The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
rebeccatc's review against another edition
3.0
Three and a half stars. I had a hard time getting into this book. The first half especially dragged terribly. The second half was more interesting and the main character became more sympathetic. I did like the Dickensian London setting and literary style, which was somewhat imitative of Victorian era novels.
iam_griff's review
4.0
This book was an impulse pick up & was quite a pleasant surprise for I thought it would be a much darker book. While the book is dark, but of an emotional darkness I was unaware. With the opening line of the book I thought it would be similar to a Jack the Ripper/slasher story.
The narrator of this story is superb & really drew my into the story as well as the protagonist's mental state & why his confessions are so bleak.
The narrator of this story is superb & really drew my into the story as well as the protagonist's mental state & why his confessions are so bleak.
pharsaliamphilippos's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tabithar's review against another edition
1.0
"Weeks came and went...months passed... and slowly I began to fall into an enfeebling gloom which I could not shake off. This was a black time indeed."
This quote is from "The Meaning of Night" and pretty much sums up my reading experience. I have tried 3x to continue and can't make myself go any further. The book is a droning, whining affair about a guy who feels that another guy (unknowingly and later knowingly) stole from him the life he should have had. Its not encouraging. Its depressing to know the guy goes on for longer than "DUNE" about how he's going to get even with Pheobus Daunt. The guy is at least little insane but trying to convince himself his actions are all reasonable.
Is it tragic? Sure but life goes on dude. He doesn't appear particularly thankful for opportunities he has other than to twist them into a dogged pursuit of revenge. This book could serve as a warning to what you could look like if you devoted your whole life to hate and revenge.
I started this book when I realized it came before a book I had marked to read. I'm removing it from my "to read".
This quote is from "The Meaning of Night" and pretty much sums up my reading experience. I have tried 3x to continue and can't make myself go any further. The book is a droning, whining affair about a guy who feels that another guy (unknowingly and later knowingly) stole from him the life he should have had. Its not encouraging. Its depressing to know the guy goes on for longer than "DUNE" about how he's going to get even with Pheobus Daunt. The guy is at least little insane but trying to convince himself his actions are all reasonable.
Is it tragic? Sure but life goes on dude. He doesn't appear particularly thankful for opportunities he has other than to twist them into a dogged pursuit of revenge. This book could serve as a warning to what you could look like if you devoted your whole life to hate and revenge.
I started this book when I realized it came before a book I had marked to read. I'm removing it from my "to read".
theladydoor's review against another edition
4.0
This book intrigued me from the first time I saw it on the shelf at my library. It had so many elements of fiction that I enjoy, a bibliophilic protagonist, revenge, dramatic love, murder, and footnotes! The book mostly lived up to my expectations, though there were a few issues I had with it that prevented me from giving it five stars. First, a summary.
The main character of this novel goes by many names, but the one Michael Cox introduces him with is Edward Glyver, so I shall likewise use it. Glyver starts off the novel with the line, "After killing the red haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper." Cox takes a tremendous gamble in starting the novel with the protagonist already a murderer, with no obvious reason given. After the dastardly deed, Glyver meets up with an old school chum and tells the story of his life, up until the point where he has chosen to kill an innocent stranger.
The beginning of Glyver's life is characterized by poverty and mystery. He is brought up by a single, novel-writing mother, yet is visited by a strange, wan woman. At school, he loves reading and academics and plans to attend one of the great universities of England. However, his relationship with a fellow student, Phoebus Daunt, soon puts an end to that dream. Glyver's connection with Daunt and desire to avenge himself chart the course of the rest of the novel.
I very much enjoyed following the plotline of the novel, though I must say I could predict many of the twists and events ahead of time. That little affected my enjoyment of the novel, however. I thoroughly admired Cox's descriptive prose, and the format of the novel (as an edited version of a "found" manuscript) added to the experience of reading it. However, there were moments where Cox abruptly changes tense, and those moments shocked me out of my groove of reading.
Perhaps though, those moments were deliberate. Cox takes great pains to show that Glyver is not a reliable narrator. Glyver is an opium-fiend, a consummate liar, and a frequent user of prostitutes (even when he claims an all-consuming love for another woman). However, like Nabaokov with Humbert Humbert, Cox manages to make the reader sympathetic to Glyver despite his myriad faults.
