- Paperback: 500 pages
- Publisher: Alma Books Ltd (Aug 27 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1846881145
- ISBN-13: 978-1846881145
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 4.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 458 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #371,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In Lindsay Clarke's second novel, which won a Whitbread Prize in 1989, alchemy infuses the language and imagery of a tale that unfolds as two separate stories. In the first sequence, a poet named Alex Darken falls into an abusive, yet obsessive triangle with an alcoholic elderly poet and a beautiful, troubled psychic. Together they pursue the alchemical and personal secrets of the spirited Louisa Agnew, the central character of the second story. Louisa is a woman devoted to a self-centered father whose fascination with the hermetic arts forces her to confront her own dark side and her feelings for a tormented minister. As the characters struggle for wholeness of spirit, they each uncover their hidden potential for passion and violence.
From Publishers Weekly
British author Clarke adroitly interweaves two parallel stories in this long, richly atmospheric novel in which the ancient science of alchemy plays a critical role. In alternating chapters we become acquainted with two triangular relationships, one occuring in the present, the other a century earlier. Alex Darken, a blocked poet, comes to a village in Norfolk where he meets once-famous poet Edward Nesbit and his young lover, Laura, a student of parapsychology. The two are researching the lives of Sir Henry Agnew, an elderly metaphysical poet, and his learned daughter Louisa, whose treatise The Chymical Wedding meets the same sad end as her relationship with married rector Edwin Frere. The tragic fates of the 19th-century trio are gradually spelled out as the modern characters find their lives taking a similar turn. The air of mystery pervading the novel, its leisurely pace and mystical theme may remind readers of the works of John Knowles. As the narrative progresses, however, the descriptions of alchemic rituals become a bit tedious, the telling overwrought, the symbolism a bit too facile. For much of its length, however, this is an involving narrative, and readers may forgive its faults for the imaginative story it tells.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read!,
By KindraWolf "Meemoe" (Toronto, Ontario CANADA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chymical Wedding (Paperback)
This book is not at all what I expected. It has all genres mixed in one. It is fantastical, romantic, suspenseful, and spiritual. The elements are brewed in such a way that the number of pages completely disappear to your eyes. The only thing you are focused on is the next event, the next scene...it's brilliant! Few writers can weave such a life time story. I've already read this three times and plan to read it again and again. Take the time to enjoy it once...it won't be time awasted. :-)
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you can get a copy, read it!,
By Kate (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chymical Wedding (Paperback)
I am so grateful to have a friend that passed this book on to me when she found a copy in a used bookstore. It is among the best works I have read. Lindsay Clarke has crafted a tightly woven bewitching story that draws the reader in from the start. The characters are engaging for both their strengths and their foibles, making them both real and complete. And their respective evolving quests, both within themselves and with the world around them, are so common to us all that the reader will probably see something of him/herself in all of the characters. I know little of alchemy but came away from the book wanting to read more on the topic, as well as embarking on a search for more of Mr. Clarke's novels. Never in my experience has a work of fiction prompted such simple but transformative revelations of consciousness - shifts in thought and perspective that come from the spell of the tale itself, not the preachings of either the author or one of the characters. By all means, read it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, Magical, Atmospheric,
By Peter (Sioux Falls, SD) - See all my reviews
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