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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
Arcadia by Iain Pears
3.0
I've always found Iain Pears' novels somewhat ponderous--in fact, I don't think I've actually plowed through one of them. But I did make it through Arcadia. It is something else entirely.
There's a friskiness to this book, with a vast variety of characters in various time periods and in various worlds. Many get popped back and forth so it takes them awhile to get a grip on where they are and what they need to do. One of the worlds is a bucolic sort of place with a rich storytelling tradition that needs to be paid close attention to. There's a dystopian future, there's World War II, there's the 60's. If you tire of one story line, there's a new one coming up in a few pages.
I enjoyed this novel but wish it had been woven together more tightly. There's a lot of imagination at work here but one can become weary of so much of a muchness. There is much to admire in "Arcadia;" I wish that it had been more carefully structured for those delights to be completely enjoyed.
There's a friskiness to this book, with a vast variety of characters in various time periods and in various worlds. Many get popped back and forth so it takes them awhile to get a grip on where they are and what they need to do. One of the worlds is a bucolic sort of place with a rich storytelling tradition that needs to be paid close attention to. There's a dystopian future, there's World War II, there's the 60's. If you tire of one story line, there's a new one coming up in a few pages.
I enjoyed this novel but wish it had been woven together more tightly. There's a lot of imagination at work here but one can become weary of so much of a muchness. There is much to admire in "Arcadia;" I wish that it had been more carefully structured for those delights to be completely enjoyed.