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Walking the Labyrinth
Investigating her family history, Molly slips into a world of magic Backstage at a vaudeville in Oakland, California, a reporter sits down for an interview with Callan Allalie, patriarch of a family of traveling magicians. As the journalist asks his questions, Callan's sisters dazzle him with tricks too delicate for the stage. The night quickly whirls out of control as all manner of untold magic warps the writer's mind, and the next morning, he can't be sure that he witnessed it at all. Sixty years later, a private detective confronts Molly, the last descendent of the Allalie clan, to ask questions about one of Callan's sisters, who seemed to vanish after the performance in Oakland. As Molly delves into the mysteries of the Allalies, she discovers a connection to a shadowy organization of nineteenth-century mystics--and a family secret that will change the way she looks at the world forever.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1996
19 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Goldstein
99 books101 followersAka Isabel Glass.
Lisa Goldstein (b. November 21, 1953 in Los Angeles) is a Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award nominated fantasy and science fiction writer. Her 1982 novel The Red Magician won the American Book Award for best paperback novel, and was praised by Philip K. Dick shortly before his death. Goldstein writes science fiction and fantasy; her two novels Daughter of Exile and The Divided Crown are considered literary fantasy.
Elizabeth Joy "Lisa" Goldstein's father was Heinz Jurgen "Harry" Goldstein (b. June 08, 1922 in Krefeld, Germany; d. May 24, 1974 in Los Angeles), a survivor of concentration camp Bergen-Belsen; her mother, Miriam Roth, was born in Czechoslovakia and survived the extermination camp Auschwitz. Her parents came to the United States in 1947 and met in an ESL class.
She has published two fantasy novels under the pen name Isabel Glass. She chose to use a pseudonym to separate the novels from her other work. The "Isabel" is from Point Isabel, a dog park, and "Glass" was chosen because it fits Tor's requirements for pseudonyms.
With her husband since 1986, Douglas A. "Doug" Asherman, she lives in Oakland, California.
Lisa Goldstein (b. November 21, 1953 in Los Angeles) is a Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award nominated fantasy and science fiction writer. Her 1982 novel The Red Magician won the American Book Award for best paperback novel, and was praised by Philip K. Dick shortly before his death. Goldstein writes science fiction and fantasy; her two novels Daughter of Exile and The Divided Crown are considered literary fantasy.
Elizabeth Joy "Lisa" Goldstein's father was Heinz Jurgen "Harry" Goldstein (b. June 08, 1922 in Krefeld, Germany; d. May 24, 1974 in Los Angeles), a survivor of concentration camp Bergen-Belsen; her mother, Miriam Roth, was born in Czechoslovakia and survived the extermination camp Auschwitz. Her parents came to the United States in 1947 and met in an ESL class.
She has published two fantasy novels under the pen name Isabel Glass. She chose to use a pseudonym to separate the novels from her other work. The "Isabel" is from Point Isabel, a dog park, and "Glass" was chosen because it fits Tor's requirements for pseudonyms.
With her husband since 1986, Douglas A. "Doug" Asherman, she lives in Oakland, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
January 2, 2015
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
I was sold on Lisa Goldstein's Walking the Labyrinth the moment I read the description. A vaudeville inspired mystery sounded original and intriguing so I felt pretty optimist when I settled down and cracked it open. Unfortunately the execution left much to be desired and I soon found myself struggling through the narrative for little more than the personal satisfaction of reaching the final page.
My troubles began early on. John and Molly's fast friendship didn't hold water, but to add insult to injury, the couple were so one dimensional that I couldn't bring myself to care about either them or their plight. Goldstein's supporting cast is similarly underdeveloped, with many possessed of purpose so insignificant that I often wondered at their being included at all. The irregular timeline complicated matters as individuals could appear or disappear without introduction or farewell which is something I personally found both irritating and awkward.
More than that, however, Goldstein failed to adequately mask the secrets at the heart of the story and expects the audience to jump at the blatantly obvious. Take for example the moment in which John makes 'all a lie' from the Allalie. He is presented as something of a genius, while Molly issues a gasp of surprised awe over the revelation of her own family name. I contributed an exasperated eye roll to the scene for I'd deciphered this shallowly disguised contrivance from the get-go and couldn't understand why it'd taken the leads a full third of the novel to make the same discovery. I wasn't impressed, but the instance was only the beginning as subsequent chapters proved equally if not more self-evident and uninspired.
Bottom line, Walking the Labyrinth didn't work for me. The idea had potential, but it is never realized.
I was sold on Lisa Goldstein's Walking the Labyrinth the moment I read the description. A vaudeville inspired mystery sounded original and intriguing so I felt pretty optimist when I settled down and cracked it open. Unfortunately the execution left much to be desired and I soon found myself struggling through the narrative for little more than the personal satisfaction of reaching the final page.
My troubles began early on. John and Molly's fast friendship didn't hold water, but to add insult to injury, the couple were so one dimensional that I couldn't bring myself to care about either them or their plight. Goldstein's supporting cast is similarly underdeveloped, with many possessed of purpose so insignificant that I often wondered at their being included at all. The irregular timeline complicated matters as individuals could appear or disappear without introduction or farewell which is something I personally found both irritating and awkward.
More than that, however, Goldstein failed to adequately mask the secrets at the heart of the story and expects the audience to jump at the blatantly obvious. Take for example the moment in which John makes 'all a lie' from the Allalie. He is presented as something of a genius, while Molly issues a gasp of surprised awe over the revelation of her own family name. I contributed an exasperated eye roll to the scene for I'd deciphered this shallowly disguised contrivance from the get-go and couldn't understand why it'd taken the leads a full third of the novel to make the same discovery. I wasn't impressed, but the instance was only the beginning as subsequent chapters proved equally if not more self-evident and uninspired.
Bottom line, Walking the Labyrinth didn't work for me. The idea had potential, but it is never realized.
June 3, 2017
Magic and magicians, traveling shows, mysteries, murder, séances, occult, secrets and yes, of course, labyrinths...it's like someone wrote this book especially for me. Sometimes all the delicious ingredients don't add to a scrumptious meal, but here it worked out lovely. I've been meaning to check out the author, got several of her books on my Kindle, selected this one by overall reviews and length and it was indeed a very enjoyable read about a multigenerational family of performers whose prestidigitation is more than merely trickery. When a young woman tries to unravel her complex genealogy and solve some mysteries along the way, she goes on something like an adventure of a lifetime. Terrific characterizations, very imaginative and vivid, very good writing. Only occasionally ever so slightly muddled and obscure (much like the subject itself), but ultimately utterly cohesive and exciting of a story. Quick fun read, great introduction to the author. Positively magical, really. Recommended.
December 18, 2014
I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Open Road---who publish a wide variety of very fine books in all genres, in exchange for an honest review.
My second book by Lisa Goldstein, who is very talented. I read The Red Magician (which won the National Book Award) first, which will be one of my favorites for the year, and this one just doesn't pack quite the same punch, but it is a different type of book so might not be fair.
Although both books are fantasy and steeped in magcial realism, The Red Magician in clearly in the genre of YA, and Walking the Labyrinth is definitely not. Philosophical and rather mystical in the same way that the novels of Paulo Coelho are, this novel seeks to teach a bit, I think. After all, the constantly repeated leitmotif is "What have you learned?"
"Oh God, your going to ask me questions again. You're going to ask me what I've learned."
"Well, what have you?"
"I learned--I learned that illusion is a way to truth. That illusion can reveal truth, a deeper truth. That there are things beyond or beneath or on the other side of what most people...think of as reality,"
Our main characters, the Allalies, are a family of illusionists that trace their origin, their magical one at least, to a old secret society called The Order of the Labyrinth, which is both an actual physical, metaphysical, and magical place, but also symbolic of the twists and turns of the lives of the characters--all of whom are charged with this quest to recognize what it is that they must learn. That might be my only real complaint with this otherwise very enjoyable novel--I found the didactic element to be rather heavy handed.
Molly, both a member of this powerful yet odd family, but not of the inner circle, embarks on a quest to find a lost family member who may have been murdered, perhaps by another family member, and in the process track down the origins of the secret Order of the Labyrinth and encounters very real and dangerous opposition. I found the first two thirds of this book to be a thrilling page turner that slowed down only when it came time to unravel the mystery.
