Customer Reviews

Blue Place

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

somehow I was lucky enough to spot this book while browsing in a book store....it is an exceptional piece of writing. Aud is a memorable character, one that does not come along very often. I hope the author writes a sequel. I want to know what happens to Aud after the end of this story. I found the sense of intelligence and of body that fills the writing compelling. The change in tone between the Georgia part and the Norwegian section is perfectly done. I have reread this story three times. Highly recommended.

Wow.

I don't know where to start.. this book was emotion embodied. Utterly enchanting.. frustrating, beautiful, heartbreaking, glorious.. just EMOTION. It struck my heart deeply and left a mark. I actually cried once.

If you're looking for a book that highlights the struggles of lesbians in a homophobic world, or a strictly butch/femme romance, or even a lush romance novel... Look elsewhere.

The Blue Place is gritty, cold, harsh and even painful at times. The realism is startling and it can be quite heartbreaking. But whoever said happiness could not be truly felt without sadness read this book. There's no attempt to sugarcoat the harsh reality of life in this book. Pain and agony are in full force and on display for all to read.

But that's what makes the love story beautiful. There's no perfection here.. no sweet romance whose only problem is the irritating habits of one partner. No torrid love triangle and explicit sex scenes.. It's just LOVE. Real love. Beautiful love, painful love.. love. And in writing this, Ms. Griffith has enchanted me utterly.

The Blue Place is a beautiful novel, not because of its lush scenery (though it is), its exquisite descriptions (though they are), but because it portrays humanity in a real, yet beautiful way. Julia and Aud are not perfect, nor is their relationship. But you can honestly come away from the book feeling that they really loved each other. Truly. And I don't encounter many books I can honestly say that about.

If you're interested in beauty that is not all wine and roses, but comes with pain and hardship, between two women who are not goddesses or perfect in any way, if you are interested in love, real love, human love..

I highly recommend you acquire this book.

Reality was never so real.. and beauty so beautiful.

I normally like stories like this one but unfortunately I found this book lacking spark. Parts of the book are really good but unfortunately those moments never last very long. The main characters are into martial arts, and I guess that practitioners might appreciate the lengthy descriptions about it but it gets a bit dull for the rest of us. Aud is a complex character and the plot is basically good even though it could have used some more work. The fact that Aud wouldn't really care about the crime and its investigation if it hadn't been for Julia makes the read a bit tedious.

____________________________________________

By page four of Nicola Griffith's The Blue Place (Avon, $23), we've
met the tall, beautiful, smart and deadly Aud Torvingen, heard about
the recurring nightmares that have her walking Atlanta streets at
midnight, ...and witnessed a house explode. Things slow down a
little after that, but ...it's hard to overpraise the taut plotting and
broad intelligence of this thriller. ...what makes The Blue Place
stand out is its precision. You constantly feel like you're getting
the inside dope on new worlds, including those of martial arts,
woodworking, Norwegian foods and dress styles, ice hiking
and burglar alarms...

-- Paul Skenazy, Wasington Post

I'm too lazy to write a real review --but here are some
snippets, and a (virtually) spoiler-free commentary
-- and look for the author's comments on the review
continuation page at Amazon: Aud as James Bond(!))

Snapshot quotes:

Aud Torvingen, dressing to meet a new client:

I felt sharp, rich, very good looking. It pleases me to wear silk
couture and gold and pearls. I like the way it feels on my skin,
the way it fits.

And looking out into her Atlanta garden:

Two cardinals trilled liquidly at each other, bright red against
emerald green. One of the neighbour's cats slunk belly down
through the grass towards them. Snakes in fur coats, Dorothy
Parker had called them.

The book ends in graphic blood & terror. Aud gets revenge, but
puts herself in terrible jeopardy. I'll be most interested in how she
resolves her predicament in the sequel.

[ A reader writes, at nicolagriffith[dot]com ]
"I don't understand your ability to create such beauty and
such pain and such darkness. I am pretty devastated ...by the
ending of The Blue Place."

[NG responds: ] "I've had many responses on the
subject which range from: "I'll never read anything by you

again!" to "I admire your courage..." That last one is usually
accompanied by a doubtful shake of the head.

I imagine that when such readers finally get hold of the second Aud
book, they'll be even more annoyed <g>. I can hear the complaints
already: "How can you *do* that to her?!"

There have been mundane complaints that Aud is smarter, stronger,
faster and sexier than you (or indeed any mere human). This is true.
If power-fantasy offends you, do not enter The Blue Place!

Happy reading!
Pete Tillman

I'm going to break the trend of reviews here - I did not find this book as ground-breaking as it is being made out. I personally found it lacking in a major area: the relationship and character development of and between Lore and the art dealer.

