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Quakeland
After enduring from afar a seemingly endless series of outside worldwide disasters--including 9/11 and the Asian tsunami--while living in earthquake-prone Los Angeles, a bereft Katrina experiences deep inner longings for some sense of permanence, meaning, and intimacy. A pre-school teacher contemplating the unsettling challenges of her mid-life, she finds solace in the company of her dear friend, Grace, and conflict in the arms of Jasper, a narcissistic yoga instructor.
In this intertwining series of emotionally charged stories, wistful characters weave together a dance of joy and sorrow, gain and loss, dissonance and harmony.
-from the inside jacket flap
In this intertwining series of emotionally charged stories, wistful characters weave together a dance of joy and sorrow, gain and loss, dissonance and harmony.
-from the inside jacket flap
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2008
7 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Francesca Lia Block
99 books3,388 followersFrancesca Lia Block is the author of more than twenty-five books of fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poetry. She received the Spectrum Award, the Phoenix Award, the ALA Rainbow Award and the 2005 Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as other citations from the American Library Association and from the New York Times Book Review, School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly. She was named Writer-in-Residence at Pasadena City College in 2014. Her work has been translated into Italian, French, German Japanese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Portuguese. Francesca has also published stories, poems, essays and interviews in The Los Angeles Times, The L.A. Review of Books, Spin, Nylon, Black Clock and Rattle among others. In addition to writing, she teaches creative writing at University of Redlands, UCLA Extension, Antioch University, and privately in Los Angeles where she was born, raised and currently still lives.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 25, 2008
I'm not sure if I'm disappointed with this book because I expect more from Francesca Lia Block, or if this is really how she has always written and it's my aesthetic that has changed since I was younger and more in love with her.
In any case, if she meant for me to come away from this book absolutely loathing the power dynamics of male-female relationships, then A+ there.
In any case, if she meant for me to come away from this book absolutely loathing the power dynamics of male-female relationships, then A+ there.
December 14, 2010
I'm just going to put this out there: this book is not good. I read this book because I once loved FLB but man nothing I love about her early work is in this book! I said the same thing when I read How to (Un)cage a Girl and again when I read The Waters & the Wild. Maybe I need to just give up on her. That is painful to think about.
The story is told through a complex narrative, switching back and forth between narrators, perspectives and time without much effort placed on orienting the reader. There is a girl named Katrina (whoa metaphor) who has prescient dreams of things like a tsunami in Asia and 9/11 in NYC. She lives in LA and you are supposed to get the sense of the city being on the verge of a big earthquake - thus, the title "Quakeland."
Katrina has friendships and romantic relationships, but mostly her interactions with people are boring, frustrating, empty or stupid. Her boyfriend, Jasper, is one of those new-age guys who teaches like, yoga dance classes and wants to rub his chi with the chi of many other pretty, young, skinny girls. He insults Katrina during sex. He uses really passive-aggressive backhanded compliments and openly compares her to his ex-girlfriends (yes, even during sex). Her close lady friends try to support her through a series of highly regrettable decisions and try in vain to stop her from making worse decisions. The dialog is all west coast chakra touchy-feely emotional processing about energy and previous lives and spirits. Look, I'm one of the most emotional processing lesbians I have ever met, and this is too much.
Midway through the book, the narrators flip, Katrina gets lost in the shuffle, and I never had a resolution or any closure with her story. The last half of the book sort of limps off into the sunset like a wounded dog. I had to force myself through this book. It was painful. If you were a womens studies / feminist literature professor who really hated your students and had masochistic tendencies, you would teach this book. I am pretty sure I took that class in college, and I am deeply, profoundly grateful that this book was not written yet.
The story is told through a complex narrative, switching back and forth between narrators, perspectives and time without much effort placed on orienting the reader. There is a girl named Katrina (whoa metaphor) who has prescient dreams of things like a tsunami in Asia and 9/11 in NYC. She lives in LA and you are supposed to get the sense of the city being on the verge of a big earthquake - thus, the title "Quakeland."
