Love

This is pure Carter - rich, flowing, dark, compelling. But what it lacks is the lushness that is apparent in many of her other works; the vivacity and headiness of Wise Children, for example, is largely absent. 'Love' is a stark, bleak, demanding book. Like most of Carter's works, it draws you in, but when it spits you out, you're left drained and reeling.

I cannot say I loved this book, nor that I enjoyed it. It is well-written, penetrating and sometimes even humorous. But it is a painful, dare I say harrowing, book. Anyone who has been in a loving yet damaging relationship will find unwanted past memories relived in the three main characters. The love triangle that is the subject of this story is not of the kind you might find in your show more regular fiction fare; it lays bare all the ugliness and weakness of its characters, and dissects all the ways in which a person who loves you can tear you apart - and vice versa.

For its power, for its well-conceived plot and its incisive look into the human mind, I would give this 5 stars. But for the discomfit it inflicts upon the reader, and for its grinding, wearying penetration into the darker, uglier side of love, I'm forced to give it 3. show less

Such control of language - Angela Carter is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers. I don't know anyone else who can craft prose like this - it's as if each sentence has been pared down with a knife.

This novel was first published in 1971, I read the revised and updated version which came out in 1987. This is the story of the relationships between Annabel, her husband Lee and his brother Buzz. This updated version gives snapshot descriptions of where the characters are 25 years later (in the mid-80's).

It is beautifully written (well it is Angela Carter) but the story itself is very bleak. Carter captures the gritty life of the late sixties; the destructive relationships between the three main characters and a real sense of time and place. This story couldn't have occurred any-when else. I can't say that this is an enjoyable read but it is one I don't regret reading.

Nah.

Just couldn't come at the utter destructiveness of the characters and the ueber-hyper-reality of the images.

But for unabashed and addicted Carter fans, this would be a must-read. Maybe in a later decade.