Original Sin (Vintage)
by P.D. James
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Book Summary Information
Author: P.D. JamesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-07-14
ISBN: 0307455572
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Original Sin (Vintage)
Book Review: Wasting time
Summary: 2 Stars
I had heard the name P. D. James and I didn't know how I developed an impression that she is a great writer of mysteries. I happened to pick this up in sale on a mall (cost me about two bucks).
With great enthusiasm, I started on page one and found too much description of setting for the scenes. And most of the setting felt like personal likings of the author than relevant to the story. For example, you will read a lot of description of 'Innocent House' - a publishing house building, including how it feels like a building in Venice. And the history of Thames river, how many people drowned in which year, how many boats sank. In first forty pages, there are about twenty four characters introduced. When I opened a new chapter beginning with some character I wondered whether that character was introduced before.
In short, Mandy, a temporary secretary goes to have an interview at 'Innocent House' and while taking a tour, they find the first body of a female worker, apparently a suicide (of course). Hasn't finding a dead body in the first chapter become a cliche by now? Then Mandy disappears from the scene for next several chapters. In second chapter, the author shows Inspector Dalgliesh (hard to remember name). Then he disappears for several chapters. At the end of 80 pages, I got to know that the publishing house has five main partners, each partner is associated with some friend or relative or lover (and you've to remember their names too), each one also has past memories of some people (you have to remember their names too) and on top it the publishing house has other employees (you have to remember their names too). And I couldn't.
The story just wouldn't move. Isn't there also a derogatory remark about Agatha Christie? That put me off. The author shouldn't have done that to the Mother of all Female mystery writers. Do you think a sentence 'Cleopatra's Needle was first erected about 1450 B.C. in front of the Temple of Isis at Heliopolis, and towed to England to be erected on the river bank in 1878.' fit anywhere in any novel? And the half a page goes to describe this Needle which has no connection to the story.
To me, it felt like P. D. James wanted to write monographs on Thames river, Venice, beautiful English village houses, publishing procedural.And not a mystery. She uses adverbs and qualifiers that put me off. For example, read this sentence. "He can't go wrong," confided Dave admiringly. You write this way as a novice writer and your editor will tear you to pieces. And someone already pointed out the word 'lugubrious.' How many times it appeared. How many of you would need a dictionary and how many of you would use this word in daily life. There are few more words like this scattered all over the novel.
This is not a page turner if you're looking for one. There are some good sentences but the prose didn't keep me reading. It took me twenty days to finish first hundred pages because I had to go back to find out what happened before. A lapse of even few hours in reading and you will need to go back a few pages to get connected again. And I don't have Alzheimer's. I frequently day dreamed while reading this book. One time I fell asleep.
The Television version may be good because movie editors cut all the crap to save the money.
This was my first book from P. D. James. And the last one. I repent for wasting valuable time of my life. If you want better prose and characterization I would recommend Elizabeth George. If you want a page turner read Michael Connolly.
I respect all writers. So I give at least one star for completing the novel of this length and one more for some good sentences.
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