Katrina has friendships and romantic relationships, but mostly her interactions with people are boring, frustrating, empty or stupid. Her boyfriend, Jasper, is one of those new-age guys who teaches like, yoga dance classes and wants to rub his chi with the chi of many other pretty, young, skinny girls. He insults Katrina during sex. He uses really passive-aggressive backhanded compliments and openly compares her to his ex-girlfriends (yes, even during sex). Her close lady friends try to support her through a series of highly regrettable decisions and try in vain to stop her from making worse decisions. The dialog is all west coast chakra touchy-feely emotional processing about energy and previous lives and spirits. Look, I'm one of the most emotional processing lesbians I have ever met, and this is too much.
Midway through the book, the narrators flip, Katrina gets lost in the shuffle, and I never had a resolution or any closure with her story. The last half of the book sort of limps off into the sunset like a wounded dog. I had to force myself through this book. It was painful. If you were a womens studies / feminist literature professor who really hated your students and had masochistic tendencies, you would teach this book. I am pretty sure I took that class in college, and I am deeply, profoundly grateful that this book was not written yet.
August 20, 2008
This is a dreamy book that starts out fairly strong, or at least is intriguing: we're introduced to Katrina, who suffers prophetic nightmares of disasters around the world, who is insecure and sad and wants love so badly she gets involved with a terribly annoying, new-agey, self-absorbed man. I got into this part of the book, despite feeling sad for Katrina; the language is lovely, and I wanted to know more about her. Unfortunately, Katrina's story just seems to trail off, somewhat unresolved, at which point Block gives us several shorter vignettes that follow similar themes.
Even these shorter vignettes hold promise, for the most part, but Block seems to have included at least one slightly different version of Katrina's story, told from a different perspective, which becomes very confusing (particularly since people are frequently not named).
Block has a gift for beautiful language and imagery, but I enjoy her books most when there is a strong backbone of story and plot to hold up the glitter. This book feels unfinished, and lacks enough backbone to really stand on its own. When I was reading it, I found it engaging enough, but it was easy to put down and I did not feel strongly enticed to pick it up again.
I also have to admit (and this is just my own reaction to it, rather than a value judgement, and didn't really affect my rating of the book too much) that I found the book as a whole intensely depressing. The message seems to be that loneliness is more common than not, that fragility is more likely than strength, that even powerful love does not last, and that men will let you down. I was left with a strong (although transitory) sense of sadness when I finished it, perhaps in part because it stands in such stark contrast to Block's earlier, more starry-eyed works.
Even these shorter vignettes hold promise, for the most part, but Block seems to have included at least one slightly different version of Katrina's story, told from a different perspective, which becomes very confusing (particularly since people are frequently not named).
Block has a gift for beautiful language and imagery, but I enjoy her books most when there is a strong backbone of story and plot to hold up the glitter. This book feels unfinished, and lacks enough backbone to really stand on its own. When I was reading it, I found it engaging enough, but it was easy to put down and I did not feel strongly enticed to pick it up again.
I also have to admit (and this is just my own reaction to it, rather than a value judgement, and didn't really affect my rating of the book too much) that I found the book as a whole intensely depressing. The message seems to be that loneliness is more common than not, that fragility is more likely than strength, that even powerful love does not last, and that men will let you down. I was left with a strong (although transitory) sense of sadness when I finished it, perhaps in part because it stands in such stark contrast to Block's earlier, more starry-eyed works.
June 10, 2008
If you read to escape the inevitable joy and sadness of the human condition, then Quakeland will sorely disappoint. But if you seek emotional truths depicted in literature, then this is a great summer read. For me, I've rarely seen myself reflected in contemporary characters offered in today's fiction - a woman in her 40s, struggling daily in a relationship that many confidantes think is just no good, wracked with self-doubt, overwhelmed. Quakeland's Katrina comes pretty damn close.
