A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Traitor to Memory
Book Review: Get a Life
Summary: 2 Stars
I've read and enjoyed other Elizabeth George mysteries and I like the smart but pathetic and hopelessly unfashionable detective Barbara Havers. However, after struggling through the interminable interior monologue of a 3-year old violin player that opens this book, I thought: why in the world am I reading an over-stuffed mystery novel that is 700 pages long? Don't I have something better to do with my time? Well, I do -- I'll read a biography of Jesse James who was at least a real person and a criminal of some note.
Take this review as a protest against 700 page mystery novels. A mystery should be brief and tight -- capable of being read and enjoyed in a day or two.
Smallchief
Book Review: Good to the last drop
Summary: 5 Stars
I've found very few novels of this length to be enjoyable from beginning to end. James Clavell's Shogun and Whirlwind, come to mind, as does George R. R. Martin's A Storm of Swords. Most mystery thrillers that run over 400 pages become repetitious and tedious, and I find myself skimming rapidly to the end.
Elizabeth George's A Traitor to Memory is one of those rare novels whose story justifies its length. This book grabbed me from the first page and held my interest until the very end. I did not find it slow or dull at any time. I stopped watching TV for the few days I read it.
I should point out that this was the first book of George's that I've read, so I was unfamiliar with the series characters. In this story, George changes the pace: Lynley and Havers are role players, almost relegated to the sidelines of the story, which focuses on a complex family mystery.
So far I've gone back to read three earlier volumes in the series, and I still like this one the best. It's the most multi-layered and absorbing, more like the work of Ruth Rendell at her best than a conventional British detective novel. The love quadrangle between Lynley, St. James, Lady Helen and Deborah does not interest me as much as the new characters developed here.
And the ending is perfect.
There are some minor details that aren't completely clear, but this novel is more about family secrets than about "who-dunnit." I'm continuing to read the earlier books, but I'm still waiting for the series to get up to this level.
If you're a longtime series fan, you may be disappointed in this one, as there's not much about Lynley and Havers. But for me, it was one of the most memorable reads of the last two years, and made me an enthusiastic Elizabeth George fan.
Book Review: Good writing but slow and painful story
Summary: 3 Stars
This is my first book by Elizabeth George. The sheer size made it a daunting task to finish. The language flows smoothly. I could turn page after page with no problem. Some chapters are written in first person singular (I) while others are from the point of view of different characters.
Let me try to remember how many characters are there. Gideon, Pitchford (who has changed his name twice before), Katja, Sarah Jane, Eugenie, Richard, Jill, Webberly, Libby, Lynly, Yasmin, McKay, another attorney (I just completed the book and I don't remember few names), Malcolm, Frances, Winston Nkata, Cecilia, Katie Waddington, a prison guard, Hillier, Deborah, Helen. If the character doesn't hang around in my mind the characterization is poor. While Gideon's character was interesting to begin with I got bored by his self-centeredness and ranting. All the time he seems to confront his father Richard `you lied to me,' and `I knew it' - page after page.
Some chapters are written from the point of view of minor characters. Like in one chapter there is a whole back story of Pitchford and in another that of Winston Nkata. The point of view changes too often and few times I had to go back to realize `who is thinking this?'
It was confused how characters change from being heterosexual to homosexual. For, Katja Wolfe obviously had sex with a man to give birth to a son and then she is shown to be lesbian. Yasmin was married to a man and has a son but now she is lesbian.
I was also upset because I didn't see the point of showing another deformed child - Victoria. To me, it achieved nothing.
Usually when I read a murder mystery I start guessing who could be the murderer. In this novel I didn't even try because I didn't care who the murderer was. I always wondered why the victim of a hit and run invariably runs in front of the car, rather than running sideways. Richard being pushed in front of a bus and having minor fracture didn't sound authentic. Who can take the risk of falling in front of a bus in a calculated way that one can only get a minor fracture.
Demanding money to admit murder and go to prison for twenty years? It didn't convince me. It is human to value freedom more than a paid jail sentence.
In short, too many characters and they have long back stories. New characters emerge up to the end of the novel (Noreen McKay). The time frame during which all events occur is confusing. I had some sympathy for Libby's character but disliked all others. Since there are characters who has no connection to the main plot the story gets diluted. There are loose ends left. The end didn't impress me.
About the craft, I already mentioned the change of point of view not only in a scene but even in a single paragraph. She uses adverbs and dilutes the strength of the prose. She also uses verb qualifiers (Richard said heavily, Richard countered, Jill pleaded). The book also has long paragraphs in dialogs, some more than half a page. I also noticed two exclamation marks.
Since I had great expectations from Elizabeth George because I had heard so much about this great writer, at the end of the book I had disappointment.
To her credit though, there are some great sentences and paragraphs and beats in the dialogue. And above all I could finish the book of over a thousand pages. And I give her credit for that.
I don't think this book has ever been edited.
Will I read any of her books again? Yes, I'll give her one more chance because her language flows smoothly.
Book Review: Hmmmmm......
Summary: 3 Stars
When I finished Traitor, I wondered if Ms. George was referring to the author. I finished the book last night and couldn't wait to see the reviews. I haven't read them all, but so far, they pretty much echo my sentiments. I'm fairly bright and I was in grey-matter shock over what I was beginning to believe were MY inadequacies. I love detail and more detail, so that was fine. I love Great Big Books. Fine. I love dabblings in the human mind. Fine. But I also like good research and while Ms. George made few errors, they WERE there. I'll be buying her next book -- except for I, Richard, which is merely a duplicate of the same book with a different title -- but this latest novel needed HELP -- and to think I have the hardcover......Book Review: I am stunned!
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely cannot believe that so many people did not like "A Traitor to Memory". I have read all of the previous Lynley/Havers books and this was my favorite! I have loved them all but I thought this one had one of the most interesting and unusual characters introduced thus far. I found her creation and description of Gideon Davies (and by association his family and acquaintances) to be incredible. I read lots of books and usually when one finishes, I am ready to go on to the next one. Even though this was a long book, I found myself rereading previous sections just to delay having this book end. I think for those that describe these characters as "whiney", they may want to consider that, in life, it is often the case that people are indeed self-centric and therefore, at times, "whiney". I don't particularly like [the character] Deborah but then there are people I know in life that I don't particularly like. I seriously hope Ms. George continues to write more novels like "A Traitor to Memory".