Lain's Reviews > The Alienist

I so agree! I read this quite some time ago and loved it. The subject matter is at times a bit hard to say "I love this book" but the story is so interesting. I would agree with your rating -- it is a surprisingly good book.

a friend gave me this book several years ago, he said it was his favorite read. it's now one of my favorites. once i started reading, i could not put it down. i love that it took place in 1896 in NY with all the players...i plan to read more Caleb Carr and more historical fiction. my sister and i mail books back and forth. we ask either to send it back or send it on. i had a hard time letting go of this book, but ask to her to pass it on.

Chapter 1, eh? Well, I am up to Chapter 13, and so far, it's just so-so at best, and at worse, it's about as boring and dull as waiting in a line at the Post Office. The writing is okay, but not rich, not warm or genuinely enthusiastic and compelling--just passable. The writer hardly shows any personal enthusiasm or warmth in any of it. Reading the descriptions and conversations is like assembling some documents at your office cubicle...on and on...it goes...not really getting you excited about anything...other than either wanting to put it down or just get through and finish it. I'll concede, the few insertions of historical descriptions are nice, and it is clear the writer did put some sweat into researching his subject matter, which is commendable, but that alone is not enough to keep me reading. I don't see what is so exciting and great. I generally like historical fiction, and I usually love a good mystery, suspense-thriller. So far, for me, this is no page turner. In contrast, I much more enjoyed reading things like A Civil Action, The Case of the Howling Dog, A Darkness More than Night, King Solomon's Mines, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Chapter 1, eh? Well, I am up to Chapter 13, and so far, it's just so-so at best, and at worse, it's about as boring and dull as waiting in a line at the Post Office. I keep reading it thinking that it will start to get better, but it really hasn't. The writing is okay, but it's no Heart of Darkness. It's not that compelling--just passable. The writer hardly shows any personal enthusiasm or warmth in any of it, other than perhaps, hoping his descriptions and voices would fit well in a movie. Reading the descriptions and conversations is like assembling some documents at your office cubicle...on and on...it goes...not really getting you excited about anything...other than either wanting to put it down or just get through and finish it. The brutality and nasty parts certainly can make anyone feel uncomfortable but it seems like a flimsy trick if that's supposed to keep the audience reading. I'll concede, the periodic insertions of historical descriptions are nice, and it is clear the writer did put some sweat into researching his subject matter, which is commendable, but that alone is not enough to keep me reading. What's so exciting, thought-provoking, and great is beyond me. Maybe I'm missing something. Generally, I like historical fiction, and I usually love a good mystery, suspense-thriller. So far, for me, this is no page turner. I much more enjoyed reading things like A Civil Action, The Case of the Howling Dog, A Darkness More than Night, King Solomon's Mines, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, Desperadoes, The Great Train Robbery, To Kill A Mockingbird, and even some interesting non-fiction like The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

Seth, I agree. I finally finished the book and was so disappointed. Plodding is one word that comes to mind when I think of The Alienist.