Review of The Aviculturist
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Indie M
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- Latest Review: The Aviculturist by Ann Smythe
Review of The Aviculturist
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Aviculturist" by Ann Smythe.]
Ann Smythe’s The Aviculturist follows Lily Sanders, a young artist living and working in Bristol who returns to her childhood hometown of Lostmor after her mother’s passing. She discovers that her mother left her a surprisingly substantial inheritance which includes her childhood home, Penwyth House. This inheritance poses a challenge to Lily, as revisiting Penwyth House triggers distressing memories and she struggles to understand the tragic events that took place there which lead to her and her mother leaving the town and which still cause her to suffer recurring nightmares, all the while having to manage the sale of the house. Also in Lostmor is Marcus Cole, an army veteran seeking revenge for the untimely death of his daughter. However, these initially painful and frustrating undertakings evolve into paths through which Lily and Marcus can make meaningful connections with others.
What I enjoyed most about reading The Aviculturist was the writer’s skill at evoking a sense of place with her descriptions of the setting. Everything from the cozy home interiors to the capricious sea lapping at the edges of Lostmor was subtly, yet vividly illustrated to my mind’s eye. The story’s characters (save, perhaps, for Marcus Cole) are rather simple – the protagonist and her friends are straightforwardly polite, good people and the antagonists are obviously obnoxious and malicious. This doesn’t make for compelling reading but it does make for comfortable reading and, in my view, lends to the familiar, small-town feel of the story’s setting. I also enjoyed a very particular scene towards the end of the book involving a motorcycle and a cliff as I think it was an interesting choice with regard to the character in control’s goal. Lastly, I like that the book has short chapters as they encourage reading through more and more of it in one sitting.
Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy the story as a whole, mostly because I think the plot lacks the focus usually lent to plots by a clear central message. Between the gothic-flavored mystery of the tragedy at Penwyth House, the more thriller-flavored mystery of Marcus’s daughter’s killer, the romance plots and the parentage issues that arise…there’s a lot going on. This isn’t to say that such an ambitious blend can’t be done well, but the problem is that these puzzle pieces do not connect to one another in a satisfying way. They simply lie parallel to one another in a manner that makes me wonder what exactly the story is trying to say. The story’s pacing starts out well, unfolding in a slow and steady manner that contributes to that atmosphere I so enjoyed, but then things start to feel rushed and we see plot twists with no build-up or foreshadowing, love affairs that ripen too quickly and mystery clues or reveals that are a little too convenient. On a more subjective note, I have to admit that I don’t understand why the book is titled The Aviculturist as the character who does practice aviculture doesn’t actually do much in the story and – aside from being the object of lovely descriptive paragraphs – I don’t see how relevant this character’s aviary is to the rest of the story either.
I give The Aviculturist a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. The book is a decent read though I do think the plot could have done with proper direction. The spelling and grammatical errors I found in it are mostly minor.
If you’re looking for a leisurely read with a good sense of atmosphere and just the slightest pinch of darkness or drama, then I’d recommend this book. At the very least, the author’s writing will let you travel to a nice coastal town when you’re stuck indoors.
******
The Aviculturist
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Ann Smythe’s The Aviculturist follows Lily Sanders, a young artist living and working in Bristol who returns to her childhood hometown of Lostmor after her mother’s passing. She discovers that her mother left her a surprisingly substantial inheritance which includes her childhood home, Penwyth House. This inheritance poses a challenge to Lily, as revisiting Penwyth House triggers distressing memories and she struggles to understand the tragic events that took place there which lead to her and her mother leaving the town and which still cause her to suffer recurring nightmares, all the while having to manage the sale of the house. Also in Lostmor is Marcus Cole, an army veteran seeking revenge for the untimely death of his daughter. However, these initially painful and frustrating undertakings evolve into paths through which Lily and Marcus can make meaningful connections with others.
What I enjoyed most about reading The Aviculturist was the writer’s skill at evoking a sense of place with her descriptions of the setting. Everything from the cozy home interiors to the capricious sea lapping at the edges of Lostmor was subtly, yet vividly illustrated to my mind’s eye. The story’s characters (save, perhaps, for Marcus Cole) are rather simple – the protagonist and her friends are straightforwardly polite, good people and the antagonists are obviously obnoxious and malicious. This doesn’t make for compelling reading but it does make for comfortable reading and, in my view, lends to the familiar, small-town feel of the story’s setting. I also enjoyed a very particular scene towards the end of the book involving a motorcycle and a cliff as I think it was an interesting choice with regard to the character in control’s goal. Lastly, I like that the book has short chapters as they encourage reading through more and more of it in one sitting.
Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy the story as a whole, mostly because I think the plot lacks the focus usually lent to plots by a clear central message. Between the gothic-flavored mystery of the tragedy at Penwyth House, the more thriller-flavored mystery of Marcus’s daughter’s killer, the romance plots and the parentage issues that arise…there’s a lot going on. This isn’t to say that such an ambitious blend can’t be done well, but the problem is that these puzzle pieces do not connect to one another in a satisfying way. They simply lie parallel to one another in a manner that makes me wonder what exactly the story is trying to say. The story’s pacing starts out well, unfolding in a slow and steady manner that contributes to that atmosphere I so enjoyed, but then things start to feel rushed and we see plot twists with no build-up or foreshadowing, love affairs that ripen too quickly and mystery clues or reveals that are a little too convenient. On a more subjective note, I have to admit that I don’t understand why the book is titled The Aviculturist as the character who does practice aviculture doesn’t actually do much in the story and – aside from being the object of lovely descriptive paragraphs – I don’t see how relevant this character’s aviary is to the rest of the story either.
I give The Aviculturist a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. The book is a decent read though I do think the plot could have done with proper direction. The spelling and grammatical errors I found in it are mostly minor.
If you’re looking for a leisurely read with a good sense of atmosphere and just the slightest pinch of darkness or drama, then I’d recommend this book. At the very least, the author’s writing will let you travel to a nice coastal town when you’re stuck indoors.
******
The Aviculturist
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The Aviculturist by Ann Smythe
