The Marriage of Sticks (1999)

Romance, ghosts, immortality, and coming to grips with who you are, were, and could be. A little thin and preachy at times, but so much better than the last three of his I've read. It's not quite five-star material, but it's pretty close.

On reading this now, I suspect that when Carroll wrote The Ghost in Love he was trying to recreate what he did here--like maybe Marriage of Sticks didn't come out exactly as he'd planned so he tried again, only to fail miserably. There's a certain irony to him trying to reincarnate what could be an immortal love story... ( )

Author: Jonathan Carroll
Published By: Open Road
Age Recommended: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Book Blog For: GMTA
Rating: 4

Review:

"Marriage of Sticks" by Jonathan Carroll was a good read that really kept me interested until the end. The novel started out with a high school reunion and then it blooms out with such intriguing characters that were all so well
developed only presenting great thoughts only bringing out such creativity only adding to a great read that comes out a little fantastical and even somewhat creepy read. Be prepared for there will be many surprises that are well hidden in the read. I found "Marriage of Sticks" to be 'filled with suspense, horror and even magic.' Now, you may find Mr. Carroll's "Marriage of Sticks" novel may seem somewhat confusing but if you will stick with it till the end it will all come together giving you a mind-blowing fantasy of a read.

If you are looking for a good read that will present 'scary, funny sad, weird, and too believable, all at the same time' you have come to the right place for "Marriage of Sticks" and yes, I would recommend this read to you. ( )

The Marriage of Sticks slides along the slipstream, as most of his works to. His writing is filled with magical imagery and moments when you can't quite figure out what's going on, but in the end it doesn't matter because Carroll can tell a great story. Carroll's works always manage to live in the ordinary world and in the magical world that lies adjacent. In The Marriage of Sticks this is quite clear as the book moves through its paces and becomes increasingly creepy and fantastical.

The main character, Miranda (yes, I thought of Miranda in The Tempest, too), is looking for love and surprised when it finds her through a man who embodies her past, but is only tangentially connected to it. An exploration of love, of memory, and of loss - Carroll draws us effortlessly into a world where characters find happiness only to be driven from it relentlessly. His writing is creative and surprising and his stories unsettling and ambiguous. Lovely read. ( )

Jonathan Carroll writes very inventive stories which start off as love stories and turn into fantasy about half way through, but somehow I never believe in his characters. They don't behave like real people and their relationships never ring true to me. But at least this time the protagonist wasn't another man who had a strained relationship with his father. ( )

This book came so highly recommended, and yet it left me a bit cold. It is an interesting theme and certainly well written, but things didnt quite fit, and the story seems to jump around and leave lots of gaps.
Perhaps I am tougher with this book than I would have been had I not had such high expectations ( )