Miriamele
June 28th, 2005, 11:03 PM
I just finished The Silences of Home a few hours ago and I want to write down what I'm thinking before I forget it all!
First of all, this book is vastly different than A Telling of Stars, as Caitlin warned me it would be. In some ways, I liked this book less--in other ways, more.
Silences follows multiple POVs, unlike Telling which follows a single girl's journey. Although I liked the single POV, I liked the multiple ones too--Caitlin does both forms of writing very well. She created here some very wonderful and interesting characters, whose alternate viewpoints add richness to the story.
Also different is the prose--Silences is much less poetic and densely written. So the story moves faster--but I missed Caitlin's lyrical descriptions. Don't get me wrong, the prose here is of the highest quality, but this time I felt more connected to the characters' feelings and less able to see, hear, and feel the world in which they stood.
In all it was an enchanting book, and I admit that once I got to the halfway point, at which Luhr is attacked, I could not put it down. I have sorely neglected my housework over the past two days in order to finish it! I simply had to find out what happened!
The characters of Silences are likeable and flawed, like real people, and they act in unpredictable ways. Like Telling, Silences is quite unpredictable. (Who would have ever thought that Baldhron would end up in the position he did, for starters?) The first half of the book I kept thinking that I was reading foreshadowing of dire events, but once the main attack on Luhr occured and nothing went according to plans, I realized that nothing was going to happen like I thought. And I was right. As I read on Caitlin surprised me again and again. Sometimes the surprises were sweet, sometimes bitter. Just like real life.
The theme of written history possibly being lies was an interesting one. It was fascinating after reading Telling, and learning of the legend of Queen Gahla, to learn in this book what really had transpired during her reign. And to have the characters themselves discussing how these events were to be recorded was an interesting twist!
A few notes on the characters: (SPOILER WARNING)
Like any good antagonist, Ghala did at some points elicit sympathy from me. I understood what she was trying to do for her subjects although I found her methods deplorable. She is for the most part unlikeable, but she does have some goodness (and love for her daughter) deep in her somewhere. It's nice to see fantasy without a demonic villain, but rather someone complex and realistic like Ghala.
The one thing I could predict in this book was that the love affairs (Lanara/Nellyn, Alea/Aldron) were both doomed from the get go. In both cases the individuals were just too far apart to be able to stay together. I also suspected that Nellyn and Alea would end up together--because they both wanted to live a simple life, and because they seemed to understand each other. When Alea arrived at the Shonyn village, I was so happy! She and Nellyn deserved each other. And I thought it was adorable the way Nellyn doted on Alea's daughter, unlike Aldron who hardly looked at her.
Leish, who had such an innocent heart, suffered so much. I thought for most of the book that he would be a wholly tragic character, but like Nellyn and Alea, he did find the happiness he deserved at the end of the book and I was greatly relieved to find this.
In all I felt that every character--with the exception of Baldhron, but still things might change for him!--met a fate that they deserved. The ending was not neat and tidy, it was not all happy, but it was right.
I'm a bit sorry now, actually, that I borrowed this book from the library, because I'd like to have it on my shelf. It's the kind of book I'd read again. :)
A little note: In the book I have started writing, Caitlin, I had a little girl named Nissa too! I think now I'm going to have to change it or I'll feel like I'm copying you! :D
First of all, this book is vastly different than A Telling of Stars, as Caitlin warned me it would be. In some ways, I liked this book less--in other ways, more.
Silences follows multiple POVs, unlike Telling which follows a single girl's journey. Although I liked the single POV, I liked the multiple ones too--Caitlin does both forms of writing very well. She created here some very wonderful and interesting characters, whose alternate viewpoints add richness to the story.
Also different is the prose--Silences is much less poetic and densely written. So the story moves faster--but I missed Caitlin's lyrical descriptions. Don't get me wrong, the prose here is of the highest quality, but this time I felt more connected to the characters' feelings and less able to see, hear, and feel the world in which they stood.
In all it was an enchanting book, and I admit that once I got to the halfway point, at which Luhr is attacked, I could not put it down. I have sorely neglected my housework over the past two days in order to finish it! I simply had to find out what happened!
The characters of Silences are likeable and flawed, like real people, and they act in unpredictable ways. Like Telling, Silences is quite unpredictable. (Who would have ever thought that Baldhron would end up in the position he did, for starters?) The first half of the book I kept thinking that I was reading foreshadowing of dire events, but once the main attack on Luhr occured and nothing went according to plans, I realized that nothing was going to happen like I thought. And I was right. As I read on Caitlin surprised me again and again. Sometimes the surprises were sweet, sometimes bitter. Just like real life.
The theme of written history possibly being lies was an interesting one. It was fascinating after reading Telling, and learning of the legend of Queen Gahla, to learn in this book what really had transpired during her reign. And to have the characters themselves discussing how these events were to be recorded was an interesting twist!
A few notes on the characters: (SPOILER WARNING)
Like any good antagonist, Ghala did at some points elicit sympathy from me. I understood what she was trying to do for her subjects although I found her methods deplorable. She is for the most part unlikeable, but she does have some goodness (and love for her daughter) deep in her somewhere. It's nice to see fantasy without a demonic villain, but rather someone complex and realistic like Ghala.
The one thing I could predict in this book was that the love affairs (Lanara/Nellyn, Alea/Aldron) were both doomed from the get go. In both cases the individuals were just too far apart to be able to stay together. I also suspected that Nellyn and Alea would end up together--because they both wanted to live a simple life, and because they seemed to understand each other. When Alea arrived at the Shonyn village, I was so happy! She and Nellyn deserved each other. And I thought it was adorable the way Nellyn doted on Alea's daughter, unlike Aldron who hardly looked at her.
Leish, who had such an innocent heart, suffered so much. I thought for most of the book that he would be a wholly tragic character, but like Nellyn and Alea, he did find the happiness he deserved at the end of the book and I was greatly relieved to find this.
In all I felt that every character--with the exception of Baldhron, but still things might change for him!--met a fate that they deserved. The ending was not neat and tidy, it was not all happy, but it was right.
I'm a bit sorry now, actually, that I borrowed this book from the library, because I'd like to have it on my shelf. It's the kind of book I'd read again. :)
A little note: In the book I have started writing, Caitlin, I had a little girl named Nissa too! I think now I'm going to have to change it or I'll feel like I'm copying you! :D