Sleep, Pale Sister

Reading the introduction to the reprint of this early work of JH, you get the impression that she's a bit embarassed by Sleep, Pale Sister. There's no doubt that it stems from a time before her considerable skills were fully honed. It reads almost like a first draft and is a rather rambling, unwieldy novel. That said, I really did enjoy reading it. Not being much of a fan of the Gothic genre, I did find all the purple prose a bit over the top - but then that's the nature of Gothic, so I can't complain. One thing I always like about JH is that she doesn't shy away from darker themes and that's certainly the case here. Her protagonist is guilty of about the worst crime imaginable and she doesn't flinch from giving it to us both barrels. The same was true of the depiction of the rotten underbelly of rural France in 5 Quarters. So, all in all, fun, spooky, creepy and enjoyable, but only a taster of the better things to come from this excellent writer.

A Lost Gem Rediscovered (4/4 people found this helpful)

I understand that this book disappeared without trace when it was first released. Goodness only knows why. Lacklustre promotion, I can only imagine because it's a wonderful book. Echoes of Dorian Gray but without the covert mysogyny. Darkly magical. Literate and hugely enjoyable.

Unlike a previous reviewer, I loved the device of having the four narrators and had no problem descerning which was which. Indeed, it simply increased my admiration for the author's skill and dexterity.

I loved Chocolat but I couldn't get on with Five Quarter's of the Orange at all. What does it matter? Sleep, Pale Sister is a stand-alone success.

Fantastic Gothic Tale (16/16 people found this helpful)

One of the author's earlier works and in my opinion the best I have read by her. Set in Victorian England it tells the tale of a painter who marries a beautiful 17 year old girl who is his favourite model. He has a dark shameful past and it all catches up with him to reach a fantastic conclusion. In this book we have death, love, obsession, sex, murder and magic. A tremendous read and one I fully recommend.

Different Joanne Harris (12/27 people found this helpful)

Sleep, pale sister is Joanne Harris' second novel and written before her succes. It's nothing like Harris later books. Totally differnt, even thou some of Harris "standard things" such as chocolate and gypsies and dark pasts appear. "A hauntingly evocative laudanum-dream of a novel" it stands on the cover. That's guite right. I would indeed call the novel mad. All the persons in it are mad, crazy. Haunted by their pasts. The novel is also very confusing since there are four differnt Is who tell the story. It take a while to figure out who is the I in the chapter you are currently reading. The book takes place in the end of the 19th century (1800-talet). The main characters (and the Is) are Henry Chester 40 something years old painter, Effie, his 18-year-old wife and his former model, Mose, Effies lover and Fanny, hostes of a bordel and the woman who's daughter Henry has murdered. They're all mad and everything gets even more mad when Effie starts living a double life as as herself and Martha, the murdered dautghter. As Martha she becomes Henry's lover... Itjust can't end well when Effie as Martha makes Henry murder herself (Effie).

Harris' characters never fail to fascinate (8/8 people found this helpful)

Let me start by saying that Joanne Harris is one of my favorite writers - this book is a re-print of a novel that had first been published before she became well-known.

It features her usual blend of colorful characters (including the occasional spirit!) bound together by deep, and often dark, passion and magic.

Unusually, in this book she seems to have little sympathy for her characters - though I must admit that most of them really aren't all that likeable, the fact that even their creator can't sympathize with them or try to make some sort of excuse for them, makes them that much sadder.

I enjoyed reading it, but it's nowhere near one of her best works - I personally think she's at her best when writing about food, Chocolat being one of my all-time favorite books.

Joanne Harris

Reader Reviews:

A spooky Gothic tale (0/0 people found this helpful)

A Lost Gem Rediscovered (4/4 people found this helpful)

Fantastic Gothic Tale (16/16 people found this helpful)

Different Joanne Harris (12/27 people found this helpful)

Harris' characters never fail to fascinate (8/8 people found this helpful)

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