At the end, we are once again asked to self examine as Molly asks a new question--
"What am I capable of? I've walked Fentrice's labyrinth, but what would happen if I walked my own? What would I find at the center? What sort of monster is lurking there, what horrible emotions do I have that I keep hidden away, that I never look at?"
The answer is that even as we contemplate and perhaps judge the actions of others, we still are actually walking our own labyrinth and confronting our own personal monster--desire, addiction, cowardice, greed, or even devastating sorrow that overwhelms and controls us. It is how we deal with our own personal Minotaur that makes all the difference.
4 stars for great writing and a compelling story line.
My second book by Lisa Goldstein, who is very talented. I read The Red Magician (which won the National Book Award) first, which will be one of my favorites for the year, and this one just doesn't pack quite the same punch, but it is a different type of book so might not be fair.
Although both books are fantasy and steeped in magcial realism, The Red Magician in clearly in the genre of YA, and Walking the Labyrinth is definitely not. Philosophical and rather mystical in the same way that the novels of Paulo Coelho are, this novel seeks to teach a bit, I think. After all, the constantly repeated leitmotif is "What have you learned?"
"Oh God, your going to ask me questions again. You're going to ask me what I've learned."
"Well, what have you?"
"I learned--I learned that illusion is a way to truth. That illusion can reveal truth, a deeper truth. That there are things beyond or beneath or on the other side of what most people...think of as reality,"
Our main characters, the Allalies, are a family of illusionists that trace their origin, their magical one at least, to a old secret society called The Order of the Labyrinth, which is both an actual physical, metaphysical, and magical place, but also symbolic of the twists and turns of the lives of the characters--all of whom are charged with this quest to recognize what it is that they must learn. That might be my only real complaint with this otherwise very enjoyable novel--I found the didactic element to be rather heavy handed.
Molly, both a member of this powerful yet odd family, but not of the inner circle, embarks on a quest to find a lost family member who may have been murdered, perhaps by another family member, and in the process track down the origins of the secret Order of the Labyrinth and encounters very real and dangerous opposition. I found the first two thirds of this book to be a thrilling page turner that slowed down only when it came time to unravel the mystery.
At the end, we are once again asked to self examine as Molly asks a new question--
"What am I capable of? I've walked Fentrice's labyrinth, but what would happen if I walked my own? What would I find at the center? What sort of monster is lurking there, what horrible emotions do I have that I keep hidden away, that I never look at?"
The answer is that even as we contemplate and perhaps judge the actions of others, we still are actually walking our own labyrinth and confronting our own personal monster--desire, addiction, cowardice, greed, or even devastating sorrow that overwhelms and controls us. It is how we deal with our own personal Minotaur that makes all the difference.
4 stars for great writing and a compelling story line.
March 29, 2015
(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
2.5 stars, between "OK" and "I liked it." I very much enjoyed the magical/illusion aspects in this book: the concept of the Labyrinth, questioning people and their motives, "taking a new turn" when you learn something new, and how just about anything could be turned into a lesson—often not the most obvious one. The Order, done partly through the journal of one of its earliest members, had one of those late Victorian flavours that I tend to like. Secret societies, people trying to get a glimpse of mysteries through communing with spirits... And power, the "Gift" passed from parents to children in the Allalie family, something that could be used for good (for instance, whether it was on purpose or not, Dodd did stop drinking after that night in the prologue), but also for less than shiny endeavours.
The writing itself was fairly good, and managed to evoke vivid imagery of the magic shows in the 1920s and 1930s (or at least, what I'd expect magic shows to be like). The antics, relationships, tensions and weirdness of Molly's family were easy to grasp, and definitely interesting.
What prevented me from enjoying this story more were the characters first and foremost. While the premise was intriguing and fascinating, I couldn't connect with any of them. The Allalies were too shrouded in mystery and half-lies to feel like actual people, and Molly often struck me as bumbling around without any idea of what she was doing: not in terms of investigating (after all, she wasn't a private eye or a cop, so it made sense she wouldn' have such reflexes etched in her), but as a person. Maybe it's just me, but from the beginning, her behaviour when Peter was concerned just made me feel like smacking her to put some sense into her. This made it harder to reconcile with how she evolved towards the end, going from clueless to maybe too resourceful.
There were also a few instances of characters popping out of nowhere, more as plot devices than as people: the man in England, the people from the Order... Their roles didn't feel really defined, and they would've deserved more spotlight in order to look like they had a place of their own in the story. Same goes for clues that appeared without enough groundwork having been laid beforehand. This ended for me as a strange mix of predictability (the Allalie's family name was so obvious) and "wait, what, where did that come from?" reactions. The story tended to plod, and there were moments I found myself reading in the hopes I'd get more out of it, rather than because I was genuinely involved in it fully. The journey mattered more than the ending, but I wished said journey had streamed more seamlessly, without the constant feeling of being driven by plot devices.
Overall: worth borrowing, but maybe not buying.
2.5 stars, between "OK" and "I liked it." I very much enjoyed the magical/illusion aspects in this book: the concept of the Labyrinth, questioning people and their motives, "taking a new turn" when you learn something new, and how just about anything could be turned into a lesson—often not the most obvious one. The Order, done partly through the journal of one of its earliest members, had one of those late Victorian flavours that I tend to like. Secret societies, people trying to get a glimpse of mysteries through communing with spirits... And power, the "Gift" passed from parents to children in the Allalie family, something that could be used for good (for instance, whether it was on purpose or not, Dodd did stop drinking after that night in the prologue), but also for less than shiny endeavours.
The writing itself was fairly good, and managed to evoke vivid imagery of the magic shows in the 1920s and 1930s (or at least, what I'd expect magic shows to be like). The antics, relationships, tensions and weirdness of Molly's family were easy to grasp, and definitely interesting.
What prevented me from enjoying this story more were the characters first and foremost. While the premise was intriguing and fascinating, I couldn't connect with any of them. The Allalies were too shrouded in mystery and half-lies to feel like actual people, and Molly often struck me as bumbling around without any idea of what she was doing: not in terms of investigating (after all, she wasn't a private eye or a cop, so it made sense she wouldn' have such reflexes etched in her), but as a person. Maybe it's just me, but from the beginning, her behaviour when Peter was concerned just made me feel like smacking her to put some sense into her. This made it harder to reconcile with how she evolved towards the end, going from clueless to maybe too resourceful.
There were also a few instances of characters popping out of nowhere, more as plot devices than as people: the man in England, the people from the Order... Their roles didn't feel really defined, and they would've deserved more spotlight in order to look like they had a place of their own in the story. Same goes for clues that appeared without enough groundwork having been laid beforehand. This ended for me as a strange mix of predictability (the Allalie's family name was so obvious) and "wait, what, where did that come from?" reactions. The story tended to plod, and there were moments I found myself reading in the hopes I'd get more out of it, rather than because I was genuinely involved in it fully. The journey mattered more than the ending, but I wished said journey had streamed more seamlessly, without the constant feeling of being driven by plot devices.
Overall: worth borrowing, but maybe not buying.
December 20, 2014
Lisa Goldenstein has crafted a twisty, turny tale worthy of its title. The reader is drawn along with Molly Travers and Private Investigator John Stow as they traverse the maze trying to uncover the history of Molly's recently discovered family of travelling illusionists. Is the magic real? What happened to Thorne? Who hired the investigator? The answers only beget more questions --and nobody gives a straight answer-- as they travel across the globe from Oakland to Chicago to London. They must be careful as the more they uncover, the more people are after the secrets of Molly's family and the mysterious Order of the Labyrinth.
Molly is a well-drawn and dynamic character who is as much in the dark as the rest of us. The suspense and wonder and confusion are keenly felt by both her and the reader. Both make suppositions and begin to guess at the eventual outcome; some inferences are right and others are wrong. The cast of supporting characters are fascinating and amusing, and as the web between them grows, amazing things begin to happen. Molly will never look at the world in the same way, and neither will the reader.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Open Road media for the chance to review this amazing book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see the world in a different way.
Molly is a well-drawn and dynamic character who is as much in the dark as the rest of us. The suspense and wonder and confusion are keenly felt by both her and the reader. Both make suppositions and begin to guess at the eventual outcome; some inferences are right and others are wrong. The cast of supporting characters are fascinating and amusing, and as the web between them grows, amazing things begin to happen. Molly will never look at the world in the same way, and neither will the reader.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Open Road media for the chance to review this amazing book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see the world in a different way.
