I liked this book generally, but it was a lot. I don’t just mean thematically, there were at least 50 pages here that could have been cut, realistically more like 100. Which is frustrating, because the myriad themes and interwoven tales allllllllmost work perfectly together. But not quite, as there are just a few too many ornaments on this particular tree for the branches not to sag.
It’s such a close call that I feel bad complaining, but morgenstern seems more preoccupied with tying up each loose end to another and interweaving her characters’ stories that she forgets to make the journey enticing.
It wouldn’t be the disappointment it is if the majority of it weren’t so good. The elements are all there, including the sense of mood and style that made so many fans with The Night Circus. We’ve got bees everywhere, literary costume balls, mysterious strangers, secret societies, metaphorical (or are they?) love stories, books as personal totems…. just a lot, but it’s all interesting. Maybe that’s why morgenstern had trouble cutting any of it, but some editing was sorely needed. By the time we get to the end, the climax lacks punch because the various detours kept it from feeling like the author was building up to it.
There’s a lot here to like; I just am frustrated because it was so close to being a book I loved.
It’s A LOT
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern