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Nightwoods (2011)

by Charles Frazier(Favorite Author)

3.56 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

140006709X (ISBN13: 9781400067091)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Random House

review 1: In a closed down hunting lodge, on the edge of a lake, surrounded by forest, beneath towering mountains, lives a reclusive and solitary young woman. Her life is transformed when the emotionally damaged twin children of her murdered sister arrive into her care. They, in turn, are pursued by their mother's killer (and their step-father), who is convinced they know where his stolen fortune is concealed. Add to the mix, a young man, heir to the hunting lodge, who gently courts and hopes to protect the young woman and the twins.Where Cold Mountain bore the influence of Homer's Odyssey, in Nightwoods we see the elements of fairy tale: Luce, a sleeping beauty gradually reawakening; the twins, Hansel and Gretel in the wild forest; Bud, the evil step-father, the ogre in the castle;... more Stubblefield, a well-meaning but rather ineffective Prince Charming. Yet, the fairy tale image does not entirely work. Luce can and does fend for herself and her children; The children themselves, so deeply scarred (what did Bud do to them?), but with inner strength and intelligence; and Bud, sly, ruthless and amoral but also stupid and impetuous.The real focus of this novel is the landscape - the forest and the mountains are central to everything which occurs. Primal elements dominate: the twins' fascination with fire, Bud's fixation with blood. There are many beautifully written scenes: Bud coming close to death in a wintry landscape, but seeing the dot of light in the distance which spells safety - a scene from fairy tale, or the imperilled knight in search of the Holy Grail. The language of the novel reflects the characters' dialogue, spare but graceful, filled with the dry drolleries of those who live close by nature. This is a novel to be enjoyed and recommended to others.
review 2: This book was not at all what I expected based on the title and description on the cover. However, it was still a pleasant read. Frazier definitely does violence well; he also has a knack for capturing the rural landscape and citizenry, too. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Frazier is his writing style. When you take a step back and really read some of the sentences a second time, it becomes far more like poetry than prose. He seems to enjoy constructing partial sentences, like "Breathe an autumn afternoon's crisp breath." He doesn't really provide a subject in these sentences, and after you catch these over and over, it begins to develop a pattern; a cadence forms as you read the lines. I really enjoyed that. The story wasn't bad, either. less

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