Bloodsong: A Novel

by Jill Neimark

Neimark's brilliant, seductive, and unforgettable first novel has been hailed by critics as "remarkable," "breathtaking," and "mesmerizing." Told with an almost hallucinatory intensity, Bloodsong--the story of one woman's obsession with love and danger--explores the darkest depths of sex, violence, and the sometimes fragile line between the two.

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Jill 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.

Reviews

[Amanda BeReckonedwith · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written...almost poetic. I would read more by her. Great read and story...