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Review
PRAISE FOR "THE NATURE OF MONSTERS""" "As a storyteller, Clark is endowed with verve and intelligence, but her larger gift, dazzlingly in evidence throughout both her fine novels, lies in the originality of her imagination. She gives us a world that feels alive and intense, magnificently raw."--"The New York Times Book Review"
"The pleasures here are many, and one hopes this latest excursion into the underside of historic London won't be her last."--"BookForum"
"The pleasures here are many, and one hopes this latest excursion into the underside of historic London won't be her last."--"BookForum"
Metro
'Utterly compelling ... a wonderfully gruesome Gothic tale'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved Clare Clark's first novel, The Great Stink, and with The Nature of Monsters she has triumphantly overcome off the often tricky second novel problem with a book fully the equal of the first. As in her first book it is the city of London which plays the main supporting role to the central character, a young girl (the book's narrator) who finds herself the subject of a doctor's research into the causes of birth defects. The book wears its learning lightly, but this is a deeply researched and thoroughly convincing historical novel which no fans of the genre should miss.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After a misjudged opening chapter ("the hot rush of longing between my thighs" being the relentless theme), the energy of Clark's writing really began to impress me. She's brilliant at conjuring up a sense of place, time and atmosphere: an early scene, in which she relates her spirited and foul-tempered heroine's long journey to London in a carriage, outshone every other such account I've read by miles, and had some lovely touches of humour. However, I started to wonder, after 100 pages, when the amazingly vivid descriptions were going to stop, and the story take the front seat.
The gruesome plot is interesting, and not as incredible as it might seem, but it didn't engage me enough, and I struggled to finish. (If it hadn't been for the excellent writing, I wouldn't have bothered.) I agree with the reviewer who felt that the apothecary Grayson Black, in being too remote from the narrative, is not quite the chilling, evil presence he is meant to be; I found him more of a sad, self-obsessed, opium-addicted victim of his times. Having said that, there's food for thought about the way in which the powerful have always used the powerless as cannon fodder.
I was planning to go on to read Clark's first novel, The Great Stink, set in the London sewers. (She doesn't half like writing about poo!) But now I don't think I can face it. That's a shame; like a number of other authors I've recently read, she has enormous talent, but falls short on how to pace and sustain a novel through to the end, and make readers care more about the plot.
In summary, I would avoid this book if you are: a) sensitive about issues of pregnancy, abortion and miscarriage; b) very squeamish, or offended by graphic references to bodily functions; c) the sort of reader who much prefers dialogue and pace to description. On the other hand, I would recommend it if you love getting lost in another world, and can enjoy dark themes and grotesque characters - but don't be surprised if it doesn't ultimately satisfy you.
The gruesome plot is interesting, and not as incredible as it might seem, but it didn't engage me enough, and I struggled to finish. (If it hadn't been for the excellent writing, I wouldn't have bothered.) I agree with the reviewer who felt that the apothecary Grayson Black, in being too remote from the narrative, is not quite the chilling, evil presence he is meant to be; I found him more of a sad, self-obsessed, opium-addicted victim of his times. Having said that, there's food for thought about the way in which the powerful have always used the powerless as cannon fodder.
I was planning to go on to read Clark's first novel, The Great Stink, set in the London sewers. (She doesn't half like writing about poo!) But now I don't think I can face it. That's a shame; like a number of other authors I've recently read, she has enormous talent, but falls short on how to pace and sustain a novel through to the end, and make readers care more about the plot.
In summary, I would avoid this book if you are: a) sensitive about issues of pregnancy, abortion and miscarriage; b) very squeamish, or offended by graphic references to bodily functions; c) the sort of reader who much prefers dialogue and pace to description. On the other hand, I would recommend it if you love getting lost in another world, and can enjoy dark themes and grotesque characters - but don't be surprised if it doesn't ultimately satisfy you.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a big fan of The Great Stink, I've been waiting for this to come out for months. And having just finished it last night, I'm not sure how best to share its delights. From Page One, I was completely immersed in the putrid, claustrophobic and emotionally raw world of London in the early 1700s - very much a city without citizenship. The characters never err towards trite, Dickensian caricature but rather inhabit palpable emotional states through which they evolve and flourish or die. A beautiful darkness permeates throughout which makes the embers of humanity burn all the more brightly. Loved it. Loved it a lot.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wild horses couldn't drag me from this!
I am a very fussy fan of historical novels. Very fussy. So many of them are full of cliches, historical errors and unsubtle characters. This was not the case with this book. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Annaboo Journalist
Gripping & unforgettable
Only about 30+ pages into the book, I found myself hooked by the author's fluent, eloquent prose and knew I had stumbled on a gem of a book written by an exceptionally talented... Read more
Published on 10 April 2010 by Petra Bryce
The nature of monsters
The nature of monsters is set in 1718-1720.
Eliza Tally falls pregnant and is rejected by her childs father. Read more
Eliza Tally falls pregnant and is rejected by her childs father. Read more
Published on 1 Sep 2008 by Good day sunshine
Black slips into the shadows
I truly expected to love this book. The blurb on the back states that it is "a wonderfully gruesome gothic tale", so I was expecting something along the lines of Frankenstein or... Read more
Published on 29 July 2008 by Brida
The eighteenth century re-imagined...
Clark, in this, her second book, reaches something of a climax in her career that may be difficult to surpass. A very, very impressive book. Read more
Published on 28 July 2008 by Mr. T. hanbury
18th century misery memoir
I was extremely excited about reading this book after reading the reviews and was expecting a well plotted, dramatic and lively recreation of 18th century society and science. Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2007 by HannahB
lifelong bibliophile
Clare Clark has done it again- I felt sucked into the unfolding characters' lives as though I was really there. Read more
Published on 26 May 2007 by B. K. M. Ac
Monstrously good evocation of 18th century London.
Clare Clark's second novel confirms the promise shown by The Great Stink. Set 150 years earlier, the story brilliantly conveys the teeming life of early 18th century London and is... Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2007 by Voracious reader
A magnificent novel
I loved this gritty, gripping, sometimes stomach-churning and ultimately tender novel for so many different reasons. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2007 by Mrs. A. G. Chapple
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