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Loading... Kept (2006)by D. J. Taylor
Quit. (  )  picardyrose | Oct 20, 2010 |  Taylor references - openly, the debt being acknowledged - a raft of great nineteenth century novelists in this 400 plus page heavyweight. Sadly, "heavyweight" rather sums it up. I found this rather hard going. For me, the key characteristic of Trollope or Dickens that was missing here was the liveliness. (  ) dsc73277 | Sep 14, 2010 | Whilst the writing and the language were evocative of the time, I was disappointed with this novel. Maybe I was expecting too much after having read 'Oliver Twist' by Dickens, "The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins and 'Far from the Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy. The Story starts interestingly enough with the seemingly unrelated deaths of two gentleman and the decent into madness of a young widow who is then in effect imprissioned in a decaying country estate belonging to a strange elderly gentleman entrusted with her care. However the story then takes a long time to come together, with each chapter featuring various, at times, seemingly unconnected people or events including, a pet mouse, a wolf, a failed grocery salesman, a train robbery, lawyers, mens clubs, a pushy mother and other seedy characters. I admit at times to considering putting the book aside. I was glad when I reached the end, where I suppose after what seemed a very long time,everything did come together. Overall though, It didn't live up to the cover blurb. (  ) PriscillaM | Mar 21, 2010 | A pastiche of course, but a totally intentional one. If you're looking for action and high adventure then this is probably not for you. If, however, you enjoy characterisation and descriptive prose, sentences constructed in the highest of high Victorian then read on. Both the descriptions of the bleak fens and the poverty of the London slums are brought evocatively to life. There are echoes of Dickens and Thackery and (strangely uncredited) Wilkie Collins. As a Patrick O'Brien devotee I was constantly reminded of his work - perhaps more because both authors are so thoroughly imbued in the period (although Aubrey and Maturin are a good 50 years earlier of course), rather than any direct comparison between the two. Cleverly the author writes from a variety of view points - first person narrative, excerpts from letters, newspaper clippings and the like. I think it is fair to say that no two chapters are alike. The plot is almost incidental to the story but includes all the best Victorian themes - murder, kidnapping and theft. If you accept this novel for what it is then you will enjoy it greatly. (  ) simon_carr | Dec 13, 2009 | I was expecting much more from this book. I think it fell apart at the end (or at least it lost my interest). (  ) maryintexas39 | Dec 23, 2008 |
 DJ Taylor has crafted a satisfying 19th-century soup, but fails to engage the emotions in Kept, says Susan Hill  This clever and hugely readable novel constantly subverts its readers' expectations. It would be unfair to reveal the ending but it is fair to say that Taylor promises, tongue in cheek, one sort of novel and gives us quite another. Julian Barnes in Arthur and George developed a documentary approach which produced something that was more history than fiction and will prove to be a fertile innovation. D.J. Taylor, in this novel with footnotes, extracts, and appendices, is blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction yet further. It is a powerful contribution to the changing practice of historical fiction, and it succeeds as a novel in its own right. ‘Pon my word it does!
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