The Ninja Reader

Ok, I admit, at first, the book started a little too heavily for me. The first third is dedicated to Fevvers telling her life story to Walser, entertaining the press, as she put it, and of course it was constructed in a way that was supposed to entertain the obvious - full of long words, rampant exclamations. Much like Sophi, it was boisterous, emotional, overblown. But that style died as soon as it was time for Carter's economic, elegant narration.Weird way to start a review? Here's why - authors in general have very different languages. Some are amazing storytellers in spite some awkward mouthfulls. Some have great language - so great, in fact, that it blinds you to the story's obvious problems. There are even some, I suspect, who think that dumping a pile of adjectives in every sentence will make up for the lousy story, and much like an ostrich, they're burrying their heads in the sand and let their asses high in the air.But there are some, like Marcus Zusak, for example, who not only have an amazing story, but who also manage to write so well you want to tattoo their book on your body. Angela Carter is one of those lucky folkes who manages to write a beautiful, unconventional story and use her words wisely. It's truly an experience.The plot: Ever read Isabel Allende? Laura Esquivel? They wrote "The House of Spirits" and "Like Water for Chocolate", respectively. Those of you that have know what to expect of the story - quirkiness and seriousness, tragedy and comedy, mystery and simplicity all wrapped into one. Horror and laughter go hand in hand. The craziest things are an everyday occurrence, and the normal is impossible. At first sight, the characters seem like an unlikely company, too colorful to be put together by Providence alone, but in my opinion, they are just human - infinitely tragic, terribly optimistic, absolutely beautiful.