Reviewed by ross91 on
I finished it only because the writing was beautiful and I wanted to know if things would go somewhere but... basically nothing really happens in this book and it made me sad, 'cause I expected a lot more.
All the characters are very unlikable and I couldn't care less about any of them (except maybe Alixana, who I randomly liked but wasn't there for the majority of this book).
All women are whores and/or throws themself at the main protagonist, who is a very unlikable and irascible man... why he's so popular with the female population is truly unknown.
Lastly, it seems GGK is very interested in horse races: we get a looong (stress on LOOOOOONG) chapter almost entirely about a chariot race, recounted in minute detail.
The same happened in A Brightness Long Ago (a truly beautiful book) where the author took his time describing what is basically a reenactment of the "Palio di Siena".
But while in this second book the moment was vital to the story and I felt all the pressure of the moment and the urgency of what was at stake, in this one the race seamed very disjointed from the actual plot and I was confused (and bored) by it.
Sadly, 2* and I don't think I'll ever read the second book
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 14 August, 2020: Finished reading
- 14 August, 2020: Reviewed