Review: Complex and Sincere
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 6, 2014
To call this novel anything less than an epic would be an understatement. It is beautifully written and crafted into an immediate classic. The historical setting is impeccable and believable, as though the author had personally lived in that time, suffered through similar destitution, and had witnessed the rise and fall of a family just like the Wakefields. It was almost impossible to put this novel down, simply because it never stopped being interesting. Historical novels are often complicated and require extensive exposition, but this story never got boring. In fact, watching the drama of this fascinating family unfold could be likened to the writing of Fitzgerald or John Dos Passos, compelling and brutally sincere. Henry is one of the least likeable characters I have ever read, and yet as a reader, we want him to succeed for the good of his family, but fail because of his internal monologue and general outlook on life.Creating a conflict in a reader's emotion is a difficult and dangerous task for an author, because they risk losing the attention and interest of the audience; everyone likes to root for a hero. The supporting characters in the family breathe life and genuine emotion into the tale, and it is hard not to become attached to at least one of them, most likely more. Sarah reminds me of the the wife from Tender is the Night, even beyond the mental health issues that she suffers from. I didn't see the climax coming, and the lack of predictability drags the reader through to the very last page. As Hawthorne said, "Families are always rising and falling in America", but it's true in England as well; this novel is a beautiful example of that, and should be read by anyone who is a fan of drama and truly spectacular prose.