And when Katrina loses a good friend to cancer, well, just in the last two months I've lost four friends (ages 43, 53, 50, and 60), just up and dying. One day they're there, and then they're gone forever. Quakeland hits that painful emotional truth full on.
Quakeland begins in a place of melancholy and leaves off in a place of deep longing. Maybe it's just where I'm at in my life but this book resonated with me. Big time.
No, Quakeland does not end with everyone living happily ever after ... and yes, the characters are almost unbearably human in their weaknesses and flaws. And, indeed, it's a departure from Block's previous work, but why shouldn't she be allowed to grow up as a writer?
And when Katrina loses a good friend to cancer, well, just in the last two months I've lost four friends (ages 43, 53, 50, and 60), just up and dying. One day they're there, and then they're gone forever. Quakeland hits that painful emotional truth full on.
Quakeland begins in a place of melancholy and leaves off in a place of deep longing. Maybe it's just where I'm at in my life but this book resonated with me. Big time.
No, Quakeland does not end with everyone living happily ever after ... and yes, the characters are almost unbearably human in their weaknesses and flaws. And, indeed, it's a departure from Block's previous work, but why shouldn't she be allowed to grow up as a writer?
June 18, 2008
hmm.. this is the first "adult" book I've read by FLB. It was a bit weird, different to see her writing from a less pure perspective. with the Weetzie Bat books, and even her other "childern's" fiction- it always felt hopeful and light. In Quakeland- I could feel the darkness from the beginning. Which is, I guess, to say her writing remains top-notch. It was a sad book that hit home in a lot of places. I missed the meticulous descriptions of food present in so many of her stories... but i will still read and reread this book, as i do the rest of her work. The cover art is pretty cool as well.
May 28, 2008
I am about halfway through this book which I got through LibraryThing's early reviewer program. At first I was skeptical. I found it full of therapy-speak and annoying new-age-isms. I think if I were younger, some of these observations would seem deeper than they are. I think I am older and more jaded than the intended audience.
It is also slightly disconcerting to flip between chapters that are present-day dreams, past events, current events, past dreams, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like books with varying narrative styles but in this case it feels contrived. To Block's credit, the short chapters and the changing styles help me endure the character Katrina.
As I see and hear more of Jasper I understand perhaps why all that therapy-speak is in the early chapters. Slimy Jasper oozes new-age narcissism and easily manipulates Katrina, a seriously flawed and weak main character.
I am not sure I will finish reading this book, it is that unappealing to me. At least the short chapters help me in this endeavor; when I get annoyed by Katrina or annoyed by therapy-speak, it is soon over and I'm on to the next chapter. Reading the other two reviews on LibraryThing gives me a little hope, so perhaps I will finish it.
Verdict so far: Eh, it could be worse. Nothing earth-shattering. I dislike the characters, I have little sympathy for them. The background characters are stereotypes and the main characters are oh-so-close to stereotypes. Take that with a grain of salt as I have not finished the book.
edit: Finished it. Can't stand it. All these characters need hefty doses of Codependents Anonymous in addition to their SLAA meetings.
It is also slightly disconcerting to flip between chapters that are present-day dreams, past events, current events, past dreams, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like books with varying narrative styles but in this case it feels contrived. To Block's credit, the short chapters and the changing styles help me endure the character Katrina.
As I see and hear more of Jasper I understand perhaps why all that therapy-speak is in the early chapters. Slimy Jasper oozes new-age narcissism and easily manipulates Katrina, a seriously flawed and weak main character.
I am not sure I will finish reading this book, it is that unappealing to me. At least the short chapters help me in this endeavor; when I get annoyed by Katrina or annoyed by therapy-speak, it is soon over and I'm on to the next chapter. Reading the other two reviews on LibraryThing gives me a little hope, so perhaps I will finish it.
