, many years later.
Somehow, I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't find myself relating to the characters and I found Clio to be an annoying character, rather selfish really. In addition, while I found the added descriptions of paintings to be interesting, it would have been even better if illustrations of the paintings could have been included as well.
I really do hope Cees' other books will prove to be more engaging for me.
rosepetals1984's review against another edition
3.0
"The Wish House" is one of those coming of age stories that will either be a hit or a miss with its readers. I usually love summer themed, coming of age stories where the character grows in some manner during his or her experiences in a place outside of their usual dwellings, but this one left me wanting more than what it provided.
The story takes place in the 1970s. 15-year-old Richard spends the summer with his family in South Wales near an interesting dwelling called "The Wish House." What he doesn't expect is to meet quite the bunch of colorful, illustrious characters staying in that house. They're free-spirited - some of which freely take drugs, make out, living life as if each day is their last. Richard is quickly taken under the wing of one of the resident artists there, and used as a subject of quite a few portraits. But while Richard visits the house regularly, he's caught up in many of his "first times" while there: falling in and out of love, dealing with loss, and wrestling with long standing demons and fears that aren't so easy to get rid of.
I definitely liked the set up of the storytelling, each chapter preceded by a description/depiction of an artwork as interpreted by critics in the famous artist's portfolio. But I found Richard's story to be largely underwhelming despite the themes provided in the novel, and this is coming from someone who loves slice-of-life, coming of age sories. There was something in the style of the story that left much to be desired. I don't know if it was the way it was written (third person limited), if the character's POV wasn't as intimate as it could've been, or if there were some other confounding factors in the story that were lacking. Given that this is my first read from Celia Rees, I don't really have anything to compare it to, but it left enough of an impression on me to say that I felt for Richard as his perspective grows from the experiences he has in that summer. It's a quick read, one I think older teens might appreciate more, and those who don't mind the YA coming of age genre in general. Is it the best story I've read in its particular setting? Not really, but it's worth checking into to see what it has to offer.
Overall score: 2.5/5
The story takes place in the 1970s. 15-year-old Richard spends the summer with his family in South Wales near an interesting dwelling called "The Wish House." What he doesn't expect is to meet quite the bunch of colorful, illustrious characters staying in that house. They're free-spirited - some of which freely take drugs, make out, living life as if each day is their last. Richard is quickly taken under the wing of one of the resident artists there, and used as a subject of quite a few portraits. But while Richard visits the house regularly, he's caught up in many of his "first times" while there: falling in and out of love, dealing with loss, and wrestling with long standing demons and fears that aren't so easy to get rid of.
I definitely liked the set up of the storytelling, each chapter preceded by a description/depiction of an artwork as interpreted by critics in the famous artist's portfolio. But I found Richard's story to be largely underwhelming despite the themes provided in the novel, and this is coming from someone who loves slice-of-life, coming of age sories. There was something in the style of the story that left much to be desired. I don't know if it was the way it was written (third person limited), if the character's POV wasn't as intimate as it could've been, or if there were some other confounding factors in the story that were lacking. Given that this is my first read from Celia Rees, I don't really have anything to compare it to, but it left enough of an impression on me to say that I felt for Richard as his perspective grows from the experiences he has in that summer. It's a quick read, one I think older teens might appreciate more, and those who don't mind the YA coming of age genre in general. Is it the best story I've read in its particular setting? Not really, but it's worth checking into to see what it has to offer.
Overall score: 2.5/5