I was first drawn to this book based on Entertainment Weekly’s
review, and Stephen King’s recommendation.
I got into it quickly, sped through the first 200 pages or so, then
slowed, but picked up the pace again in the last 100 pages. It was certainly the quickest I’ve read a 500
page book in quite some time.
That being said, I was ultimately disappointed. The opening scene (“Fur Sie”) held such
promise, when combined with the device of the whole, but it never panned
out. There are wonderful vignettes, and many
of the characters are fully realized, even in their reiterations, but the story
doesn’t GO anywhere; the protagonist doesn’t DO anything. In that sense, it was unfulfilling.
It IS well written: I enjoyed the narrative, the setting,
and the themes. The disparate scenes are
fully realized at various junctures, only touched upon at others. The history seems well researched and authentic,
especially the bits of foreign dialog and the peccadillos of the British
people.
Ursula becomes a little bit of everything; untouched by her tragedies
yet molded by them. This inherent constraint
limits her growth as a character, mitigates the impact of her travails, and
ultimately deadens the chronicle of her lives.
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