Verdict so far: Eh, it could be worse. Nothing earth-shattering. I dislike the characters, I have little sympathy for them. The background characters are stereotypes and the main characters are oh-so-close to stereotypes. Take that with a grain of salt as I have not finished the book.
edit: Finished it. Can't stand it. All these characters need hefty doses of Codependents Anonymous in addition to their SLAA meetings.
October 21, 2008
This was a great book. We read and reread parts of it, to savor it. Loved how there were journal entries and little bits from the past. It really added to the book, added to it's richness and beauty.
I loved to see Katrina grow at the end of the book, and the message I got was powerful. Although life often brings you what you don't want, what you don't think you can handle, you can handle it,grow and learn.
The short stories at the back of the book were nice as well. I like the lack of read name to the characters, saying 'the woman' and then 'Anjeli'. I felt the characters were both Katrina although that is never stated.
I loved to see Katrina grow at the end of the book, and the message I got was powerful. Although life often brings you what you don't want, what you don't think you can handle, you can handle it,grow and learn.
The short stories at the back of the book were nice as well. I like the lack of read name to the characters, saying 'the woman' and then 'Anjeli'. I felt the characters were both Katrina although that is never stated.
August 23, 2009
When book reviews state that this is an authors "most mature work to date" I usually cringe. However, I could not help but think that the much overused phrase was apt for Francesca Lia Block's Quakeland. Mature,in this case is not a bad thing at all. I wouldn't call myself a fan of her work, but I've read much of it. I like some of it, dislike some of it. I am on the border of loving Quakeland.
My response to her depiction of LA is visceral. The entire work itself is littered with ghosts (FLB, style) but the ghosts that come with an adult's multiple experiences of grief, loss and heartbreak.
It is also her most sensual work. This book aches. So read it and weep.
My response to her depiction of LA is visceral. The entire work itself is littered with ghosts (FLB, style) but the ghosts that come with an adult's multiple experiences of grief, loss and heartbreak.
It is also her most sensual work. This book aches. So read it and weep.
June 28, 2008
A- Not her strongest, but interesting; the beginning starts with the story of a severely depressed woman who falls in love with one of those narcissistic "spiritual" jerks; later, various characters and stories pop up, often unconnected. A little confusing towards the end, but the writing is lovely and I will always adore Francesca Lia Block.
June 22, 2010
i have mixed feelings on this book. she writes beautifully, as usual, and some of the feelings familiar, but some of the characters just bug the hell out of me, honestly. i think that was the point though...especially with the yoga instructor *eye roll*.
October 20, 2008
A more mature book by Block. Lots of unusual situations and poetic descriptions, focusing a lot on "New Age" material.
August 27, 2008
It is an extremely sexual book with a lot of didactic meaning to current events, and it is intertwined with a woman's love life told from multiple points of view.
February 2, 2009
Very sensual and visual writing, reminiscent of Anais Nin. She makes LA sound like a magical, fairyland place.
February 3, 2009
The heroine is way too whiny and needy, putting up with a jerk for no reason. . .
partially-read-abandoned
April 2, 2009Pathetic new age narcissists discover each other
Boring
Boring
May 17, 2009
she doesn't disappoint. i still love flb.
June 14, 2025
I was pretty invested in the story and the writing is beautiful, and the experiences were relatable at times, but the last few chapters threw me off entirely. I guess we weren’t supposed to know what happens to Katrina which is fine, but why ramble on about these random unnamed characters that don’t really add any more substance than Katrina did? And saying “let’s call him Blackie” because a character’s wearing all black… It felt entirely unnecessary and really put me off from reading the rest. Call me soft but the completely irrelevant use of a racial remark is annoying. This book was written a year after I was born so I am taking into consideration that some things were once socially acceptable that aren’t now, but am I the only one who raised an eyebrow at this?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2023
Two women friends explore their lives and loves in this book. Katerina is a teacher and her boyfriend is a self-obsessed yoga instructor. Quakeland is a reflection on life in a place that is unsettled, just as the lives of the characters in the story. There are five different sections each connect to the overall narrative of the story. Lia Block’s writing is the same, lyrical and musical. Each book offers a different narrative but the same voice in the prose. The setting is always somewhere in or near Los Angeles. I am excited to finish another of her books I hadn’t read yet.
