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Amazon.co.uk Review
Over many years and through many books Clive Barker has earned a reputation as the thinking person's horror writer. His novels have mixed fantasy, psychology and sheer creepiness in almost equal quantities, and while the gore quotient remains relatively low the tension always runs high. However, in Galilee Barker tones down the ghoulish in favour of the gothic. His novel (or as the author would have it, "romance") tells the tale of two warring families caught up in a disastrous web of corruption, illicit sexuality and star-crossed love, with a soupçon of the supernatural thrown in as well. On one side are the wealthy Gearys--a fictional stand-in for the Kennedys--and on the other are the Barbarossas, a mysterious black clan that has been around--quite literally--since the time of Adam. Galilee chronicles the twisted course of this centuries- old family feud which centres around the magical Barbarossa matriarch Cesaria and her son Galilee. Indeed, it's the latter figure--one part Heathcliff to one part Christ--whose relationship with the Geary women sets a match to the entire powder keg of hostility and resentment. Mixing standard clichés of romance with his own peculiarly deep-fried version of the Southern gothic, Baker has come up with an intelligent and shamelessly amusing potboiler.
Review
'Galilee leaps through time and space to reveal an impressively majestic vision told in beautiful prose. A fantastic, engrossing war of the worlds' People Magazine 'An epic, classic saga' Daily Mirror 'Barker is much more than genre writer' New York Times Book Review 'Barker's greatest achievement -- an addictive read that is nigh impossible to put down' Birmingham Evening Mail 'Passionate and ingenious! A ride with remarkable views' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
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First Sentence
At the insistence of my stepmother Cesaria Barbarossa the house in which I presently sit was built so that it faces southeast. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
At the insistence of my stepmother Cesaria Barbarossa the house in which I presently sit was built so that it faces southeast. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written tale of love, power, lust and revenge.,
By
This review is from: Galilee (Paperback)
Once again Clive Barker breaks away from the genre labelling tag of a `horror author' for which he has been undeservingly stamped with since his early work. With Galilee, Barker takes to a new path with a beautifully written story of love that dances with the celestial and magical throughout. Indeed, elements of his past work such as `Sacrament', `Imajica' and dare I say even the `Book of The Art' novels are clearly visible within this epic tale.With an obvious dedication of passion and love to his lover David Armstrong, Barker has crafted a deeply emotional and poetic tale that delves the deepest Barker ever has to date, into the sheer importance of love, revenge, power and lust. Deliberately throwing added weight towards the emotional states of each character within the story, Barker brings out such full-bodied and life like characters that form the main crux of the tale. Written by way of the hand of one of the books almost secondary characters, the story follows the lives of two powerful families, whose paths have intertwined throughout history. One of these families (the Barbarossa's) is more godlike than they are human. The other family (the Geary's) are extremely wealthy and powerful business men whose unsympathetic lives mirror that of many of the more dramatic circumstances that surround the storyline. One interlocking individual for the two families is the outcast by the name of Galilee. This character, to which the writer shows immense love for, was obviously based on Barker's lover David Armstrong. The flow of the storyline, the intertwining subplots, the poetic use of words throughout, and the magnificent characterization, all form the main thrust to the novel. The developing storyline, with its carefully constructed delivery (by way of a historical account of the two families), is mere mortar to the stonework that is the passion of each character within the tale. Barker clearly took great joy in creating and developing on each one of the characters, setting down detailed histories for each, setting their individual places within the families and indeed the tale itself. For imagination alone, `Galilee' is a joyous novel to read, but with the carefully crafted and beautifully delivered love for each character, the novel as a whole is breathtaking. Indeed, this is not like any other piece of work by Barker, yet it still holds strange elements of many pieces of his work. Almost a contradiction in itself, but after reading the novel, I am sure that many of you will agree with that very statement. The novel's ending is extremely open, paving the way for the sequel which has a preliminary publication date of December 2009. Having just read the novel for the second time after a good ten years, I have once again fallen in love with each one of the characters that draw you deep into this magical story of romance and revenge. The novel runs for a total of 804 pages and was released back in 1998.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely enthralling,
By A Customer
This review is from: Galilee (Paperback)
I loved this book. I bought it immediately it came out but kept putting it aside to read for a special occasion. I had it packed to take on holiday last year - but changed my mind, wishing to savour it a bit longer. Going on holiday last week I decided it had remained secreted away long enough. I loved everything about it and cannot wait for the sequel. It's just my type of book - the only problem being that whatever I read next will pale into insignificance in comparison. My only regret is that I savoured it for so long, thereby missing out on so much enjoyment.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice one Clive,
By A Customer
This review is from: Galilee (Paperback)
Clive Barker has presented me with something of a dilemma here. I'm not entirely certain which foot to stand on. On the positive side this book is certainly written by a master of the english language. Clive Barker has the ability to express himself very powerfully by skilful and beautiful use of english. The story is intriguing and imaginative in true Barker-esqu style. But I can't make my mind up wether the he's controlling the story or it is controlling him. On the whole, the storyline of Galilee is a bit too haphazard for my liking, intentional or not. I'd still recommend it to any Clive Barker fan and will certainly look forward to a sequel (with an ending like that....sure there just has to be a sequel.)
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