January 7, 2020
A family secret, magical performances, and philosophy all combined in Walking the Labyrinth. Molly’s family has a dark and interesting history, one that she knows nothing of until a private investigator approaches her with a request for information about the whereabouts of a relative she’s never even heard of. Molly’s curious mind latches onto the mystery and she digs deeper into what is revealed to be a secret society in England, and its continuation in modern-day America.
Much like a labyrinth, the story has a lot of twists and turns, and it’s hard to tell sometimes just how close to the truth you really are. Molly experiences this plenty of times through the story, which does get a little tiring when it turns into a round of, “Did Fentrice do it? No, she couldn’t have, because of this thing. Oh, but then there’s this thing! Did Fentrice do it after all?” It’s a good question. Did she do what she’s being accused of? Who is telling the truth, and is it the whole truth? But the circular nature of half the arguments make it difficult to keep track of what I’m even supposed to be mentally debating at times.
As with the last work I read by Goldstein, I found the historical aspect of this novel to be quite fascinating. Everything historical was told through diaries and letters rather than through dialogue or from a character actually being there, which weirdly appeals to me. Finding out about the Order of the Labyrinth and how that turned from a secret society devoted to the supernatural and philosophy in England to a traveling magic show in America was definitely a fun journey to embark upon.
Though I could have done with a couple of characters now and again who hadn’t heard of the Order. Everyone they asked had heard about them, despite them being a secret society that’s really only mentioned in one pamphlet and a couple of family documents. Everything tied in so neatly that it stretched the bounds of credulity.
Part of the problem I had with this book, though, was the rather meandering nature of the plot. The pacing wasn’t that great, meaning that you’d spend pages and pages reading diary entries of life and family affairs in a traveling show, then BAM, major plot development with Molly’s family that has roughly the same amount of book space devoted to it. You’d get used to one pace and then suddenly it would switch, and it was never the same twice.
This could have been a wonderful way of showing that things aren’t what they seem and that life throws you curveballs all the time, a meta-commentary on the events of the story themselves, but it didn’t really come across that way. It came across, unfortunately, as just poor pacing, and I suspect my suddenly thought about it having deeper implications was just my habit of overthinking things and finding connections where there are none.
But the story itself was pretty good, and an interesting blend of the old and the new, an exploration of the psychic craze that swept England in the 1800s and a connection to the more mundane aspects of modern day. I like the ideas that Goldstein played with here, and it was really only the pacing issues that kept me from enjoying it all more.
Walking the Labyrinth is a quick read, only around 200 pages, and when the pacing is even it’s so easy to fall into the story and get caught up in everything. It’s intelligent, prompts personal reflection, and is a good exploration of someone uncovering that her family has far more to it than she ever gave thought to. Not Goldstein’s best work, but still worth reading, and it definitely stands the test of time better than many urban fantasies that I’ve read from the 1990s (the edition I read was a digital reprint rather than the original publication). Worth checking out if you like some history with your mystery!
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
Much like a labyrinth, the story has a lot of twists and turns, and it’s hard to tell sometimes just how close to the truth you really are. Molly experiences this plenty of times through the story, which does get a little tiring when it turns into a round of, “Did Fentrice do it? No, she couldn’t have, because of this thing. Oh, but then there’s this thing! Did Fentrice do it after all?” It’s a good question. Did she do what she’s being accused of? Who is telling the truth, and is it the whole truth? But the circular nature of half the arguments make it difficult to keep track of what I’m even supposed to be mentally debating at times.
As with the last work I read by Goldstein, I found the historical aspect of this novel to be quite fascinating. Everything historical was told through diaries and letters rather than through dialogue or from a character actually being there, which weirdly appeals to me. Finding out about the Order of the Labyrinth and how that turned from a secret society devoted to the supernatural and philosophy in England to a traveling magic show in America was definitely a fun journey to embark upon.
Though I could have done with a couple of characters now and again who hadn’t heard of the Order. Everyone they asked had heard about them, despite them being a secret society that’s really only mentioned in one pamphlet and a couple of family documents. Everything tied in so neatly that it stretched the bounds of credulity.
Part of the problem I had with this book, though, was the rather meandering nature of the plot. The pacing wasn’t that great, meaning that you’d spend pages and pages reading diary entries of life and family affairs in a traveling show, then BAM, major plot development with Molly’s family that has roughly the same amount of book space devoted to it. You’d get used to one pace and then suddenly it would switch, and it was never the same twice.
This could have been a wonderful way of showing that things aren’t what they seem and that life throws you curveballs all the time, a meta-commentary on the events of the story themselves, but it didn’t really come across that way. It came across, unfortunately, as just poor pacing, and I suspect my suddenly thought about it having deeper implications was just my habit of overthinking things and finding connections where there are none.
But the story itself was pretty good, and an interesting blend of the old and the new, an exploration of the psychic craze that swept England in the 1800s and a connection to the more mundane aspects of modern day. I like the ideas that Goldstein played with here, and it was really only the pacing issues that kept me from enjoying it all more.
Walking the Labyrinth is a quick read, only around 200 pages, and when the pacing is even it’s so easy to fall into the story and get caught up in everything. It’s intelligent, prompts personal reflection, and is a good exploration of someone uncovering that her family has far more to it than she ever gave thought to. Not Goldstein’s best work, but still worth reading, and it definitely stands the test of time better than many urban fantasies that I’ve read from the 1990s (the edition I read was a digital reprint rather than the original publication). Worth checking out if you like some history with your mystery!
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
June 24, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Investigating her family history, Molly slips into a world of magic
Backstage at a vaudeville in Oakland, California, a reporter sits down for an interview with Callan Allalie, patriarch of a family of traveling magicians. As the journalist asks his questions, Callan’s sisters dazzle him with tricks too delicate for the stage. The night quickly whirls out of control as all manner of untold magic warps the writer’s mind, and the next morning, he can’t be sure that he witnessed it at all.
Sixty years later, a private detective confronts Molly, the last descendent of the Allalie clan, to ask questions about one of Callan’s sisters, who seemed to vanish after the performance in Oakland. As Molly delves into the mysteries of the Allalies, she discovers a connection to a shadowy organization of nineteenth-century mystics—and a family secret that will change the way she looks at the world forever.
Very hard to write a review for this as it left me in two minds - did I like this or not? And I am still truly unable to answer that...
The biggest problem was the opposing nature of some of the elements - a fascinating family history that was really interesting to read, but there is no development of the current characters and I felt no real interest in whether Molly solved the mystery or not.
About 1/3 of this story was made up of pages from books that were in the story - but that was the most interesting part. The rest of the "mystery" was telegraphed and didn't really hold me in the story for long periods of time.
The 'labyrinth' in the title made the story sound like it could be full of intrigue and dead-ends - and then the labyrinth was completely under-used and it felt like "what is going on"?
However, this is a pretty short novel (about 200 pages) and, if you can suspend your disbelief for that long, it is actually worth the read.
Paul
ARH
Investigating her family history, Molly slips into a world of magic
Backstage at a vaudeville in Oakland, California, a reporter sits down for an interview with Callan Allalie, patriarch of a family of traveling magicians. As the journalist asks his questions, Callan’s sisters dazzle him with tricks too delicate for the stage. The night quickly whirls out of control as all manner of untold magic warps the writer’s mind, and the next morning, he can’t be sure that he witnessed it at all.
Sixty years later, a private detective confronts Molly, the last descendent of the Allalie clan, to ask questions about one of Callan’s sisters, who seemed to vanish after the performance in Oakland. As Molly delves into the mysteries of the Allalies, she discovers a connection to a shadowy organization of nineteenth-century mystics—and a family secret that will change the way she looks at the world forever.
Very hard to write a review for this as it left me in two minds - did I like this or not? And I am still truly unable to answer that...
The biggest problem was the opposing nature of some of the elements - a fascinating family history that was really interesting to read, but there is no development of the current characters and I felt no real interest in whether Molly solved the mystery or not.
About 1/3 of this story was made up of pages from books that were in the story - but that was the most interesting part. The rest of the "mystery" was telegraphed and didn't really hold me in the story for long periods of time.
The 'labyrinth' in the title made the story sound like it could be full of intrigue and dead-ends - and then the labyrinth was completely under-used and it felt like "what is going on"?
