ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA: A Novel
One of the perqs of reviewing books is the bonus book that shows up on the doorstep like lost luggage or a foundling. I was pretty sure that's what the huge (567 pp.) book was that came tumbling out of a package from S&S because I would never have requested something titled ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA or billed as historical. Then I noticed the author's name: Colleen McCullough of THORN BIRDS."Oh, well," I thought, "this will be good anyway if it's by her."
It's a huge book. The cover is gorgeous. The back cover blurb is very interesting, especially the little bio on McCullough. The book is historical fiction about the named couple, a seventh volume in an epic Masters of Rome series. I didn't even know about the series, that's how much I'm not into historical fiction. Go look at it in a book store, and maybe you'll be drawn in.
I suppose that someone really into this genre or the time period would enjoy the work. I tried. I really did. I think the fact that I was so bored by the material made me focus on the writing, which I was surprised to see could be improved. I'll have to reread THORN BIRDS now with a more analytic eye to determine if this is a flaw in my critical abilities.
Did I say it's a big book?
posted by Georganna Hancock M.S. | 8:27 AM
2 Comments:
I liked the first book in her Masters of Rome series. It's called The First Man in Rome. The second book wasn't quite as good, but still held my interest. But the third? Well, I couldn't get past the first few pages, the writing was that awful. Or rather, awful for what I was expecting from her. Had the author been Jane Unknown, I still wouldn't have kept reading, but I would've shrugged, set the book aside and forgotten about it instead of being desperately disappointed.
Colleen McCullough is a terrific writer, and I love her early stuff, but I think she's fallen victim to the curse of so many talented writers. They become so popular and have so much pressure put upon them to produce, uber alles, that they get in a hurry, lose inspiration, or whatnot and stop turning out the kind of prose that made them famous in the first place.
Thanks for the validation, Ann/Diana/whoever you are. Isn't it sad when we love one of a writer's books only to be deeply disappointed in another. I think you probably have a good point about pressure to produce ... she has yet another book on a different subject coming out soon, too. Maybe more.
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