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Her Fearful Symmetry
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Customer Reviews:
An eagerly awaited book...
I have waited so long for another book by Audrey Niffenegger. I inhaled The Time Traveller's Wife and have avoided the film just to keep the memory of this wonderful book unsullied in my mind. So of course, the book following such a triumph must have been difficult to produce.
Firstly, let me say that this is a very good book. It is wonderfully spooky, with a narration which sometimes reads like an intimate whisper. It is hugely readable. There is a small cast of instantly recognizable and likeable characters, all of whom interact with each other in a natural and organic way which I found works well and is completely believable. Nifenegger's talent becomes clear when the magical realism develops and it still manages to stay believable. Not once did this ghost story seem contrived and unnatural, but blended seamlessly with the everyday world we see outside our window. Add a few chilling and unexpected twists, and you have a really enjoyable read.
On the negative side, the ending felt loose and rushed - What is so frustrating is that the framework for a great ending is there, but 50 more pages would have produced something a more satisfying. You get to know the cast so well that there is almost a feeling of bereavement as they are dropped so casually in only a couple of pages. This makes a strange contrast to the thorough and detailed narration throughout the rest of the book. The only way this ending could work is if Niffenegger is planning a sequel?
Try as I might, I am unable to stop myself from comparing this book with The Time Traveller's Wife. The Time Traveller's Wife is more intricate and original, a clever product which shows the brilliance of the mind behind the book. Her Fearful Symmetry is simpler and carries none of the originality of the first book, and was left with a feeling that Niffenegger wrote this book without fulfilling her potential. But all in all, it is a melancholy, delicate, touching and chilling book which held my attention throughout. I can recommend this book without reservations, but there is no escaping the fact that I might have enjoyed it a little more had I expected a little less.
Very nice read! 
I liked this book very much... I was reading slow to make it last longer... And I especially enjoyed the sentences in Dutch!
Creepy 
This book is well written and is easy to read. However, as the story begins to unfold, one begins to realise that there is going to be no 'happy ending'. The five main characters - one of whom is a ghost - are a pretty disfunctional bunch. As Elspeth's powers increase and she works out what she can do and Valentina makes her awful suggestion, it becomes obvious that disaster is on the cards - very reminiscent of Romeo and Juliette.
Her Fearful Symmetry 
I was drawn to this book by Audrey Niffenegger after hearing her give a brief reading from her book on Andrew Marr radio show BBC radio 4. My sense on hearing her voice was a person with a wonderful imagination.I think she captured the relationship that twins have together, often excluding others. The shades of personality in all the characters was enthralling. The powerful Elspeth or was it Edie! The control she showed in her afterlife to the vulnerable and sensitive Valentina. I was also taken with Martin who suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, the author showed great insight into psychological and emotional difficulties.The ending left me feeling that Robert may turn up in another novel. A very enjoyable read.
A beautiful yet uncomfortable journey
I think the very diverse reviews of this book say quite a lot - it is an unusual book, and one of the main themes, to me, is the diversity and duality of human nature. Noone in this book is the real hero or heroine, and even the mad-man upstairs is at his core a sane human being. The love-interest of both Valentina and her Aunt is kind-hearted but spineless, and Elpeth and Edie are so wrapped up in each other that they are almost the same person - despite the fact that they have not met in decades. Heather and Valentina are in the process of growing almost unbearably different, despite obvious similarities.
This is not a comfortable read, although there is beauty in the story and the message that we are basically alone on this journey through life, and similarity is not a guarantee for closeness. The starkness of every individual's inner personal loneliness was staggering to me when I read the book, both when forced by illness, and through more subtle mechanisms.
I am impressed by Audrey Niffenegger's ability to make the supernatural seem quite natural, I find I am able to suspend my disbelief with the greatest ease. I think she uses identical twins for archetypal reasons - in ancient times they were viewed as almost supernatural beings, sometimes used in religion to illustrate good vs evil. These two identical girls and women also emphasise with poignancy that superficial similarity is only skin deep, and there can be worlds of difference and loneliness under the surface.
I am left with questions after reading - did the ghost intend things to end the way they did, or not? -and other questions, which I won't ask as you may not have read the book! I recommend the book to anyone who is not afraid of a beautiful but sometimes uncomfortable journey - in distance, years and the human condition!
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Her Fearful Symmetry
By: Audrey Niffenegger - ISBN-13 978-0-224-08561-8 (ISBN-10 0-224-08561-1)
http://www.books-by-isbn.com/0-224/0224085611-Her-Fearful-Symmetry-Audrey-Niffenegger-0-224-08561-1.html
Her Fearful Symmetry – Book Review
It is published by Jonathan Cape Ltd and its ISBN is 0224085611. It is a beautifully written ghost story. This Gothic romance is set in Highgate Cemetry in London and the author explores the themes of : love, secrets, obesessions and ...
http://ajd8.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/her-fearful-symmetry-book-review/
