- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Fourth Estate; New Ed edition (4 July 2011)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1857027000
- ISBN-13: 978-1857027006
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 602,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fairy tales are stuffed to the brim with dark woods--dark woods in which dwarves and hermits lurk, trees bleed when struck with an axe and princes and princesses are tested to within a hair's breadth of their lives. When Benedick Hunter finds a book of fairy tales written by his mother he knows there are dark woods within but is unaware of just how dangerous fairy tales can be. In A Dark Wood is his journey to discover his mother's secrets, the truths behind her stories and why she committed suicide when he was still a child. This is also a journey to find out more about himself, his "amorphous moods" and the "stink of failure" that plagues him following a divorce and a long spell of unemployment.
In A Dark Wood unravels through a matrix of fairy tales and half-forgotten memories leading from London in the 1960s to present-day New York and the white verandaed houses of North Carolina (hemmed in, of course, by dark woods). It's Amanda Craig's fourth novel, following the acclaimed A Vicious Circle, which is currently being developed for BBC television. Craig confirms with this novel that she is a voice to listen to, a bold writer who is not frightened to deliver a harrowing read. That said, In A Dark Wood has a lighter side and is shot through with a magical feel--as all good fairy tales should be.--Jane Honey --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘An intelligent and gripping novel. Wonderful, page-turning storytelling.’The Times
‘Exhibits the same incisiveness and intelligence as her acclaimed A Vicious Circle. Witty and disturbing, it is a novel of both accomplishment and charm.’ Daily Mail
‘A book within a book, a rich plot with plenty of on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense, an abundance of quirky but believable character…’In A Dark Wood’ is an elegant anti-fairy tale for adults that keeps you guessing until the last few pages.’Daily Express
'An eerie novel full of fairy-tale menace…beguilingly told and hypnotic.' Independent on Sunday
'A tour de force.' Spectator
'Vivid and enchanting, ‘In A Dark Wood’ is an affirmation of storytelling.' New Statesman
‘Terrifyingly intense…Craig’s triumph is to underscore the way in which society treats emotions as a disability.’ Financial Times
‘Predominantly comic and reassuring … a triumph for sanity.’ Time Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I went into "A Dark Wood" and came out much wiser.,
By inger.loevschall@cec.eu.int (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Hardcover)
The "Bookworms in Brussels" (a small reading group of seven women - and five different nationalities) went into "In A Dark Wood" in the deepest dark of December and came out much wiser, superbly entertained and finally ... relieved! (but I'm not allowed to say why). The story is perfectly convincing, as are the characters. The contrast between every day's trials and tribulations, parenthood (all the mothers marvelled at the description of the two irresistible little monsters!), madness & drama and the fairy tales and poems "... and when your heart begins to fail it's like a ship without a sail..." works beautifully. The narrative is witty and full of insight, the fairy tales enchanting, the characters, whether loveable or despicable, are all very vivid. We suffered, and suffered with poor Benedick, and it is a great compliment to the author that - unless you are familiar with manic-depressive cases - you are, literally, kept in the dark until the very end. Do read it! Inger Løvschall (a Dane in Brussels)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Light and Dark,
By
This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Paperback)
Benedick Hunter is having what at first appears to be a middle-aged crisis. He's an actor who hasn't had any steady work recently. His wife is divorcing him and he bickers constantly with his pompous father. He finds little joy from taking care of his imaginative, but demanding young children. Benedick lives off from the small amount of royalties from his mother's children's books. After rediscovering one of these collection of fairy tales he begins reading the stories for deeper personal meanings. He's compelled to follow a trail of his mother's old friends who are scattered over Britain and America like a trail of breadcrumbs. The mysteries contained in her subversive fables lead him to his mother's childhood home and the truth about his family that has been hidden from him. Gradually he learns that his alienation from society and erratic behaviour has its roots in a mental illness. But he has to descend into the darkest psychological depths in order to learn how to live with this disorder.In this beautiful and moving novel, Craig manages to write very convincingly about a man's perspective of the world. Benedick's personal aspirations are clouded by despair in a way that prevents him from also appreciating all the loving people he has in his life. Unfortunately, he has also inherited a lot of pain and bitterness from his mother's life, many of the facts of which have been hidden from him. We are also given many funny details about the cultural differences between America and England. What the author also does so extraordinarily well is show a blend of light and dark in this central character's psychology. He does a number of detestable things. Yet we are given insight into them and understand they are acts of desperation brought about through a mental illness he can‘t control. Craig pays tribute to the important and complex work of Angela Carter who was dubbed the Fairy Godmother of British fiction. She does this by insisting that fairy tales have a much deeper meaning than what appears on the surface. The raucous emotions and terrible violence they depict just may be a greater reflection of reality than we care to admit. The psychological demons which hound many people are indeed more terrifying than the creatures who lurk in the dark woods of fairy tales. By blending the story of Benedick’s travels with a number of creative fairy tales, Craig gives us a lot of insight into this while producing an enthralling story.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant description of manic depression.,
By A Customer
This review is from: In a Dark Wood (Hardcover)
I could not stop reading. The narrative drew me on from page to page. The main character's extreme unpleasantness almost turned me away but fortunately, I persisted and was well rewarded with a moving experience of the horror of depression which turns the sufferer into a beast. The author's understanding of this state is superb, and then her description of his mania which becomes interlaced with passionate love takes the reader on a journey of understanding. Well worth reading.
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