Read
September 19, 2021good, but not worth a re read.
March 19, 2021
Quakeland is a mix of goddesses and ghosts - passion, sex, heartbreak and earthquakes within and without. The chaos and destruction happening in the wider world is seemingly echoed in one woman’s emotional life.
"Who knows how much of this is me and how much is where I live and have lived for my entire life? Such a green flowering desert between the snow queen’s mountains and the surf demon’s sea. A hemispheric light that gilds your skin like gold-leaf foil. Such a city - you wouldn’t imagine that it is supposed to fall into the ocean at any moment, that even the sun is a carcinogen; you wouldn’t think that there is anything to fear.” (p. 1)
Quakeland is, like many of FLB’s works, a love-letter to L.A. The writing is lyrical, surreal and poetic with emphasis on magical imagery and scenes transcribed from dreams. L.A. is transformed into a fairy tale landscape. The pages overflow with romantic old houses, all kinds of flowers, goddess statues, loving spirits who are ascendant beings and dance clubs where everyone behaves as though at some ancient orgiastic religious rite.
But it is also a novel about love - all kinds of love: parental love, best-friend love, romantic love (for good or bad, flaws and destruction and all) and finally the need to realize the most difficult kind of love, which is self love.
". . . love is the worst earthquake I know. It can crush you to the thickness of your bones. Love can be a tumor sometimes. Terminal. It can make you vomit. It can make you want to cut it out. It can take you over against your will.” (p. 14)
Katrina is a highly sensitive woman trying to find herself and what she wants. She’s on antidepressants because of her horrible nightmares and crying spells, but the drugs have a side effect in which she can’t come. Her therapist implies she’s got too much sex drive, but she doesn’t have a boyfriend - she has ex-boyfriends and ex-therapists.
Katrina doesn’t love herself, perceiving herself as too fat and too emotional and all those other things women are and feel and aren’t supposed to because of the society we live in. Katrina has wonderful friends who love her, the dancer Grace and the yoga teacher Kali, but Katrina’s low sense of self-worth and her yearning to feel loved lead to her getting involved with a man named Jasper. Although at first glance he seems like Katrina’s “dream man” - open and honest with his feelings, searching for spiritual enlightenment and all that good stuff - there are many actions that prove he is really a manipulative narcissist who is hurting Katrina more than helping her. His honesty is cruel and he is hot and cold towards her, but she is so desperate to be loved she wilfully ignores his cruel actions and words.
Katrina is very human and I felt a deep connection with her and her story. Her wanting to be loved is only human. Her inability to love herself enough to end a damaging relationship is very human. Her painful inner journey and her growth is all believable. FLB’s writing is poetic, dreamlike and entrancing. I love the way Katrina’s dreams were interspersed with the story, reflecting and projecting what she was going through, at times precognitive - the pain of the world mirroring her inner turmoil.
"Who knows how much of this is me and how much is where I live and have lived for my entire life? Such a green flowering desert between the snow queen’s mountains and the surf demon’s sea. A hemispheric light that gilds your skin like gold-leaf foil. Such a city - you wouldn’t imagine that it is supposed to fall into the ocean at any moment, that even the sun is a carcinogen; you wouldn’t think that there is anything to fear.” (p. 1)
Quakeland is, like many of FLB’s works, a love-letter to L.A. The writing is lyrical, surreal and poetic with emphasis on magical imagery and scenes transcribed from dreams. L.A. is transformed into a fairy tale landscape. The pages overflow with romantic old houses, all kinds of flowers, goddess statues, loving spirits who are ascendant beings and dance clubs where everyone behaves as though at some ancient orgiastic religious rite.
