Thomas Cullinan (1919–1995)

“Well, if I cannot be sensible and popular at the same time, then I will always choose the virtue rather than the friends.”
― Thomas Cullinan, The Beguiled

Simmering. Southern. Gothic. Madness.

This is a Historical Fiction novel that I would also not hesitate to call Gothic or even Horror, set in the time of the American Civil War where a wounded soldier in Virginia shows up at a boarding school of sheltered young girls who take him in to nurse him back to health. As this charming soldier recovers he befriends all the females at the school bringing forth their innermost feelings as they begin to turn on the soldier and each other.

This book beguiled me. I cannot say I started off loving it but it kind of simmers, slowly wrapping itself around you. It's a very well written book that is extremely difficult to get into at least at first.

There are a huge cast of characters and the story is told from multiple viewpoints. It can be confusing to remember everybodys' name and keep track of all that is happening.

The other thing about The Beguiled is there are few..very few..likeable characters. The atmosphere of the book I'd have to describe as claustrophobic. Everything that happens, occurs within the confines of this school..not a very pleasant place to be.

I like the quiet and very dark humor the writer uses when describing the characters, particularly Alice.

The first time I read this it left a bad taste in my mouth. I had to read it a second time to really appreciate it although I will say outright it is not for everyone.

I was expecting to rate this a 4. I took off a star because toward the end there is an animal killed and although the scene is short and vital for the story I do not like those types of scenes so I took off a star.

I'd still recommend this. It's well written and is now a film though I have yet to see the film version. And it will linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page.… (altro)

3.5/4 stars!

THE BEDEVILED was a nice romp through the 70's satanic cult paranoia, with a pinch of witchcraft and rituals tossed in for good measure. To be honest, I don't know WHAT or who this group was worshiping, but there was an upside down cross and it was creepy as hell!

The Caine family loses an aunt who leaves them her old home, (more like a warehouse, really), and soon they're off to explore their inheritance. They meet the creepy neighbors, the husband falls and breaks some bones, and soon their temporary stay turns more permanent. Shortly thereafter, their son starts acting strangely, weird things begin to occur and Maggie, the mom, begins to wonder if she's losing her mind. Will the Caine family ever go back home? Will their son ever get back to normal? And why does Maggie start to think she's actually someone else? You'll have to read this to find out!

THE BEDEVILED definitely feels dated, but that didn't bother me. Well, there was an incident that everyone took to be nothing, but today would have caused a huge ruckus and rightfully so. (It was hard for me to get my mind around the fact that this act wasn't even viewed as serious back then.) I enjoyed the slow burn of this tale, and how it incorporated elements and themes that are tropes of the genre today. It was fun to see how these things became tropes in the first place.

I do think the last third of book lost a bit of the momentum and while I did enjoy the shocking denouement, I would have enjoyed actually seeing what happened, rather than looking back on it even more.

Mostly slow burning, THE BEDEVILED was a lot of (70's style) fun, with an interesting cast of characters, and a few genuinely creepy moments. I never guessed what was coming and the end was a pretty big shocker which made up a bit for that little loss of pacing. Recommended!

*Thanks to Valancourt Books for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*… (altro)

"How deep do the layers of deception go, I wondered one day."

I wasn't aware of this novel,until I saw an advert for Sofia Coppola's recent film version,starring Colin Farrell. I didn't know there was a 1971 version either (and I wouldn't watch a Clint Eastwood film if my life depended on it). So, being a Colin fangirl, I thought "well, I'll read the book and then I'll watch the film and find all kinds of fault with it,because I am an unashamed purist.And the only thing I'll admire is Colin's brown eyes." The problem is that after reading the book, I have no special desire to watch the story being unfold as it proved to be a rather problematic, irritating read, in my opinion.It's unfortunate since the start was very promising.

