Quincunx by Charles Palliser

Final Rating: 2.9/5

 
"Is everyone conspiring to drive me mad?"

   Well I finished and it seems I have received my full money's worth of intricate family secrets and period topics of degradation but I feel like I lost a little of my sanity somewhere in the last 300 pages. I will be honest and say, that while the research for this book was impeccable and should be applauded along with the dedication to create such a sprawling atmospheric novel that paid homage to so many easily recognized classics- the story just didn't burn consistently enough for this reader. The beginning was very slow to get my attention and too much coaxing was required to keep that spark of interest going that my mind wandered constantly to other reads that were waiting patiently, errands that needed done and everything but this book. I had such expectations and hopes that this title would completely immerse me and hold me to the last page but sometimes impulsive purchases of books do not fully satisfy. I think that is what happened here in this instance.

   I will say that The Quincunx did deliver: a well researched period mystery that could not be simply solved within a few chapters- I'm just not sure it was fully worth the effort on my part. I did find there were moments especially in the latter beginning that I felt a connection with a few characters but this unfortunately did not last and I really came to dislike the main character and all of the misadventures. I am so sorry to say, that the story was repetitious in many ways and the hidden strands of secrets just didn't recapture my attention after the middle portion of the story sagged horribly with slow rambling passages of dialogue. I thought the story ran on for about 300 pages too many and by the end I couldn't wait to be done but also became little miffed by the final disclosures. I'm sure some reader will absolutely love this beyond elaborate homage to the 19th-century classics but for this reader, I wish I paid more attention to other reviews and just picked this up at my local library.

-read and purchased on kindle