However, this is a pretty short novel (about 200 pages) and, if you can suspend your disbelief for that long, it is actually worth the read.
Paul
ARH
May 23, 2023
I read this book quite few years ago and liked it. Rereading it, I still find it entertaining although it is hard to get into many of the characters. Molly is a likable enough protagonist and does develop in the course of the novel; still at the end her sudden recognition of her powers seems like a deus ex machina and not very satisfying. Most other characters don't engage me, perhaps because of the persistent illusions and concealments. The labyrinth is both physical and metaphorical. Emily, Fentrice, and Molly all draw power from walking the physical labyrinth. But the labyrinth is also a metaphor for personal development and learning about oneself.
March 1, 2022
What started as a dark and glittering mystery faded and fell flat at the conclusion.The characters became mired in discussions of some kind of "ultimate morality" of the family. Disappointing, as the magic laid out in the beginning promised a world with more nuance.
March 13, 2023
John and Molly investigative duo. Was lowkey confusing because there was just so much information but it all made sense in the end.
March 10, 2015
4.5 stars
Last December, I read Lisa Goldstein's National Book Award-winning The Red Magician and was not impressed. (See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....) Thus it was with some trepidation that I accepted Open Road Media's invitation to review Walking the Labyrinth, originally published in 1998, five years after The Red Magician. My concern could not have been more misplaced; those five years were a period of spectacular growth in Goldstein's writing.
Walking the Labyrinth is, like The Red Magician, a paranormal fantasy. However, while Walking the Labyrinth is informed by the time and place of its setting, it is not driven by them in the way that The Red Magician depended on the Holocaust for its meaning. Instead, Walking the Labyrinth is a multi-generational family drama, in which the family members happen to possess a variety of supernatural powers. Although those powers do play a key role in resolving the book's central mystery (what happened to Callan Allalie's sister Thorne), they are just the icing on the cake; the real meat of the story (to use yet another food metaphor) is Goldstein's moving and insightful exploration of the Allalie family's internal dynamics: jealousy, envy, sibling rivalry, money issues, handling the pressures of a travelling life.
The labyrinth is found in many faith traditions throughout history. In the Episcopalian church, we view the labyrinth as both a journey to the center of the self and a process of transformation. The labyrinth in Goldstein's book has no specific religious meaning, but it does serve as a tool for self-knowledge and as a method for transforming relationships, for both the better and the worse. In this sense, the labyrinth is a perfect symbol for all families, even those (like mine) which lack magical powers. Approaching the book with this in mind makes the experience of reading Walking the Labyrinth even richer and more rewarding.
I received a free copy of Walking the Labyrinth from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Last December, I read Lisa Goldstein's National Book Award-winning The Red Magician and was not impressed. (See my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....) Thus it was with some trepidation that I accepted Open Road Media's invitation to review Walking the Labyrinth, originally published in 1998, five years after The Red Magician. My concern could not have been more misplaced; those five years were a period of spectacular growth in Goldstein's writing.
Walking the Labyrinth is, like The Red Magician, a paranormal fantasy. However, while Walking the Labyrinth is informed by the time and place of its setting, it is not driven by them in the way that The Red Magician depended on the Holocaust for its meaning. Instead, Walking the Labyrinth is a multi-generational family drama, in which the family members happen to possess a variety of supernatural powers. Although those powers do play a key role in resolving the book's central mystery (what happened to Callan Allalie's sister Thorne), they are just the icing on the cake; the real meat of the story (to use yet another food metaphor) is Goldstein's moving and insightful exploration of the Allalie family's internal dynamics: jealousy, envy, sibling rivalry, money issues, handling the pressures of a travelling life.
The labyrinth is found in many faith traditions throughout history. In the Episcopalian church, we view the labyrinth as both a journey to the center of the self and a process of transformation. The labyrinth in Goldstein's book has no specific religious meaning, but it does serve as a tool for self-knowledge and as a method for transforming relationships, for both the better and the worse. In this sense, the labyrinth is a perfect symbol for all families, even those (like mine) which lack magical powers. Approaching the book with this in mind makes the experience of reading Walking the Labyrinth even richer and more rewarding.
I received a free copy of Walking the Labyrinth from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2014
Goldstein has written a creative and original mystery that involves magicians, a secret society, and an enchanted labyrinth. The main character Molly is lovable and trusting, but she learns that her great-aunt, whom Molly believed was her only living family, has been lying to her all of her life. Molly has to look into her past to discover the truth about missing family members and the secret of her family’s seemingly real magic.
In her search, Molly discovers a journal written by one of her ancestors Emily. Emily’s voice is so real, and I loved reading her journal. The labyrinth, described so well, is used perfectly as both a literal and metaphorical journey to wisdom and knowledge. This fun motif went so well with one of the book’s themes, to question everything, and not take things as they may first appear, or as they appear on the exterior. Other subjects covered include family and romance issues.
One of the negatives of the book was that while following the clues as Molly did, I discovered that Goldstein seemed to jump to a clue where there was no groundwork or basis for that jump. When you are reading a good mystery, this definitely upsets the build-up of the suspense.
Overall, this is a fun mystery and Young Adults who love historical fiction and contemporary fiction will enjoy how the past is juxtaposed with the present. I’m glad I read it for the labyrinth with its rooms and enchantments! I also thoroughly enjoyed Emily's journal- suspenseful!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
In her search, Molly discovers a journal written by one of her ancestors Emily. Emily’s voice is so real, and I loved reading her journal. The labyrinth, described so well, is used perfectly as both a literal and metaphorical journey to wisdom and knowledge. This fun motif went so well with one of the book’s themes, to question everything, and not take things as they may first appear, or as they appear on the exterior. Other subjects covered include family and romance issues.
One of the negatives of the book was that while following the clues as Molly did, I discovered that Goldstein seemed to jump to a clue where there was no groundwork or basis for that jump. When you are reading a good mystery, this definitely upsets the build-up of the suspense.
Overall, this is a fun mystery and Young Adults who love historical fiction and contemporary fiction will enjoy how the past is juxtaposed with the present. I’m glad I read it for the labyrinth with its rooms and enchantments! I also thoroughly enjoyed Emily's journal- suspenseful!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
April 4, 2008
Interesting set up, but I was expecting, well, more to happen. Seemed like a draft waiting for action to be added.
January 2, 2015
What a phantasmagorical read Walking The Labyrinth is! Although Lisa Goldstein has been writing fantasy for years, and won a National Book Award for The Red Magician, this is my first Goldstein read; fair warning, I got this one for free as a review book (Kindle format; yes, there are Kindle review copies!). It’s not a new book, however. The original hardcover was published in 1996, but the publisher, Open Road Media, is now bringing out Lisa’s backlist, and you—yes, you!—can get this right now from Amazon for under $2 ($1.99 on Amazon.ca; $1.71 on Amazon.com)!
Unlike The Red Magician, which I believe was a YA book, this one is a contemporary urban fantasy, but if you’re looking for fairies in brownstones, or anything like what Charles de Lint puts out, this isn’t it. While there is magic (or maybe even something like ESP, though that’s never mentioned), there are no fairies. The magic may or may not be derived from something called the “Antient and Secret Order of the Labyrinth,” or that Order may be derived from the magic.
In the book’s prologue, a reporter named Andrew Dodd attempts to review a family of magicians after a performance at Oakland’s (California) Paramount Theater in 1935. Invited backstage by one of the performers, Callan Allalie and his sister Thorne, Dodd is quickly drawn into a web of mystery and dazzlement by the members of the Allalie family, who claim their family has been performing magic for centuries. Perhaps confused by the champagne foisted on him by Corrig Allalie, Dodd somehow manages to make his way to his hotel room and fall asleep on his bed fully clothed; when he awakes the next morning, his notebook contains only the questions “Lies?” and “Truth?” The rest is blank.
Chapter one introduces us to Molly Travers, professional temp worker, who keeps her options open by taking various typing and filing jobs in 1995 Oakland; leaving her office building for lunch, she is accosted by a man named John Stow, who claims to be a private investigator, searching for her aunt, Fentrice Allalie. Although he appears to be a bit seedy, he has a P.I. license, and says Molly’s aunt may be the beneficiary of a small bequest, and he wants to ask Molly some questions about Fentrice. It is here that Molly first learns of her family’s performing background, and sees the clipping of Andrew Dodd’s mostly made-up review of that 1935 performance (since we know he neither has notes nor can remember much of that particular evening). This meeting with John Stow will put Molly Travers on a particular path of discovery about her family that will change the course of her life.