But it is also a novel about love - all kinds of love: parental love, best-friend love, romantic love (for good or bad, flaws and destruction and all) and finally the need to realize the most difficult kind of love, which is self love.
". . . love is the worst earthquake I know. It can crush you to the thickness of your bones. Love can be a tumor sometimes. Terminal. It can make you vomit. It can make you want to cut it out. It can take you over against your will.” (p. 14)
Katrina is a highly sensitive woman trying to find herself and what she wants. She’s on antidepressants because of her horrible nightmares and crying spells, but the drugs have a side effect in which she can’t come. Her therapist implies she’s got too much sex drive, but she doesn’t have a boyfriend - she has ex-boyfriends and ex-therapists.
Katrina doesn’t love herself, perceiving herself as too fat and too emotional and all those other things women are and feel and aren’t supposed to because of the society we live in. Katrina has wonderful friends who love her, the dancer Grace and the yoga teacher Kali, but Katrina’s low sense of self-worth and her yearning to feel loved lead to her getting involved with a man named Jasper. Although at first glance he seems like Katrina’s “dream man” - open and honest with his feelings, searching for spiritual enlightenment and all that good stuff - there are many actions that prove he is really a manipulative narcissist who is hurting Katrina more than helping her. His honesty is cruel and he is hot and cold towards her, but she is so desperate to be loved she wilfully ignores his cruel actions and words.
Katrina is very human and I felt a deep connection with her and her story. Her wanting to be loved is only human. Her inability to love herself enough to end a damaging relationship is very human. Her painful inner journey and her growth is all believable. FLB’s writing is poetic, dreamlike and entrancing. I love the way Katrina’s dreams were interspersed with the story, reflecting and projecting what she was going through, at times precognitive - the pain of the world mirroring her inner turmoil.
June 3, 2010
Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite authors. Her quirky, poetic writing style and sometimes controversial subject matter aren't for everyone, but personally, I like her unique voice. Usually her writing is in the Young Adult genre, and while I love these books, it was also nice to read something with a protagonist closer to my age. Quakeland is rather non-linear, and Block takes some risks that make me go "What?" at times, but for the most part I found it to be a moving tale that made me feel alternately melancholic and hopeful.
Most of Quakeland is told from the perspective of Katrina, a single 30-something who runs a pre-school and has visions of the natural disasters that seem to plague our times. Katrina is in mourning over the death of her mother and a recent miscarriage; to cope with life's stress, she relies upon her beloved friends, Grace and Kali, antidepressants, and a therapeutic dance course. It is through the latter she meets her new lover Jasper, a massage therapist, who both revives her sensuality and cuts down her self esteem. Jasper made me want to defenestrate the novel at times, which is a testimonial to how believable and familiar he felt: the quintessential "sensitive guy" who flirts with other women & damns his lover with faint praise, then can't understand why she feels so insecure. It's no wonder Katrina is so much closer to her female friends, idolizing Grace, and feeling attraction towards Kali. To me, the relationships in this novel are what really make it work, and they felt quite realistic, involving characters who aren't unrealistically good or unbelievably bad, but flawed in the way we all are. From even the most painful circumstances, the characters learn and grow.
Quakeland has been described as a novel of woven stories, a technique Block embraced in her YA Echo and her erotic anthology Nymph. However, Quakeland does the "linked stories" thing differently; for the novel's first two-thirds (or so), the narrative shifts about in time, but remains from Katrina's perspective, then it switches to a few different perspectives and away from Katrina entirely. This is the "What?" moment I mentioned earlier, and part of the reason I want to reread the novel, because I think I understand what Block is doing and why, but it's difficult to be sure. I won't say I didn't find the tactic a little unsettling, but it also gave me great room for thought and the stories Block moved on to tell were also interesting. An author of less skill might have made me wonder if she had grown tired of the story, or if she was trying an experiment simply to be experimental. Instead, I found myself thinking about the fourth wall, and how fiction-style resolution rarely occurs in real life. At the end, things did get a bit New-Agey for my personal taste, but the book as a whole was thought-provoking, poignant, and lovely. Recommended.
