Well, "Poison" is not one of my favorites, not by a long shot. While Harrison is obviously devoted to her craft (you can tell by the way each sentence is so elegantly put together that the author is less storyteller than she is an artist, whose medium is words), the WAY she chose to tell her story left me cold and more than a bit confused.Let me state up front that I'm a simple sort: I'm the most comfortable with traditional literary devices, like well-developed characters, linear(ish) storylines, and plots featuring protagonists and antagonists involved in the resolution of a conflict or two. While "Poison" wasn't the cruelly incomprehensible, post-modern torture that is Robbe-Grillet's "The Voyeur", or if that doesn't conjure a clear enough image for you, perhaps think of that less-foreign, more-current fiend, Kathy Acker, and you'll understand what I mean. Still and all, Harrison's writing shares more with Robbe-Grillet and Acker than I'd like. The story in "Poison" was told as a narrative from several alternating perspectives, and it wasn't always clear to me who was doing the narrating at any given time. This problem was compounded by the fact that, to me, the characters were (a) all female, and (b) didn't each have her own, distinctly individual voice...they were almost interchangeable, but only in regard to their voice. The characters were distinctly separate, living in different areas, and at different times, though there was some overlap. Worst of all was how the author jumped around in time: the story's telling wasn't linear, and I was further confused because it was never immediately clear who, exactly, was narrating at any given time, and when it was they were speaking: is the narrator speaking posthumously, as a youth, or some other time along their life's journey? Is the character reflecting or are events happening as they are described? When I'd finally manage to orient myself, there'd be a new paragraph...and we'd be switched to a different perspective and I'd be lost yet again.Props where they're due: the sex was pretty hot, although there wasn't NEARLY enough of it to make up for the book's...deficits. All in all, the book was pretty much a drag.
The author, while taking creative license with historical facts, does so brilliantly. Those who are already familiar with French and Spanish royalty in the 1660's will still find a tale plaited with mysteries. As a storyteller, she excels. As a poetic author, she shines. When every sentence lilts, it is easy to go so overboard that the reader is knocked unconscious by the heady perfume of poetry and lose the story under the petals- Kathryn Harrison does not fall prey to that pitfall, and pulls it off wonderfully instead. I will be very interested to see what she's writing ten and twenty years from now...(I was indecisive between four and five stars. She got the fifth because of her poetic storytelling skill.)Edit: I've noticed how other reviews have commented on how dark and depressing it can be. I did not find it to be gratuitous in it's descriptions of torture (the Spanish Inquisition is never pretty), if anything, she managed to smooth over the horror while conveying enough to keep it clear what was occurring. In short, it is for mature readers, and/or ones that are comfortable with such topics. There is torture, sex, death, and birth. Without a spoiler, it gets messy. Life is messy. Those wanting light fictional reads should avoid this story.
What do You think about Poison (1996)?
Beautifully written, about love during the time of the Spanish Inquisiton, and the danger in being a woman during a time when women and love were suspect. Two parallel lives, one a commoner in love with a priest, the other a French princess married to the mad King Carlos II of Spain, one destroyed because of love, the other destroyed for lack of it. The two main characters are so well developed you really feel you are conversing with them as they reminise about their lives as they near its end. Beautiful.
—Linda Tuplin
Captivating read about the life of a French Princess wedded to the Spanish heir to the throne in the 17th century. Beautifully written, Harrison recreates the glittering Hapsburg Spanish court, filled with treachery, adultery and murder. Not for readers expecting a light historical read, its the tragedy of two girls, one a princess the other a peasant, and traces the impotency of finding happiness in their own lives. Faced with torture, with no one to trust, its a depressing spiral downward of two women that fate won't allow survival. Poison is a provocative read that will stay with you long after you close the book.
—Carole Roman
This shocking and descriptive tale of the Spanish Inquisition is like that old cliché about a car wreck. You can’t help but look. The violence is so dramatic it will make a reader’s stomach turn. But you can’t put it down. Each word is eaten up and savored due to the beautiful way Kathryn Harrison displays atrocities, heartache and passion.The only freedom in this novel is found in Harrison’s descriptions. This story is about literal and figurative jails. Francisca de Luarca, the daughter of a f
—Stacie