Because of Stow’s interest—and Molly’s distrust of him—she learns that she is the granddaughter of Callan Allalie; orphaned very young, she has been raised by great-aunt Fentrice in the Chicago area and, through a number of discoveries of various publications and private journals (diaries) begins learning about her family, including the mysterious Thorne, who may or may not be Fentrice’s sister.
She discovers, through a pamphlet found in a trunk at her aunt’s home in Chicago, the “True and Antient Order of the Labyrinth,” written in 1884, that her family, the Allalies, were members of this Order, which appeared—at least from the pamphlet—to be another of those mystical wannabe spiritualist societies that sprang up in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The labyrinth Molly begins walking here is the twists and turns of her family history. We also learn of her love for Peter Myers, a man who earns his living writing quickie biographies of famous people; who makes his money off scandal and sensation, not caring who he hurts... and we also see, although she can’t see it, that he doesn’t really care for Molly. It’s an old story of a user and the woman who cares for him, not seeing him for what he is.
Although there are a couple of modern Labyrinth societies, they’re mostly made up of people interested in mazes and labyrinths. (As you will no doubt remember from your World History classes in high school, the original labyrinth was on the island of Crete, ruled by king Minos, and was—at least in myth—inhabited by a beast called the Minotaur, who ate Cretan maidens. The Minotaur was killed by Theseus, who followed a ball of yarn to the centre of the maze (labyrinth) and found the Minotaur.) There is also a rumour that the Masons’ Order of the Eastern Star (ladies) is somehow related to an Order of the Labyrinth. Since I’m not a Mason I can’t speak to the truth of that. Check out The Labyrinth Company, too. Lots of people seem to be interested in labyrinths.
Later we learn that there was an actual labyrinth, built in England (from whence came the Allalie family in the 1930s, before their entrance into the wonderful world of vaudeville in the US) by a Lady Westingate, who later became penurious and lost her home. Throughout the book, there are enough twists and turns in Molly’s life to make it seem a maze itself; a recurring theme is what the Allalie family seems to have been all about, even when performing: teaching one about oneself. The question “What have you learned?” keeps popping up. Various threads, none that seem to lead Molly either out of or to the centre of this particular labyrinth, keep appearing and disappearing: who is Thorne? Is there actual magic involved in the Allalie family and/or the Order? Who were Molly’s parents? Like Dodd’s encounter with Callan, Thorne, Carrig and Fentrice in 1935, Molly’s experience with her own family seems quite phantasmagorical, and at times she doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t. Consider the family name, which could be deconstructed to read “All a lie”!
(The Paramount Theater, by the way, is almost a character in this book as well, which—considering how over-the-top beautifully decorated it is—I found rather fitting. I’m a big fan of certain kinds of over-the-top, rococo, kitsch, Art Deco, and so on, as it pertains to architecture.)
I actually enjoyed reading this; it’s a quick read, even though you have to keep track of a number of family members and events; it’s well-written enough that you also keep wanting Molly to open her eyes and see Peter for who he is. If I have any beef at all with the book, it would be the validation, which seemed a bit weak to me. (The “validation,” at least according to Dean Wesley Smith, is that part at the end of the book that lets the reader down easily, referring back to the beginning of the book in some way to show that it’s all over now. Similar to the “freeze” or “laughter” scenes made fun of by the show Police Squad, with the late, great Leslie Nielsen, at the end of many TV episodes.
Especially at the current Kindle price, I heartily recommend this book to the lover of urban fantasy.
Unlike The Red Magician, which I believe was a YA book, this one is a contemporary urban fantasy, but if you’re looking for fairies in brownstones, or anything like what Charles de Lint puts out, this isn’t it. While there is magic (or maybe even something like ESP, though that’s never mentioned), there are no fairies. The magic may or may not be derived from something called the “Antient and Secret Order of the Labyrinth,” or that Order may be derived from the magic.
In the book’s prologue, a reporter named Andrew Dodd attempts to review a family of magicians after a performance at Oakland’s (California) Paramount Theater in 1935. Invited backstage by one of the performers, Callan Allalie and his sister Thorne, Dodd is quickly drawn into a web of mystery and dazzlement by the members of the Allalie family, who claim their family has been performing magic for centuries. Perhaps confused by the champagne foisted on him by Corrig Allalie, Dodd somehow manages to make his way to his hotel room and fall asleep on his bed fully clothed; when he awakes the next morning, his notebook contains only the questions “Lies?” and “Truth?” The rest is blank.
Chapter one introduces us to Molly Travers, professional temp worker, who keeps her options open by taking various typing and filing jobs in 1995 Oakland; leaving her office building for lunch, she is accosted by a man named John Stow, who claims to be a private investigator, searching for her aunt, Fentrice Allalie. Although he appears to be a bit seedy, he has a P.I. license, and says Molly’s aunt may be the beneficiary of a small bequest, and he wants to ask Molly some questions about Fentrice. It is here that Molly first learns of her family’s performing background, and sees the clipping of Andrew Dodd’s mostly made-up review of that 1935 performance (since we know he neither has notes nor can remember much of that particular evening). This meeting with John Stow will put Molly Travers on a particular path of discovery about her family that will change the course of her life.
Because of Stow’s interest—and Molly’s distrust of him—she learns that she is the granddaughter of Callan Allalie; orphaned very young, she has been raised by great-aunt Fentrice in the Chicago area and, through a number of discoveries of various publications and private journals (diaries) begins learning about her family, including the mysterious Thorne, who may or may not be Fentrice’s sister.
She discovers, through a pamphlet found in a trunk at her aunt’s home in Chicago, the “True and Antient Order of the Labyrinth,” written in 1884, that her family, the Allalies, were members of this Order, which appeared—at least from the pamphlet—to be another of those mystical wannabe spiritualist societies that sprang up in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The labyrinth Molly begins walking here is the twists and turns of her family history. We also learn of her love for Peter Myers, a man who earns his living writing quickie biographies of famous people; who makes his money off scandal and sensation, not caring who he hurts... and we also see, although she can’t see it, that he doesn’t really care for Molly. It’s an old story of a user and the woman who cares for him, not seeing him for what he is.
Although there are a couple of modern Labyrinth societies, they’re mostly made up of people interested in mazes and labyrinths. (As you will no doubt remember from your World History classes in high school, the original labyrinth was on the island of Crete, ruled by king Minos, and was—at least in myth—inhabited by a beast called the Minotaur, who ate Cretan maidens. The Minotaur was killed by Theseus, who followed a ball of yarn to the centre of the maze (labyrinth) and found the Minotaur.) There is also a rumour that the Masons’ Order of the Eastern Star (ladies) is somehow related to an Order of the Labyrinth. Since I’m not a Mason I can’t speak to the truth of that. Check out The Labyrinth Company, too. Lots of people seem to be interested in labyrinths.
Later we learn that there was an actual labyrinth, built in England (from whence came the Allalie family in the 1930s, before their entrance into the wonderful world of vaudeville in the US) by a Lady Westingate, who later became penurious and lost her home. Throughout the book, there are enough twists and turns in Molly’s life to make it seem a maze itself; a recurring theme is what the Allalie family seems to have been all about, even when performing: teaching one about oneself. The question “What have you learned?” keeps popping up. Various threads, none that seem to lead Molly either out of or to the centre of this particular labyrinth, keep appearing and disappearing: who is Thorne? Is there actual magic involved in the Allalie family and/or the Order? Who were Molly’s parents? Like Dodd’s encounter with Callan, Thorne, Carrig and Fentrice in 1935, Molly’s experience with her own family seems quite phantasmagorical, and at times she doesn’t know what’s real and what isn’t. Consider the family name, which could be deconstructed to read “All a lie”!
(The Paramount Theater, by the way, is almost a character in this book as well, which—considering how over-the-top beautifully decorated it is—I found rather fitting. I’m a big fan of certain kinds of over-the-top, rococo, kitsch, Art Deco, and so on, as it pertains to architecture.)