Most of Quakeland is told from the perspective of Katrina, a single 30-something who runs a pre-school and has visions of the natural disasters that seem to plague our times. Katrina is in mourning over the death of her mother and a recent miscarriage; to cope with life's stress, she relies upon her beloved friends, Grace and Kali, antidepressants, and a therapeutic dance course. It is through the latter she meets her new lover Jasper, a massage therapist, who both revives her sensuality and cuts down her self esteem. Jasper made me want to defenestrate the novel at times, which is a testimonial to how believable and familiar he felt: the quintessential "sensitive guy" who flirts with other women & damns his lover with faint praise, then can't understand why she feels so insecure. It's no wonder Katrina is so much closer to her female friends, idolizing Grace, and feeling attraction towards Kali. To me, the relationships in this novel are what really make it work, and they felt quite realistic, involving characters who aren't unrealistically good or unbelievably bad, but flawed in the way we all are. From even the most painful circumstances, the characters learn and grow.
Quakeland has been described as a novel of woven stories, a technique Block embraced in her YA Echo and her erotic anthology Nymph. However, Quakeland does the "linked stories" thing differently; for the novel's first two-thirds (or so), the narrative shifts about in time, but remains from Katrina's perspective, then it switches to a few different perspectives and away from Katrina entirely. This is the "What?" moment I mentioned earlier, and part of the reason I want to reread the novel, because I think I understand what Block is doing and why, but it's difficult to be sure. I won't say I didn't find the tactic a little unsettling, but it also gave me great room for thought and the stories Block moved on to tell were also interesting. An author of less skill might have made me wonder if she had grown tired of the story, or if she was trying an experiment simply to be experimental. Instead, I found myself thinking about the fourth wall, and how fiction-style resolution rarely occurs in real life. At the end, things did get a bit New-Agey for my personal taste, but the book as a whole was thought-provoking, poignant, and lovely. Recommended.
December 16, 2011
Wait... What?
I'm sorely tempted to leave my review at those two words, as that was my overwhelming reaction to this book. Throughout the whole thing, I had no idea what was going on: who the characters were, what they were trying to do, anything.
The book is mysterious where it needs to be upfront; refusing to answer questions like "Who is this person?" "What are they doing?" "Is this the same woman from five pages ago, or is it someone else now?"
This book is also too upfront where it should be mysterious. I don't want to hear about the main character's lubing problem. I'm seriously all set with that. Heck, I could have taken one mention of it in stride, but she keeps coming back to it again and again. Once was really more than enough. It's not that I'm uptight, it really isn't, it's just... Why don't you tell me about some of her other fluids while you're at it? Maybe fit in a few descriptions of her BMs, too? There's a line is what I'm saying; there's a line between what we want to know about our fictional characters, and what we don't want to know, and that line was crossed here.
The characters were all hard to enjoy, the women (I think it wasn't all the same woman, right? there were different main characters? I'm a bit lost on this point...) Anyways, the women were horribly weak willed and whiny, and I had a hard time liking them. Most of the men were about as far as you can get to cartoonish supervillainy in the context of a romance. Like the one guy was so cruel you just didn't even believe it.
I'm still a fan of the author, I think she's still got some great stories in her, and that some of the stuff that came after this was pretty decent, but this... this was an experiment that just didn't work out. I respect you for going there FLB, for trying something new that you knew not everyone was going to like. That's why this is getting two stars instead of one, because I really do applaud your courage. At the same time, I'm glad you got whatever this was out of your system and were able to move on to better things.
