Cursed Bread
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Description
If you eat the bread, you'll die, he said. The statement made no sense, but it filled me with an electric dread.
Elodie is the baker's wife. A plain, unremarkable woman, ignored by her husband and underestimated by her neighbours, she burns with the secret desire to be extraordinary. One day a charismatic new couple appear in town--the ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet--and Elodie quickly falls under their spell. All summer long she stalks them through the shining streets: inviting herself into their home, eavesdropping on their coded conversations, longing to be part of their world.
Meanwhile, beneath the tranquil surface of daily life, strange things are happening. Six horses are found dead in a sun-drenched field, laid out neatly on the ground like an offering. Widows see their lost husbands walking up the moonlit river, coming back to claim them. A teenage boy throws himself into the bonfire at the midsummer feast. A dark intoxication is spreading through the town, and when Elodie finally understands her role in it, it will be too late to stop.
Audacious and mesmerising, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory's hall of mirrors, a fable of obsession and transformation. Sophie Mackintosh spins a darkly gleaming tale of a town gripped by hysteria, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes.
Book Information
Posts
Well, I regret having to inform you once again that loving one book by an author does not automatically lead to loving every book by an author, which is a truth I theoretically know, but seem to periodically forget for some reason. So "Cursed Bread". The premise according to the blurb: A whole village in early 20th century France goes insane and nobody knows why. Based on a true story. The end. The premise according to me: Horny woman has a crush on an affluent couple that just moved into her village. Things happen. Food preservatives are underresearched. People die. The end. Doesn't sound too enticing, does it? That's because it isn't. The book is overwritten and wordy in the worst possible way, it is difficult to read and even more difficult to stay focussed while doing so. More than once I simply forgot what was happening WHILE READING because I constantly found my thoughts drifting; my attention compromised. If there is a plot, I am yet to find it. Needless to say: This really wasn't my cup of tea. AT ALL. And still I can see how people could love this book. There is a certain way authors bend language to their will that some readers seem to really enjoy (I am looking at you, Lispector-fans), but I, for one, DO need some kind of plot, or info, or any content that goes beyond word choice and sentence structure. If you happen to have read "Cursed Bread", feel free to share your opinion. If you read it and, like me, didn't like it, do not let that dissuade you from picking up "Blue Ticket" though. Because that one was really, truly good. Klara over and out.
Description
If you eat the bread, you'll die, he said. The statement made no sense, but it filled me with an electric dread.
Elodie is the baker's wife. A plain, unremarkable woman, ignored by her husband and underestimated by her neighbours, she burns with the secret desire to be extraordinary. One day a charismatic new couple appear in town--the ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet--and Elodie quickly falls under their spell. All summer long she stalks them through the shining streets: inviting herself into their home, eavesdropping on their coded conversations, longing to be part of their world.
Meanwhile, beneath the tranquil surface of daily life, strange things are happening. Six horses are found dead in a sun-drenched field, laid out neatly on the ground like an offering. Widows see their lost husbands walking up the moonlit river, coming back to claim them. A teenage boy throws himself into the bonfire at the midsummer feast. A dark intoxication is spreading through the town, and when Elodie finally understands her role in it, it will be too late to stop.
Audacious and mesmerising, Cursed Bread is a fevered confession, an entry into memory's hall of mirrors, a fable of obsession and transformation. Sophie Mackintosh spins a darkly gleaming tale of a town gripped by hysteria, envy like poison in the blood, and desire that burns and consumes.
Book Information
Posts
Well, I regret having to inform you once again that loving one book by an author does not automatically lead to loving every book by an author, which is a truth I theoretically know, but seem to periodically forget for some reason. So "Cursed Bread". The premise according to the blurb: A whole village in early 20th century France goes insane and nobody knows why. Based on a true story. The end. The premise according to me: Horny woman has a crush on an affluent couple that just moved into her village. Things happen. Food preservatives are underresearched. People die. The end. Doesn't sound too enticing, does it? That's because it isn't. The book is overwritten and wordy in the worst possible way, it is difficult to read and even more difficult to stay focussed while doing so. More than once I simply forgot what was happening WHILE READING because I constantly found my thoughts drifting; my attention compromised. If there is a plot, I am yet to find it. Needless to say: This really wasn't my cup of tea. AT ALL. And still I can see how people could love this book. There is a certain way authors bend language to their will that some readers seem to really enjoy (I am looking at you, Lispector-fans), but I, for one, DO need some kind of plot, or info, or any content that goes beyond word choice and sentence structure. If you happen to have read "Cursed Bread", feel free to share your opinion. If you read it and, like me, didn't like it, do not let that dissuade you from picking up "Blue Ticket" though. Because that one was really, truly good. Klara over and out.