I actually enjoyed reading this; it’s a quick read, even though you have to keep track of a number of family members and events; it’s well-written enough that you also keep wanting Molly to open her eyes and see Peter for who he is. If I have any beef at all with the book, it would be the validation, which seemed a bit weak to me. (The “validation,” at least according to Dean Wesley Smith, is that part at the end of the book that lets the reader down easily, referring back to the beginning of the book in some way to show that it’s all over now. Similar to the “freeze” or “laughter” scenes made fun of by the show Police Squad, with the late, great Leslie Nielsen, at the end of many TV episodes.
Especially at the current Kindle price, I heartily recommend this book to the lover of urban fantasy.
May 16, 2017
The premise of this book sounded so interesting so I was glad when I received an ARC through NetGalley. Molly Travers has never known much about her family – she thought that after the death of her parents that her only remaining relative was her great-aunt. Then a private investigator comes asking questions about her family. It piques Molly’s interest and she finds out that her family were illusionists who put on shows around the country.
I started off eagerly reading, but somewhere along the way I bogged down and only read to find out what happened. I had a hard time understanding why Molly would answer questions to a total stranger without more credentials or that she would hop on a plane to England with him. I didn’t care for her boyfriend, Peter, and thought she was a complete idiot to fall for someone like that. I kept wishing she would get a healthy dose of dignity and tell him to go jump in a lake. I also got lost in the description of the illusions that the characters played on one another.
I gave this book three stars because I kept on reading to the end. If I found that I couldn’t even finish it, it would have gotten less. I hope other like the story better than I did
I started off eagerly reading, but somewhere along the way I bogged down and only read to find out what happened. I had a hard time understanding why Molly would answer questions to a total stranger without more credentials or that she would hop on a plane to England with him. I didn’t care for her boyfriend, Peter, and thought she was a complete idiot to fall for someone like that. I kept wishing she would get a healthy dose of dignity and tell him to go jump in a lake. I also got lost in the description of the illusions that the characters played on one another.
I gave this book three stars because I kept on reading to the end. If I found that I couldn’t even finish it, it would have gotten less. I hope other like the story better than I did
April 9, 2019
So bad. Poorly written prose, boring characters (who can do magic and have crazy complex family secrets, how the hell do you make that boring?), and a plot with so many holes you no longer care to keep track. I though this came out around the time Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code did when publishers were crazy for anything even remotely like a read-alike, but it predates it. So I have no idea why.
I knew I was in trouble 80 pages in when randomly we leave Molly to get a third person omniscient point of view to see who killed Ottig. It served no purpose; it was detrimental to the flow of the story. A murder happened, lets make sure the reader knows who did it 5 pages later...
Lots of Bay Area scenes, but the prose is so sparse, you never feel like your there. Only theaters get detail.
I knew I was in trouble 80 pages in when randomly we leave Molly to get a third person omniscient point of view to see who killed Ottig. It served no purpose; it was detrimental to the flow of the story. A murder happened, lets make sure the reader knows who did it 5 pages later...
Lots of Bay Area scenes, but the prose is so sparse, you never feel like your there. Only theaters get detail.
April 19, 2019
You know, I was going along with all of this when I got caught up in the sheer stupidity of it. Maybe this will all be explained at the end but I couldn't get past some things. Sure, it's totally plausible that a private detective with some unknown benefactor paying all expenses would just take a total stranger to London with him, just because he can. Sure, she's never been out of the US and is able to get a passport like, that day, and just drop everything and go (ok, so she's a temp, that did help). But then random people start dying and people are following them and it was just hokey as hell.
December 27, 2017
I was on the fence about giving this three or four stars but I appreciate the uniqueness of the story and there is something about the writing style I loved. This book is a puzzle put together to explore what influences the path a life takes. Some of the imagery didn't work for me but the overall book left me feeling surprised at the real meaning behind the intent.
May 8, 2025
Interesting
An interesting fantasy book. Many people would like to have a little magic in this world. But magical humans? Humans have good and bad. Add magic to that and watching out. I liked this book!
An interesting fantasy book. Many people would like to have a little magic in this world. But magical humans? Humans have good and bad. Add magic to that and watching out. I liked this book!
January 16, 2018
Un roman fantastique très prenant, difficile de le lâcher quand on l'a commencé.
November 27, 2018
Full review to come!
January 19, 2020
Trickery and illusion...I liked the subject matter and the magic. The dialog between characters was eh... but worth the read.
February 22, 2020
Enjoyable. Good plot and good characters. Sweet, though not profound.
October 16, 2020
Confusing to get the plot. Too much ups and downs.
March 19, 2023
I liked the idea of this book. I think it could’ve been more fleshed out and not all over the place. There were points where I was extremely confused because the author jumped all over the place. I found the obsession the main character had with her supposed boyfriend tiresome and frustrating. Why does she have no friends? Oh wait she does but there’s minimal mentions about the friend. And then in the end when her possible cousin wants to go out with her? I guess he’s a better choice than supposed boyfriend but meh. I think that it was almost an add on for a HEA but doesn’t work because the cousin isn’t fleshed out at all. Also why do all the characters have such weird names? They said it’s as to hide from the people who were after them. Wouldn’t a unique name be more easy to find? This is also why no one has names in my review - I can’t remember them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2015
I liked the concept and the way the family was portrayed in the book. I thought that was the best part of the whole thing. The rest felt rushed and, at times, jerky in the execution of the plot. Molly is rather unlikeable and her relationship with Peter was contrived from the beginning which, unsurprisingly, let to a reveal with him at the end. Everything coming together felt forced and the basic human interactions were gawky and awkward. Not to mention I think Molly ends up dating her cousin. Knowingly. Gross.
The story somewhat toggles between the present (which, I think, is in the 90s somewhere) and past but the only pure flashback is at the beginning when we get to see the moment with the reporter backstage after a show the Allalies all put on. Everything else is pseudo-epistolary but not really because Molly and, usually, John, the private investigator, are reading something outloud to each other so it’s only a rather awkward info dump as opposed to a more seamless jump on the timeline. And they could have worked as flashbacks too. Just fine. But they weren’t used like that so instead of being immersed in the history it’s story time and you’re being read to. Kind of annoying.
Molly really isn’t a very well-developed character. Her interactions with people are forced and awkward. She doesn’t seem to have any social norms down regarding behavior. I don’t know if that’s a purposeful socially awkward/oblivious person or she’s just not written very well but she just doesn’t have the flow of a normal human being. She’s put in this story to serve a very specific purpose and it’s very obvious that’s the case. She is a chess piece being moved by the author throughout the story and Molly, as a character, isn’t allowed to just be. Because of this her interactions with everyone: her aunt, John, the Allalie family, are all cringe-worthy and contrived and don’t make for fluid reading at all. Her questions are too specific, too exact, too well-timed. Nothing was allowed to play out naturally.
Nowhere more than the end was that any more obvious as everyone converged on a single place, the villains, the good guys, the rest of the estranged family, and each layer of the onion was methodically peeled back to expose what the whole story’s been leading up to. It was too neat, too set up, and it left me feeling little to anything about the ending. And seriously, I think Molly ended up dating her cousin. That whole smear of family at the Allalie house was confusing but I’m almost positive her little love interest there is a distant cousin and she knows it. Goo.
What the author did do well was describe the magic, from the acts themselves to the ambiance around the people to a simple facet that wasn’t so simple after all. She nailed that. She made the Allalies seem ethereal and magical and maybe they existed and maybe they didn’t and the aura around them was just perfect. That’s where all of her focus seemed to be, was making those people seem as fantastical as they were supposed to. And it worked.
What also worked were the historical parts of the story. Even though they weren’t proper flashbacks the tone and the setting Goldstein meticulously set up was vibrant and far outshone anything happening in present day reading. The meetings and the people and the Labyrinth itself were all so much more realistic than anyone flopping around in the present day Bay area, pretending at being real people.
WALKING THE LABYRINTH ended up being a really disjointed story where certain aspects had all the effort while the rest of the story had none, or next to none. It made for an inconsistent read with characters I just didn’t care about as they questioned and conspired and pushed the story forward to its ultimate end. It’s not that Goldstein can’t write people or can’t write a cohesive plot, I just think she’s better at some people, and some scenarios, than others and it really showed here.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story somewhat toggles between the present (which, I think, is in the 90s somewhere) and past but the only pure flashback is at the beginning when we get to see the moment with the reporter backstage after a show the Allalies all put on. Everything else is pseudo-epistolary but not really because Molly and, usually, John, the private investigator, are reading something outloud to each other so it’s only a rather awkward info dump as opposed to a more seamless jump on the timeline. And they could have worked as flashbacks too. Just fine. But they weren’t used like that so instead of being immersed in the history it’s story time and you’re being read to. Kind of annoying.
