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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Carol Goodman's THE SONNET LOVER.
Irene from Saratoga Springs NY
Have you previously read a book by Carol Goodman?
After reading THE DROWNING TREE, I kept my antennae up for future Carol Goodman books. I enjoy her style of writing, especially her in-depth research, which makes her books so interesting. I may say now that I have read all six of her books.
What authors do you read?
Authors I read are, most recently: Kiran Desi, Sara Gruen, and Edward P. Jones. Others include Alice Sebold, Gail Godwin, Joan Didion, Russell Banks, Richard Flanagan, Alice McDermott, Phillip Roth, Susanna Moore, Anita Shreve, David Adams Richards, Mary Lawson, Nelson DeMille, Kate Atkinson, Robert Goddard, P. D. James, Richard Flanagan, Michael Ondaatje, etc.
If I read a new writer's work and enjoy it, then I naturally look for other books by that author, e.g., Alice Sebold, Mary Lawson, and Kate Atkinson, to name a few.
What did you think of THE SONNET LOVER?
I found THE SONNET LOVER one of those books that you carry with you, and when you have a moment, you read. As soon as you return home, you rush to finish whatever you need to finish so that you can sit down and read more. This book was a gem. The details were so vivid --- you could smell the roses, and the lemons; you could imagine the sunsets; you could picture La Civetta.
Rose's fluency with Shakespeare's works, including his sonnets, is indicative of Carol Goodman's ability to weave historical periods into present-day scenarios. After reading this book, I truly do believe that Shakespeare slipped away to Florence, Italy, and to Ginevra de Laura.
As an avid reader living in Saratoga Springs, NY, I know that Carol Goodman was a guest at the artists' colony, YADDO. In fact, her last book, THE GHOST ORCHID, could easily have been inspired by her stay there. To answer your question, I most certainly would read a future book by Carol Goodman. What is the title and when can we expect to see it!!
Would you ever read a future book by Carol Goodman?
Thank you for this opportunity to read THE SONNET LOVER. Looking forward to Carol Goodman's next book.
Kim from Westboro, MA
Have you previously read a book by Carol Goodman?
Yes, I've read all her books.
What authors do you read?
Alice Hoffman, Charlaine Harris, Janet Evanovich, and Harlan Coben.
What did you think of THE SONNET LOVER?
I loved it. Goodman is a treat and writes like no one else. I usually don't read novels with foreign settings, but Carol Goodman does settings better than anyone, and La Civetta was perhaps her best yet. Goodman's words are to be savored. But don't get me wrong, this isn't a book with all description and no entertainment. The mystery, romance, and twists are enticing as well.
Would you ever read a future book by Carol Goodman?
Absolutely. I'll buy each one!
Lynne from Spokane, WA
Have you previously read a book by Carol Goodman?
No.
What authors do you read?
Haruki Murakami, Kate Atkinson, A. S. Byatt, the Brontës, George Eliot, Peter Carey, Jean-Claude Izzo, Karin Fossum, Michael Dibdin, Priscilla Royal, Fred Vargas, Duane Swierczynski, Robert Barnard, Ruth Rendell, Andrea Camilleri, Magdalen Nabb, Gianrico Carofiglio, Arnaldur Indridason, Louise Penny, Elizabeth George, P. D. James, David Hewson, Friedrich Glauser, Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, Jan Costin Wagner, Liz Carlyle, Jennifer St. Giles, Nora Roberts, Mary Balogh, Diane Tyrrel, and Amanda Quick.
What did you think of THE SONNET LOVER?
What a lovely modern take on the traditional Gothic, with overtones of A.S. Byatt's POSSESSION --- especially with the love stories in two eras and the author's taking on the writing of old poetry --- and Shakespeare in Love.
The main drawbacks are those that come from the traditions of first-person Gothics. What do the other characters see in the narrator that she does not reveal? And there is no overt clearing up of the big misunderstanding that momentarily separated the heroine from her Italian lover. How could Rose and Bruno fall so easily back into a relationship after 20 years of not speaking to each other? How could Rose not see what a monster Mark is?
But there are so many more things to recommend this novel. The weaving together of the earlier love story with the contemporary one is skillfully done. The discovery of the older love story is done in a way that makes sense for an academic returning to the place she loved best. The poetry and historical details show knowledge of how things were in Renaissance Italy without the dreaded info dumps that derail so many other novels.
Ms. Goodman is very good at placing the reader in the same scene as her narrator. I feel like I've spent a week in Florence, like I was just inside the balcony where the first murder occurred, in a professor's small but appreciated office, and a few days in the rainy Lake District.
Would you ever read a future book by Carol Goodman?
Absolutely yes, and I will look for her previous books as well.
Sherry from Kalamazoo, MI
Have you previously read a book by Carol Goodman? What did you think of THE SONNET LOVER?
This is my first book by Carol Goodman, and so far, it's great. I find her characters to be very believable, and easy to picture. I would definitely be interested in purchasing others by her in the future, so far, we'll see how it ends.
What authors do you read?
One of my favorite authors is James Patterson (he is my all-time favorite). I've read all of his books except his very latest. I am taking time out to read Carol's now. I also like Michael Connelly, Michael Palmer, Tess Gerritsen, Robin Cook, Nora Roberts, Patricia Cornwell, and Nicholas Sparks.
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