As I am an avid fan of police thrillers, The Blue Place picqued my interest at the start, but it didn't maintain the promise or momentum at all. I found it getting progressively flatter the further it went on.

There was insight into Lore's inner makeup but I found her POV superficial and peppered with braggish female machoism, which for me is a turn off. The focus on what suit she wore, or the beer she drank, is like describing the colour of kitchen tiles - this doesn't make for a good story; or how cool Lore is in times of crisis and the continual obsession with how easy it would be to kill everyone - maybe it's just me but this gets tedious after a while?

At times I wasn't sure if I were the recipient of a self-defence lecture or reading a travel guide. The narrative style kept changing. It was as if the author was trying to prove how worldly, historically savvy, and philosophically in touch her haunted character was. In some cases adding these ingredients can work but this author didn't handle it that well and the character ended up coming across as fashionable rather than realistic.

Towards the end of the book, when the two characters arrived in Norway, Lore stumbled on the notion that she was in love with the art dealer (can't remember her name). It was a bit of a 'what? huh' moment for me, because there is little evidence of feelings or emotional development between the two leading up to this realisation.

I understand only too well how life's cold realities can psychologically impact on a person and while there are moments when this character and the story really hit home, overall, it starts repeating the same old stuff that I've read in dozens of other books.

In the beginning of the book there was a scene between the two characters centred on a martial art routine. I'm sure watching this is very stunning but the translation from one's personal experience into words didn't work for a reader who doesn't know this particular martial art style. Maybe the author could have modified this scene in the gym?

I certainly give my thumbs up for the descriptive language used to bring Atlanta to life on the page. I can align with tropical heat and cities, so it really worked!

I recommend getting the book out of your library first before you think about buying it.

Superbly written, this uberish detective thriller ruined my sleep after I'd finished it, in sorrow at its outcome, but it's a powerful piece of writing even though I would've preferred an ending such as Sharon Bowers gives us in "Lucifer Rising" or K. Delacroix in "Engravings of Wraith." Aud needs a lesson in WWXD. I was way ahead of her and totting up all her tragic hero mistakes, still it leads to a very palpable sense of doom and inevitability that give it urgency and immediateness, depth, and true tragedy and leads to the, also inevitable, to be continued lead detective series character (do I hear Adam Dalgliesh knocking?), the brooding, grieving, vengeful valkyrie. Lesbians like happy endings too, sigh...just like everybody else.It's almost as if our anti-heroine wants it to happen as a self-fulfilling prophecy to sabotage her own happiness. Oh, those brooding scandinavians!

Superbly written, this uberish detective thriller ruined my sleep after I'd finished it, in sorrow at its outcome, but it's a powerful piece of writing even though I would've preferred an ending such as Sharon Bowers gives us in "Lucifer Rising" or K. Delacroix in "Engravings of Wraith." Aud needs a lesson in WWXD. I was way ahead of her and totting up all her tragic hero mistakes, still it leads to a very palpable sense of doom and inevitability that give it urgency and immediateness, depth, and true tragedy and leads to the, also inevitable, to be continued lead detective series character (do I hear Adam Dalgliesh knocking?), the brooding, grieving, vengeful valkyrie. Lesbians like happy endings too, sigh...just like everybody else.It's almost as if our anti-heroine wants it to happen as a self-fulfilling prophecy to sabotage her own happiness. Oh, those brooding scandinavians!

I found Nicola Griffith's book(first one I've read by her) interesting factually, but many times bogged down in flowery prose and unrealistic dialogue. I knew not long after Aud met Julia exactly how it would turn out and knew the identity of the criminal way before Aud did. If we were supposed to be surprised by the ending, it was a huge disappointment.

If you're a fan of Griffith's sci-fi, chances are you'll think this is a dud. If you're a fan of great lesbian fiction with tight plot lines and just plain good story telling, then this book is what you're looking for!!!

I found Griffith's attention to detail phenomenal. This girl does her homework. I loved every minute of this book.. It kept me on the edge of my seat one minute, and then lulled into the comfortable feeling of being home again, and then just jerks you right out with a jolt of excitement.

I won't give anything away of the plot, but Aud (sounds like proud) is a spectacular character and Griffith doesn't leave any gaps. By the end of this book you really know and understand her, you care about her and know what makes her tick.

Such a wonderful set-up to an equally impressive sequel, Stay.

Do yourself a favor and buy them both today.

It's the first book i've ever read that features lesbians as main character and i must admit it was my curiosity that made me picked up this book. I will only say that i will remember this book for the rest of my life and i enjoyed it thoroughly. I've never met a more interesting character than Aud Torvingen and i think she rules! . The way the author focused on Aud's emotion, psyche and awareness of herself made the character complex and compelling. A complete character study and a book worth reading.