Molly really isn’t a very well-developed character. Her interactions with people are forced and awkward. She doesn’t seem to have any social norms down regarding behavior. I don’t know if that’s a purposeful socially awkward/oblivious person or she’s just not written very well but she just doesn’t have the flow of a normal human being. She’s put in this story to serve a very specific purpose and it’s very obvious that’s the case. She is a chess piece being moved by the author throughout the story and Molly, as a character, isn’t allowed to just be. Because of this her interactions with everyone: her aunt, John, the Allalie family, are all cringe-worthy and contrived and don’t make for fluid reading at all. Her questions are too specific, too exact, too well-timed. Nothing was allowed to play out naturally.
Nowhere more than the end was that any more obvious as everyone converged on a single place, the villains, the good guys, the rest of the estranged family, and each layer of the onion was methodically peeled back to expose what the whole story’s been leading up to. It was too neat, too set up, and it left me feeling little to anything about the ending. And seriously, I think Molly ended up dating her cousin. That whole smear of family at the Allalie house was confusing but I’m almost positive her little love interest there is a distant cousin and she knows it. Goo.
What the author did do well was describe the magic, from the acts themselves to the ambiance around the people to a simple facet that wasn’t so simple after all. She nailed that. She made the Allalies seem ethereal and magical and maybe they existed and maybe they didn’t and the aura around them was just perfect. That’s where all of her focus seemed to be, was making those people seem as fantastical as they were supposed to. And it worked.
What also worked were the historical parts of the story. Even though they weren’t proper flashbacks the tone and the setting Goldstein meticulously set up was vibrant and far outshone anything happening in present day reading. The meetings and the people and the Labyrinth itself were all so much more realistic than anyone flopping around in the present day Bay area, pretending at being real people.
WALKING THE LABYRINTH ended up being a really disjointed story where certain aspects had all the effort while the rest of the story had none, or next to none. It made for an inconsistent read with characters I just didn’t care about as they questioned and conspired and pushed the story forward to its ultimate end. It’s not that Goldstein can’t write people or can’t write a cohesive plot, I just think she’s better at some people, and some scenarios, than others and it really showed here.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2015
I suppose the correct label for Walking the Labyrinth by Lisa Goldstein is the oxymoron realistic fantasy with a touch of Victorian literature. While there are aspects of this book which I found fascinating, there are other parts which flatlined for me.
The plot evolves around Mollie, an unwitting descendent of Emily, who finds herself in the middle of a mystery as she searches for answers about her past. Undercover detective, John Stow, has been hired to discover some truths and all answers must go through Mollie, the key player. Mollie has been brought up by her Great Aunt, Fentrice Allalie, after her own parents were killed in a car accident when she was three. She discovers she is a descendant of a family of magicians who have paranormal abilities that transcend the realm of the normal life most people lead. Their powers are connected to a labyrinth found in the home of their former patroness. Through a series of misadventures, the answers to Mollie's identity are revealed, and various misconceptions are resolved.
The best part of the book is the story described in Emily's Diary, taking place in the Victorian era, which evolves around the mystical Order and events surrounding Emily's ability to see into the hearts of the people around her. Emily is trying to confess her sins to her patroness, Lady Dorothy Westingate, who she considers a friend in spite of the wrongs she has done through her soothsaying abilities. This should have been the novel Lisa wrote, in an expanded version, of course.
Part of the problem which makes the plot confusing is the continuous lies and innuendos leading us down false paths of truth. I realize that Lisa Goldstein was trying to duplicate the maze experience for her readers, but the result was more frustrating than enlightening. The fact that it was easy to solve the mystery, in spite of the misdirections, spoils the suspense. There is also the matter of poor character development. For some reason, they never seem to come alive or make us sympathetic towards their plight. The most interesting person is Emily who is an individual from the past. Some of the people in the book seem to be thrown in to assist in the numerous plot twists, which instead of thrilling the reader are, at times, either confusing or too drawn out. The character of Mollie is a enigma in that she doesn't appear to demonstrate an inkling of magical ability even though the reader learns she is descendent of this illusionist family.
However, if Goldstein were to get rid of the murder plot and the obnoxious, no good boyfriend, and some of the other minor characters and focus instead on Emily with a backstory involving Mollie and her search for truth, then the dynamics could be refocused into an interesting novel full of fantasy from the past, present, and future. I recommend the author tighten up the plot, get rid of erroneous characters, and develop the key players so we understand their motivation.
Still, there was enough drama to keep me interested, so I give this book three stars.
I wish to thank the Open Road Publishers for asking me to review this book through Netgalley and give my honest opinion. This review is also posted on my blog, Gotta Read.
The plot evolves around Mollie, an unwitting descendent of Emily, who finds herself in the middle of a mystery as she searches for answers about her past. Undercover detective, John Stow, has been hired to discover some truths and all answers must go through Mollie, the key player. Mollie has been brought up by her Great Aunt, Fentrice Allalie, after her own parents were killed in a car accident when she was three. She discovers she is a descendant of a family of magicians who have paranormal abilities that transcend the realm of the normal life most people lead. Their powers are connected to a labyrinth found in the home of their former patroness. Through a series of misadventures, the answers to Mollie's identity are revealed, and various misconceptions are resolved.
The best part of the book is the story described in Emily's Diary, taking place in the Victorian era, which evolves around the mystical Order and events surrounding Emily's ability to see into the hearts of the people around her. Emily is trying to confess her sins to her patroness, Lady Dorothy Westingate, who she considers a friend in spite of the wrongs she has done through her soothsaying abilities. This should have been the novel Lisa wrote, in an expanded version, of course.
Part of the problem which makes the plot confusing is the continuous lies and innuendos leading us down false paths of truth. I realize that Lisa Goldstein was trying to duplicate the maze experience for her readers, but the result was more frustrating than enlightening. The fact that it was easy to solve the mystery, in spite of the misdirections, spoils the suspense. There is also the matter of poor character development. For some reason, they never seem to come alive or make us sympathetic towards their plight. The most interesting person is Emily who is an individual from the past. Some of the people in the book seem to be thrown in to assist in the numerous plot twists, which instead of thrilling the reader are, at times, either confusing or too drawn out. The character of Mollie is a enigma in that she doesn't appear to demonstrate an inkling of magical ability even though the reader learns she is descendent of this illusionist family.
However, if Goldstein were to get rid of the murder plot and the obnoxious, no good boyfriend, and some of the other minor characters and focus instead on Emily with a backstory involving Mollie and her search for truth, then the dynamics could be refocused into an interesting novel full of fantasy from the past, present, and future. I recommend the author tighten up the plot, get rid of erroneous characters, and develop the key players so we understand their motivation.
Still, there was enough drama to keep me interested, so I give this book three stars.
I wish to thank the Open Road Publishers for asking me to review this book through Netgalley and give my honest opinion. This review is also posted on my blog, Gotta Read.
June 19, 2023
Walking the Labyrinth by Lisa Goldstein
254 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Mystical
The Order of the Labyrinth was a great group founded around the turn of the century, They were people capable of performing real magic. Suddenly the group disappeared. Andrew Dodd, a reporter in Oakland California was one of the last people to meeting with the group and interview them. The day after the interview, he finds his notes are gone and he has no memory of the meeting.
It is now sixty years later and Molly is looking into her family. She finds it hard to believe it is just her and her great aunt left of her family. She has no knowledge of the Order of the Labyrinth. She finds a scrapbook with photos which leads her to search the rest of her family. While secrets begin to unfold and be shared with Molly, her outlook on life changes.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Molly’s character grows as she learns about her family’s history. If you like stories about carnival or circus life, you may enjoy reading this book.
254 Pages
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media, Open Road Media Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Mystical
The Order of the Labyrinth was a great group founded around the turn of the century, They were people capable of performing real magic. Suddenly the group disappeared. Andrew Dodd, a reporter in Oakland California was one of the last people to meeting with the group and interview them. The day after the interview, he finds his notes are gone and he has no memory of the meeting.
