Miranda Romanae is a successful thirtysomething woman in today's modern word, yet she feels alone and adrift on the sea of her life. At her high school reunion she makes a shattering discovery that further undermines her already shaky sense of who she is and where she is going. When she meets the remarkable Hugh Oakley, her life takes a 180-degree turn for the better -- but at what price?When they move to a house in the country to start a new life together, the reality Miranda had once known begins to slip away. Miranda is haunted by alarming, impossible visions and strangers whom she feels certain she has known, although they are all from other times and places. As these phantom lives consume her own and begin to affect all that she knows and loves, Miranda must learn the truth to reclaim it. But sometimes the hardest truth to accept is the knowledge of who we really are. (cover blurb)Jonathan Carroll's novel of love and loss and memory and life is wonderfully told for the first 200 pages, with his trademark strangeness tiptoeing in bit by bit by bit. I thoroughly enjoyed Miranda's story until I turned that one page and suddenly found myself in an entirely different novel...and one I didn't care for at all. The break was so abrupt, so jarring, it took me completely out of the story...and the big twist as revealed in these last 70 pages was an overdone plot device and a tremendous disappointment. Despite this major shortcoming, several of the characters Carroll has created are simply marvelous. I loved Frances, the old woman who leads Miranda to her truth. I really liked James, the high school boyfriend, until the point he turned into a whiny git and blamed Miranda for his poor choices. Hugh was interesting but not sympathetic. And given how the story turned out, I'm rather conflicted about Miranda herself...in a way that's impossible to discuss without spoilers.Don't get me wrong: The Marriage of Sticks is not a bad novel, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It's just this particular tired plot twist is one that sets my teeth on edge, and I'm dismayed that he employed it. I suppose if this had been my first Carroll novel I wouldn't have been so disappointed.
Una volta hai detto "tutto passa". Non è vero, Hugh. Troppe cose finiscono e per quanto uno provi a spostarle e spingerle via, non è possibile. Come i ricordi. E l'amore.Finalmente il paranormale entra a Crane's View! Per chi non lo conosce, questo è il secondo romanzo della trilogia di Crane's View: più che trilogia, un trittico di tre romanzi che condividono la medesima ambientazione e qualche secondario personaggio.Il primo, Ciao Pauline! si presentava clamorosamente come l'unico romanzo, o almeno credo, in cui non compaia alcun elemento fantastico / horror / surreale. E per questo mi aveva deluso. Ma con Il matrimonio dei fiammiferi Carrol torna alle vecchie abitudini: e finalmente anche Crane's View piccola cittadina da cartolina, conosce il paranormale.La prima metà, a dire il vero, trascorre tranquilla, con toni pacati: Carroll ci presenta la protagonita, Miranda, una donna di successo dal completo controllo di sé, che vive la sua vita tra la bottega di antiquariato e saltuarie relazioni sentimentali non troppo impegnative. Finché incontra l'amore vero, Hugh, capace di sradicarla dalla sua vita e dalle sue convinzioni, portandola a vivere nella città di campagna Crane's View. E a quel punto, succede di tutto di più. Da un colpo di scena all'altro, tra visioni psichedeliche, incubi inimmaginabili e sogni freudiani, in una girandola che mescola mitologia, reincarnazione, psicoanalisi, predestinazione, senza mai apparire pesante, confuso. Ho apprezzato la scelta dell'autore di spiegare ben poco: Carroll sembra aver costruito un dettagliato mondo paranormale di cui, però, vuole dire il meno possibile, lasciando la protagonista ed il lettore aggrappati ad un briciolo di effimere certezze. Fino all'ultimo geniale colpo di scena (nell'ultima frase!) che capovolge tutto ancora una volta.
What do You think about The Marriage Of Sticks (2000)?
Finalmente il paranormale entra a Crane's View!Per chi non lo conosce, questo è il secondo romanzo della trilogia di Crane's View: più che trilogia, un trittico di tre romanzi che condividono la medesima ambientazione e qualche secondario personaggio.Il primo, Ciao Pauline! si presentava clamorosamente come l'unico romanzo, o almeno credo, in cui non compaia alcun elemento fantastico / horror / surreale. E per questo mi aveva deluso. Ma con Il matrimonio dei fiammiferi Carrol torna alle vecchie abitudini: e finalmente anche Crane's View piccola cittadina da cartolina, conosce il paranormale.La prima metà, a dire il vero, trascorre tranquilla, con toni pacati: Carroll ci presenta la protagonita, Miranda, una donna di successo dal completo controllo di sé, che vive la sua vita tra la bottega di antiquariato e saltuarie relazioni sentimentali non troppo impegnative.Continua suhttp://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...
—La Stamberga dei Lettori
The second book of Crane's View Trilogy.I am so glad that I decided joining the bookring that introduced me Jonathan Carroll. I started reading this book simply because I joined "The Wooden Sea" bookring on Bookcrossing. "The Wooden Sea" was the third book of Crane's View trilogy; the second book is "The Marriage of Sticks" which my local library had; the first book, "Kissing the Beehive", was not available at my library.While I was googling about Crane's View trilogy, I found that this book was categorized in fantasy. When I hear the word "fantasy", I often have images of magic, elves, and dragons. This book was not that kind; it was a very surreal and intriguing story. At the beginning, the book made me feel, "humm, that was odd". As the story developed, my feeling changed to "wow, that's weird," and than "wait, where it's going?" and then finally "OMG, really?!" I usually don't read this type of book. The similar type of book I can remember is "When You Reach Me", but that book didn't amuse me the way this book did. Also, I fell in love with his writing from the first page, which does not happen so often. I just love it, and he didn't disappoint throughout the book. I now proudly claim myself a fan of Jonathan Carroll and bought another book already. Of course, I need to find the copy of "Kissing the Beehive" too.
—Kaz
You know a book is good when you are unable to put it down for a full five hours. You look at the clock, it's 10:00PM; you tell yourself just one more chapter, and suddenly it's 3AM.This particular volume is delightful blend of obscure literary references, avant-garde art, and Jonathan Carroll's nightmarish occult imagination. It details the life of a used book dealer who is unable to find love or happiness because she keeps her emotions too guarded. Beyond her personal life, she's a complete success -- she travels extensively, she has a bunch of adventures, she's the envy of her high school class. One day, she suddenly falls completely in love with a married man, and everything changes. Obviously, it's a bad decision and leaves everybody involved hurt, but it's the most alive she has felt since her high school romance with bad boy James Stillman.
—Eva