The main character of this novel goes by many names, but the one Michael Cox introduces him with is Edward Glyver, so I shall likewise use it. Glyver starts off the novel with the line, "After killing the red haired man, I took myself off to Quinn's for an oyster supper." Cox takes a tremendous gamble in starting the novel with the protagonist already a murderer, with no obvious reason given. After the dastardly deed, Glyver meets up with an old school chum and tells the story of his life, up until the point where he has chosen to kill an innocent stranger.
The beginning of Glyver's life is characterized by poverty and mystery. He is brought up by a single, novel-writing mother, yet is visited by a strange, wan woman. At school, he loves reading and academics and plans to attend one of the great universities of England. However, his relationship with a fellow student, Phoebus Daunt, soon puts an end to that dream. Glyver's connection with Daunt and desire to avenge himself chart the course of the rest of the novel.
I very much enjoyed following the plotline of the novel, though I must say I could predict many of the twists and events ahead of time. That little affected my enjoyment of the novel, however. I thoroughly admired Cox's descriptive prose, and the format of the novel (as an edited version of a "found" manuscript) added to the experience of reading it. However, there were moments where Cox abruptly changes tense, and those moments shocked me out of my groove of reading.
Perhaps though, those moments were deliberate. Cox takes great pains to show that Glyver is not a reliable narrator. Glyver is an opium-fiend, a consummate liar, and a frequent user of prostitutes (even when he claims an all-consuming love for another woman). However, like Nabaokov with Humbert Humbert, Cox manages to make the reader sympathetic to Glyver despite his myriad faults.
good_quiet_kitty's review against another edition
2.0
I read The Meaning of Night at the same time as [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255584435s/6185.jpg|1565818], so I've had a bit of an overdose of revenge literature. However, whereas WH ends on a more hopeful note, TMoN felt rather bleak. Perhaps I didn't find Glyver's revenge satisfactory because I was never totally on his side. And I suppose my problem with both Glyver and Heathcliff is that the drag innocents into their machinations. While TMoN has a gripping and memorable opening, I was never able to justify or forgive Lucas Trendle's murder. Without that one action, I would have felt entirely differently about this novel.
Similarly, I don't think Laura Tansor's actions were justifiable. She deprived Lord Tansor of his son and heir, and she deprived Edward (again, a complete innocent) of his rightful title and inheritance. Her choice to conceal his birth is what sets everything into motion. If not for her desire for revenge, then Edward would never have been in his predicament and would not have needed to murder Trendle or Daunt. I suppose then that TMoN, like Wuthering Heights, is a cautionary tale about revenge. Neither Glyver nor Heathcliff ever attain their prizes -- Heathcliff can only be united with Catherine when they are both dead and fails at ruining the Earnshaw and Linton families, and Edward must forfeit his inheritance, his beloved, and his very freedom.
Similarly, I don't think Laura Tansor's actions were justifiable. She deprived Lord Tansor of his son and heir, and she deprived Edward (again, a complete innocent) of his rightful title and inheritance. Her choice to conceal his birth is what sets everything into motion. If not for her desire for revenge, then Edward would never have been in his predicament and would not have needed to murder Trendle or Daunt. I suppose then that TMoN, like Wuthering Heights, is a cautionary tale about revenge. Neither Glyver nor Heathcliff ever attain their prizes -- Heathcliff can only be united with Catherine when they are both dead and fails at ruining the Earnshaw and Linton families, and Edward must forfeit his inheritance, his beloved, and his very freedom.
kkincius's review against another edition
2.0
Made the mistake/good fortune of reading this book after reading The Glass of Time. Found this one to be dull in comparison and that I identified much more with the female protagonist in the next book. Read the Glass of Time if unsatisfied with The Meaning of Night.
roshk99's review against another edition
4.0
A gripping book that starts off with a confession to murder. But it goes back in time to relate the exact process that led to this murder and Edward's slow decline into a state where he was (in his mind) left to no other alternative.
kaelizaco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0