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Loading... A Brief Madness (edition 2011)by Karisha Kal'ee'ay
Work detailsA Brief Madness by Karisha Kal'ee'ay
None.  jdarling29 | Apr 27, 2012 |   This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The story is also sadly in need of an editor. Some sections confuse time that was frustrating to read. Also, it was difficult at times to know who was speaking during dialogues. Simple things that just shouldn't happen in a published book and drives me crazy when it does. The story premise has some potential and probably would have worked better at half the page count and only focusing on three or four characters, leaving out the confused characters and what I can only describe as added subplots that do nothing more than provide the reader with something to read - kind of like watching the halftime entertainment during the Superbowl, which really has nothing to do with the game itself. This book was provided to me as part of Librarything's Early Reviewer program. (  ) lkernagh | Apr 14, 2012 | This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Richard dies of a heart attack while working in his allotment and what would have been an entirely personal tragedy for his family suddenly becomes big news when it is discovered that the fatal attack, in all probability, was caused by the effort of burying two young women, just the latest in a series of "never over two a month". Despite some difficulties with dialogue (all the characters tend to speak with the same voice, making it sometimes difficult to follow who is speaking to whom) the insights into the hearts and minds of those left behind are often touching and revealing. However, the parallel story about other members of the grief councelling group feels as if it doesn't really fit here: almost as if the author has two different stories she wants to tell and couldn't bring herself not to abandon one of them. However, there is enough here to demonstrate a great deal of ability and certain parts of the book read a little like passages from We Need to Talk About Kevin, one of the great novels of the past few years. I'm sure that, given judicious editing and constructive advice, Ms Kal'ee'ay has some excellent books just waiting to be put on paper. Not perfect but definitely recommended. Booksloth | Mar 20, 2012 | This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ) Fluffyblue | Mar 11, 2012 | This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Much of the action is in Ember's apparently vast apartment in Los Angelos that I found difficult to get a clear picture of and no vision at all of the area it sat in. It certainly had many rooms and at least one balcony. The action also moves to Richard's childhood home with Frances in Georgia and there is a brief road trip to Nevada, but this is not a novel that is strong on place; the most grounded places are in Georgia. The characters vary from those who are very one dimensional to those who are more rounded, to me Ember was the main voice we heard and the person who most articulated how it might feel to be in that situation. Richard's voice is heard occasionally, but the novel does not really try to get in to his head and explain his actions. I found the novel interesting to read and engaging in some ways, although I do not think it is not a novel that will stay with me after reading. ( )1  Tifi | Mar 5, 2012 | no reviews | add a review
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The plot follows the wife of a deceased serial killer and along the way develops relationships with an unlikely group of relatives and friends. My main issue with the story was that it was just too unlikely. I didn't find the characters believable or relate-able. I also found the break in the middle of the story too drastic in terms of character development.
Overall this book was not for me; the writing style, the subject matter, the character development, I found it all lacking. (