It is now sixty years later and Molly is looking into her family. She finds it hard to believe it is just her and her great aunt left of her family. She has no knowledge of the Order of the Labyrinth. She finds a scrapbook with photos which leads her to search the rest of her family. While secrets begin to unfold and be shared with Molly, her outlook on life changes.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Molly’s character grows as she learns about her family’s history. If you like stories about carnival or circus life, you may enjoy reading this book.
January 3, 2015
Walking the Labyrinth tells the story of Molly Travers and the maze she walks in discovering who her family is, and in a way, who she is.
Be aware, this review may contain a certain amount of information that could be considered "spoilers".
I'd really like half-star ratings - I would give this one 3.5
I received this book in exchange for a review, through NetGalley. The description of the story was very interesting. The execution of the story was sound, but I found myself feeling like I would not have finished the book if I were not a little obligated to do so. Therefore, a 3-star "It's okay" most accurately reflects my feelings on the story.
A third or more of the book is actually made up of text from books within the story; a couple of diaries and information collected from a visit to the library. These texts were really quite interesting, but made the in-progress moments with Molly feel lessened.
Molly was, at turns, a very good, strong character and at others a very frustrating one. My biggest peeve was her "relationship" with Peter. She loves Peter, utterly. There's NO reason for it, except convenience - and the reader is simply expected to accept it. He is, by all accounts, a bore and a callous jerk - Molly is just obsessed. But she's not even really obsessed, unless there is a downswing in the momentum of the story. Peter is a filler - and meant to build tension. In a way, he does - but it's not a good way. Ultimately, the whole story would've been better without him. He was almost entirely unnecessary; without him, the story would have only required a little agency on the part of a couple other characters to make it work. Without him, Molly would've been better - while he may have served a role in her journey (through the labyrinth), her development could've been achieved in better ways, I feel.
In addition, characterization seemed to fall flat for almost every character. Alex's question to Molly (near the end) was completely unexpected and felt like another bone toward building intrigue that failed. the family's last name being 'solved' by John, the PI, was not at all a surprise to any reader, but the character unveils it (and Molly reacts to it) as though it were.
The ending felt a little bit abrupt and neatly tied everything into a bow. This wasn't a bad thing, even if it felt a little bit too tidy. What ever happened to Tom, the trumpeter? That detail wasn't particularly needed, but given the tension with the two men who are never identified... it seems like Tom at least deserved a little closure.
Overall: Walking the Labyrinth was a fairly even read. It was well written and did not require a great deal of suspension-of-disbelief even though it dealt heavily in illusion, magic, and the ways we both fool ourselves and others. Based on this book, I'd probably read more of Goldstein's work, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone. I also hope that Goldstein's award winning works perform better than this one did.
Be aware, this review may contain a certain amount of information that could be considered "spoilers".
I'd really like half-star ratings - I would give this one 3.5
I received this book in exchange for a review, through NetGalley. The description of the story was very interesting. The execution of the story was sound, but I found myself feeling like I would not have finished the book if I were not a little obligated to do so. Therefore, a 3-star "It's okay" most accurately reflects my feelings on the story.
A third or more of the book is actually made up of text from books within the story; a couple of diaries and information collected from a visit to the library. These texts were really quite interesting, but made the in-progress moments with Molly feel lessened.
Molly was, at turns, a very good, strong character and at others a very frustrating one. My biggest peeve was her "relationship" with Peter. She loves Peter, utterly. There's NO reason for it, except convenience - and the reader is simply expected to accept it. He is, by all accounts, a bore and a callous jerk - Molly is just obsessed. But she's not even really obsessed, unless there is a downswing in the momentum of the story. Peter is a filler - and meant to build tension. In a way, he does - but it's not a good way. Ultimately, the whole story would've been better without him. He was almost entirely unnecessary; without him, the story would have only required a little agency on the part of a couple other characters to make it work. Without him, Molly would've been better - while he may have served a role in her journey (through the labyrinth), her development could've been achieved in better ways, I feel.
In addition, characterization seemed to fall flat for almost every character. Alex's question to Molly (near the end) was completely unexpected and felt like another bone toward building intrigue that failed. the family's last name being 'solved' by John, the PI, was not at all a surprise to any reader, but the character unveils it (and Molly reacts to it) as though it were.
The ending felt a little bit abrupt and neatly tied everything into a bow. This wasn't a bad thing, even if it felt a little bit too tidy. What ever happened to Tom, the trumpeter? That detail wasn't particularly needed, but given the tension with the two men who are never identified... it seems like Tom at least deserved a little closure.
Overall: Walking the Labyrinth was a fairly even read. It was well written and did not require a great deal of suspension-of-disbelief even though it dealt heavily in illusion, magic, and the ways we both fool ourselves and others. Based on this book, I'd probably read more of Goldstein's work, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone. I also hope that Goldstein's award winning works perform better than this one did.
April 3, 2015
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated3.5 of 5
Walking a labyrinth is intended as a spiritual journey to center one's self, to right what is out of balance internally, or a means of rediscovery. In Lisa Goldstein's book, Walking the Labyrinth, the labyrinthine journey is made by Molly Travers, a private investigator who is slowly revealing some truths about her family history.
The Allalie Family were a performing family with a slightly supernatural power. This power is not well-defined other than that it gave the family an edge that other performers didn't have.
The story: A reporter sits backstage with the head of the Allalie clan, Callan, after a vaudeville performance of their magic act. During the interview, sisters Fentrice and Thorne dazzle the reporter with tricks so unusual he isn't even sure he can believe what he saw. Some sixty years later, Molly, the youngest living descendant of the Allalie family (raised by her aunt Fentrice) is approached by a private investigator who is asking about one of the Allalie sister who seems to have gone missing shortly after that above-mentioned performance.
Molly begins her own investigation, which leads her to a highly secretive society, The Order of the Labyrinth, and family secrets that come as a surprise, even to the reader.
Author Lisa Goldstein does a very nice job of setting up a mystery with a hint of paranormal, and weaves the back story of the Allalie family in very well. She has created very real characters.
This is not an 'active' book with lots of action. In fact, when there are moments of action (stealing a book, for example), the story slows down. Instead this is a book with a lot of allegory. I would admit that going in to a book about 'walking the labyrinth' and discovering an 'Order of the Labyrinth,' I expected some kind of labyrinthine action, but the labyrinths here are internal, or metaphorical. I actually like allegory and metaphors in my fiction, but sometimes this does creep just a bit slowly.
Looking for a good book? Walking the Labyrinth, by Lisa Goldstein, is a novel of a family that spans decades of family mystery, and introduces a modern PI to some of her own family secrets.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Walking a labyrinth is intended as a spiritual journey to center one's self, to right what is out of balance internally, or a means of rediscovery. In Lisa Goldstein's book, Walking the Labyrinth, the labyrinthine journey is made by Molly Travers, a private investigator who is slowly revealing some truths about her family history.
The Allalie Family were a performing family with a slightly supernatural power. This power is not well-defined other than that it gave the family an edge that other performers didn't have.
The story: A reporter sits backstage with the head of the Allalie clan, Callan, after a vaudeville performance of their magic act. During the interview, sisters Fentrice and Thorne dazzle the reporter with tricks so unusual he isn't even sure he can believe what he saw. Some sixty years later, Molly, the youngest living descendant of the Allalie family (raised by her aunt Fentrice) is approached by a private investigator who is asking about one of the Allalie sister who seems to have gone missing shortly after that above-mentioned performance.
Molly begins her own investigation, which leads her to a highly secretive society, The Order of the Labyrinth, and family secrets that come as a surprise, even to the reader.
Author Lisa Goldstein does a very nice job of setting up a mystery with a hint of paranormal, and weaves the back story of the Allalie family in very well. She has created very real characters.
This is not an 'active' book with lots of action. In fact, when there are moments of action (stealing a book, for example), the story slows down. Instead this is a book with a lot of allegory. I would admit that going in to a book about 'walking the labyrinth' and discovering an 'Order of the Labyrinth,' I expected some kind of labyrinthine action, but the labyrinths here are internal, or metaphorical. I actually like allegory and metaphors in my fiction, but sometimes this does creep just a bit slowly.
Looking for a good book? Walking the Labyrinth, by Lisa Goldstein, is a novel of a family that spans decades of family mystery, and introduces a modern PI to some of her own family secrets.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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