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Bloodsong
From Publishers Weekly
Neimark's first novel is a sexy thriller about a woman who falls in love with a murderer.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Kim Beckett, the golden welder who answers New York science reporter Lynn Hershey's personal ad, would be Mr. Right if he weren't a murderer: a premise first-novelist Neimark can't decide whether to play for psychological thrills or the cheaper kind. At first Lynn, still scarred by her older brother Cob's disappearance 14 years ago (a drifter, he still writes from time to time without ever giving an address), finds that Kim's revelation-- that he killed Puerto Rican doper (wholesale) Raphael Nadal--makes him even more attractively intense. She recalls their bouts of lovemaking in scorching detail and gets into impassioned technical discussions (``cunnilingus is a consolation prize'') with her old roommate Sherry and Sherry's neighbor Dana. Meanwhile, though, alternating chapters are stretching for something more ambitious than another helping of sex and power in the 90's. Lynn labors to come to terms with Kim's crime--a task made nearly impossible by unconvincing plot twists (Nadal's girlfriend Katie Gonne and his avenging nephew Popi both turn up in New York; Kim drops out of sight; Lynn lets Popi spirit her off for a surrealistic interlude in Puerto Rico) and Neimark's tendency, following other I-Slept-With-a-Killer fantasies, to substitute wide- eyed lucubrations for insight (a tendency kicked off by the novel's opening line: ``I'm in love with a murderer''). Eventually, the pulpy underside of plot and tone swallows up the novel. Too one-note hysterical for its loftier ambitions, too inconclusive to work as pulp. The early chapters, though, have distinct possibilities as a pillow book. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP.
Neimark's first novel is a sexy thriller about a woman who falls in love with a murderer.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Kim Beckett, the golden welder who answers New York science reporter Lynn Hershey's personal ad, would be Mr. Right if he weren't a murderer: a premise first-novelist Neimark can't decide whether to play for psychological thrills or the cheaper kind. At first Lynn, still scarred by her older brother Cob's disappearance 14 years ago (a drifter, he still writes from time to time without ever giving an address), finds that Kim's revelation-- that he killed Puerto Rican doper (wholesale) Raphael Nadal--makes him even more attractively intense. She recalls their bouts of lovemaking in scorching detail and gets into impassioned technical discussions (``cunnilingus is a consolation prize'') with her old roommate Sherry and Sherry's neighbor Dana. Meanwhile, though, alternating chapters are stretching for something more ambitious than another helping of sex and power in the 90's. Lynn labors to come to terms with Kim's crime--a task made nearly impossible by unconvincing plot twists (Nadal's girlfriend Katie Gonne and his avenging nephew Popi both turn up in New York; Kim drops out of sight; Lynn lets Popi spirit her off for a surrealistic interlude in Puerto Rico) and Neimark's tendency, following other I-Slept-With-a-Killer fantasies, to substitute wide- eyed lucubrations for insight (a tendency kicked off by the novel's opening line: ``I'm in love with a murderer''). Eventually, the pulpy underside of plot and tone swallows up the novel. Too one-note hysterical for its loftier ambitions, too inconclusive to work as pulp. The early chapters, though, have distinct possibilities as a pillow book. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP.
- GenresFiction
275 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Jill Neimark
9 books12 followersJill Neimark is the author of the highly acclaimed BLOODSONG (adult fiction, Random House) as well as coauthor of WHY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE (adult self-help, Random House), Her picture book, THE HUGGING TREE: A STORY ABOUT RESILIENCE has had over sixty YouTube read-a-louds by teachers, librarians and faith leaders worldwide and is a popular inspirational readaloud. I WANT YOUR MOO (picture book, Magination Press) with co-author Marcella Bakur Weiner, PhD,won a Teachers’ Choice Awards for Children’s Books; and the sequel, TOODLES & TEENY: A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP won a Mom's Choice Award. Under the nom de plume Gillian Neimark is also the author of the tween fantasy adventure novel, THE SECRET SPIRAL, and the sequel, THE GOLDEN RECTANGLE. Her new picture book, FOREST JOY will be published in March of 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2009
a novel about the confusion in trying to place yourself when you have a tendency to drift and not trust those around you, but long to find someone to make sense of your life. At the center of this spiral of narrative is a murder, but the work pushes the reader into the desperate emotional holes of the characters to understand that murder is the least of these characters' problems. murder seems to be one of the few things that can help these keening, needy people to create identity.
this is a writer who seems to have some insight, but the book had a muddy quality to it, especially in the passages about puerto rico - if there were larger ideas she was working on regarding international identity, they were not very well done. her island descriptions were lush and beautiful like a tourist's, but they seemed to be flat and lacking the poetry of metaphor that might have transformed this novel into something brilliant.
a quick and enjoyable read - i was pushed on to reading more in one sitting than normal for me, but it is not worth recommending and i would not read it again.
this is a writer who seems to have some insight, but the book had a muddy quality to it, especially in the passages about puerto rico - if there were larger ideas she was working on regarding international identity, they were not very well done. her island descriptions were lush and beautiful like a tourist's, but they seemed to be flat and lacking the poetry of metaphor that might have transformed this novel into something brilliant.
a quick and enjoyable read - i was pushed on to reading more in one sitting than normal for me, but it is not worth recommending and i would not read it again.
February 16, 2013
This novel is weird and eerily accurate with the emotions they bring out about the characters. The characters are flawed but not excessively so. I'm not sure how to put it into words but the ending of this novel really wrapped things up nicely. My only complaint is that sometimes the author is showy with words just for the sake of making a word count. It can be difficult to put our human emotions into words but ridiculously dramatic analogies don't do much to help.
April 13, 2015
Wonderfully written...almost poetic. I would read more by her. Great read and story...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews