Evensong (Ballantine Reader's Circle) |
| |
|
|
Author:
Gail Godwin
By Ballantine Books Inc.
Average Customer Rating:   
List Price: £10.22
Our Price: £2.01
|
|
|
|
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345434777
ISBN: 0345434773
Label: Ballantine Books Inc.
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books Inc.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 432
Publication Date: 2000-03-03
Publisher: Ballantine Books Inc.
Studio: Ballantine Books Inc. |
|
A beautifully conceived and well-executed novel., 1999-09-03
I continue to be fascinated and amazed by this author's creativity and plot development. I read every word of this story. There was a combination of interesting characters, facts and story. Margaret's descriptions of her life and relationship with Adrian included elements of conflict, love, beauty, and confusion. The additional characters, including parishoners, friends and adversaries were developed with creativity that kept me wondering and wanting to know more about them. I was also intrigued by the historical and factual material, most of which I had no previous knowledge.
Where's the story?, 1999-09-02
This is my first Godwin book; I did not read "Father Melancholy." This book rambles shamelessly. Margaret has the "voice" of a sixty year old, not a contemporary 33-year-old, despite her vocation. There is no thread of story, only a series of seemingly disconnected events beneath the umbrella of the approaching millenium. The prose is often awkward and stilted. Margaret is a stuffy character, to boot. A disappointment.
My feeble attempt at reviewing Evensong is to encourage ever, 1999-08-29
I wanted to review this book and am at a loss for words. Why? It is so unsurpassingly excellent. As soon as I finished it I reread book a second time and I have never done that before. I zeroxed pages and sent to friends. Why the enthusiasm? The story is about two Episcopal priests, mainly about the woman priest married to a husband priest. She has many problems -- her mother deserted her father, her husband suffers from cruel memories of his childhood. It is the author's attitude toward life and suffering which captivated me. Of course the role God plays in these lives is strikingly and subletly expressed. Our heroine finds meaning and purpose in life, although she too suffers. Evensong is second book about these characters. Father Meloncholy was first and I pray there will be a third.
Good, but does not live up to Father Melancholy, 1999-06-28
I couldn't wait to read this one to find out what had happened to the characters from Father Melancholy. Be sure to read Father Melancholy's Daughter first if at all possible. Gail Godwin is brilliant. There is amazing complexity in the relationships among these characters. However I thought Grace was really annoying and somewhat stereotyped. Also the milleniuum theme seemed to be more of a playing up to the current madness than actually essential to the story. Overall the book was worth reading. If you like Gail Godwin, don't miss The Good Husband. It is still my favorite of her works.
A bit of a disappointment from a big Father Melancholy fan, 1999-06-29
Even ten years after its publication, I still hold Father Melancholy's Daughter as the best book to come out of the south in years. After those kind of expectations, maybe it's not surprising that Evensong fell a little short of the mark, possibily because Father Gower was gone and his ghost doesn't make many appearances in the second novel. Godwin's detail and sheer humanity make Evensong a worthy read, but somehow the plot didn't hang together very well and the happy endings just seemed too, well, happy. However, I have read it twice and probably will again, as I really do enjoy the high-Episcopal world she so finely draws, though I'm one of those raging fundamentalist she seems to live in fear of.
|