Southern Gothic and Americana have a distinctive aura that I've always found fascinating. The claustrophobic feeling born of the Southern sun,the strict morality (in appearance only), the lush and mysterious residences, the haunting plantations, the bloody history of the region, the turmoil and conflict are characteristics of the genre and present in Τhe Beguiled. A young man, a wounded soldier of the Union army, is found near the premises of the school run by Martha.A school for young girls who have remained in the region despite the ongoing war.It goes without saying that the presence of the young man there brings all sorts of conflicts and repressed feelings to surface and a game of secrets,sexuality and authority begins.

The setting of the story helps in creating an atmosphere that can be experienced by the reader.The hot air and the stiffness of the characters made me feel the claustrophobia of the place.It was so exciting,let me tell you.The action takes place in a few of the closed rooms of the estate and is told through the eyes of Martha, her sister, her servant and the adolescent students.It is interesting that McBurney isn't given a POV.It adds to the mystery of his character and provides a better perspective to the influence he exerts on the women of the house.Much of the action takes place during the night and I could "see" the candle lit corridors and the women with their white nightgowns tiptoeing,moving like ghosts,trying to make sense of the changes inside and around them.

Cullinan's descriptions are excellent.They managed to keep my interest, even when the action of the book didn't.The language is raw and sensual where needed.The problems came from the dialogue and,majorly, from the characters.Each POV read the same,as if we had the same person speaking throughout the course of the action.In my opinion,Martha,Mettie,Edwina and the others wouldn't sound exactly the same.They wouldn't describe their feelings and thoughts in the same way.And this is what happens,with the slight exception of Mattie who uses a few colloquialisms here and there,just because.As it was, I felt the characters lacked originality, there was no personality in the vast majority of them.

This brings me to the issue of characterization.I've never had a problem with unlikable characters,I've said it before.I love them, I think they make every novel more interesting and challenging.BUT with the supposition that they are well-written.In this case, they aren't only unlikable, they're just plain stupid,devoid of any focal point.I'm aware of the hypocrisy of the past,naturally, and the young age of the girls, but this isn't an alibi for badly crafted heroines.I work with adolescents and I can verify to you that there is an incredible amount of "character" in them (in a positive or negative way,it doesn't matter),many times more than in any adult.This issue ended up making the narration too repetitive,especially during the 2nd half of the novel.There are endless lines of exhaustive, cringe-worthy dialogue on whether Johnny should leave or stay,chapter after chapter.In my opinion,the book would have been better if 70-80 pages had been cut and the dialogue dealt with.

Martha and Emily were the only interesting characters.Edwina had a few moments but she was too wishy-washy wishy for my liking.Harriett was useless,with the interest of a worn-out doormat,Amelia had some potential that was lost in the process,Alice was a Nickelodeon teenager in the worst sense of the word and McBurney was such an awful person,badly and unconvincingly written.Nevertheless,he deserved every bit of misery that came his way.The author presented every female character,apart from Martha and Emily,as sex-crazed harpies, as sexually starving fools who swoon over a handsome stranger who knows how to sweet-talk them into everything.This was irritating,at first.Then, it became troubling and bothersome.Naturally,the book is quite dated in this matter and probably influenced by misogynistic notions of the past decades.I don't know what Cullinan was trying to show.Perhaps that we lose our minds and good senses when we're sexually attracted to someone?Well,this may happen in real life but it doesn't help in creating interesting literature.I'm glad that this view is buried in literary history.I find it difficult to imagine that a contemporary writer would do that and call the attempt "serious" unless we're talking about a cheap romance.Reading McBurney's ridiculous attempts to beguile the women,feeding them his stories and watching them fall like flies to his call was beyond frustrating.

So, 3 stars for the haunting atmosphere and Martha's strength,although my heart wanted to hand 2.It was an interesting experience,I must admit.A Southern Gothic novel whose setting was excellent but the characters and the way the story became more than predictable broke the deal for me.Try it and see for yourselves.If nothing else, you'll come across some of the most stupid people in recent Literature.To quote Sherlock "It makes for too much stupid in the room...."

Many thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)