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A review by tobyyy
The Cleaner of Chartres by Salley Vickers
2.0
I really am not entirely sure what I feel about The Cleaner of Chartres. It feels like the author started out with the idea of making some grand statement about life, human frailty, and redemptive love... but never really got around to doing any of that.
Agnes was not a character that I disliked -- but nor did I find anything that I particularly liked about her. The plot never really seemed to coalesce, and I'm still not entirely sure what the purpose of the novel was. I think that the main two things that kept me from rating this book lower are these:
1) The use of descriptive language in this book is probably one of its best selling points.
2) Due to Vickers' past profession as a psychoanalyst, in The Cleaner of Chartres at least (I've not read any of her other books), she tends to plumb the depths of human character. The analyzing done of character and why it is the way it is interests me -- due to my own studies in psychology and social work.
Don't really recommend, sadly. I may try a different book by Vickers to see if it's any better, as I saw that other reviewers have said that Vickers is "hit or miss" when it comes to liking her books. But it's definitely not at the top of my book-related priorities.
Agnes was not a character that I disliked -- but nor did I find anything that I particularly liked about her. The plot never really seemed to coalesce, and I'm still not entirely sure what the purpose of the novel was. I think that the main two things that kept me from rating this book lower are these:
1) The use of descriptive language in this book is probably one of its best selling points.
2) Due to Vickers' past profession as a psychoanalyst, in The Cleaner of Chartres at least (I've not read any of her other books), she tends to plumb the depths of human character. The analyzing done of character and why it is the way it is interests me -- due to my own studies in psychology and social work.
Don't really recommend, sadly. I may try a different book by Vickers to see if it's any better, as I saw that other reviewers have said that Vickers is "hit or miss" when it comes to liking her books. But it's definitely not at the top of my book-related priorities.