I'm sorely tempted to leave my review at those two words, as that was my overwhelming reaction to this book. Throughout the whole thing, I had no idea what was going on: who the characters were, what they were trying to do, anything.
The book is mysterious where it needs to be upfront; refusing to answer questions like "Who is this person?" "What are they doing?" "Is this the same woman from five pages ago, or is it someone else now?"
This book is also too upfront where it should be mysterious. I don't want to hear about the main character's lubing problem. I'm seriously all set with that. Heck, I could have taken one mention of it in stride, but she keeps coming back to it again and again. Once was really more than enough. It's not that I'm uptight, it really isn't, it's just... Why don't you tell me about some of her other fluids while you're at it? Maybe fit in a few descriptions of her BMs, too? There's a line is what I'm saying; there's a line between what we want to know about our fictional characters, and what we don't want to know, and that line was crossed here.
The characters were all hard to enjoy, the women (I think it wasn't all the same woman, right? there were different main characters? I'm a bit lost on this point...) Anyways, the women were horribly weak willed and whiny, and I had a hard time liking them. Most of the men were about as far as you can get to cartoonish supervillainy in the context of a romance. Like the one guy was so cruel you just didn't even believe it.
I'm still a fan of the author, I think she's still got some great stories in her, and that some of the stuff that came after this was pretty decent, but this... this was an experiment that just didn't work out. I respect you for going there FLB, for trying something new that you knew not everyone was going to like. That's why this is getting two stars instead of one, because I really do applaud your courage. At the same time, I'm glad you got whatever this was out of your system and were able to move on to better things.
September 20, 2012
Ms. Block's usual poetic style is present in this emotional novel about a struggling woman who sees the future in dreams. Having spent much of her life feeling like a victim and losing the people she loves, Katrina yearns for acceptance and consummate attention, and tries to pursue fulfillment through dance, understanding of the feminine divine, and promising relationships. On the one hand, I didn't like how convoluted the storytelling was; sometimes it seemed properly complex, while other times it just got confusing or so "poetic" that it separated itself from the story, but on the other hand I can't be too hard on a book that contained a lot of powerful images. She really did a good job nailing down that sort of passive-aggressive, manipulative technique some men use to control damaged women in her character of Jasper, and it was painful to see Katrina play into his hands (though also satisfying when she stood up for herself and asked him to stop insulting her and making her feel bad about her body). And some of the descriptions of loss and loneliness and unfulfilled desires really bled onto the page even if they didn't necessarily link into the whole puzzle every time. There was also a lot of New Age hodgepodge that it was hard to tell if it was actually any particular tradition being discussed, which made religions and folk practices read a little like fad diets. I liked that the characters' emotional landscape was usually the focus (instead of the Block tradition of repeatedly describing fashions or scenery in explicit detail). So overall I liked the raw emotion the characters experienced, but didn't really see a story. I'd probably be more invested in these people if I was reading their blog and listening to their feelings rather than trying to read a cohesive story about them.
April 4, 2011
Reminder to self: It is always going to be disappointing to read new work by authors who changed the way you thought about literature when you were an adolescent, especially when said author's work has ceased to be ground-breaking in any way reminiscent of their former glory. I had trepidations in place already; I hadn't really read any of Block's teen novels after Echo came out, mainly because I wasn't a teen. But Quakeland features adult characters and is supposedly for adults. Why did I feel that the latter was not at all the case? And what about the former means the characters have to be so whiny and codependent? If Block's best known characters were the equivalent of what I once wanted to become, imagine my utter disbelief that the adults she wrote were not even people I would want to hang out with. They are people I would roll my eyes at. All of them. And the prose has its good moments, but they are sadly few and far between. She falls back a lot on her trademark blend of magic and witchery all too often, and these elements feel out of place with the desperateness of her characters. Even the format of the book was confusing and annoying and seemed very arbitrary. I liked the bit that was narrated by the city itself, and the last "story" was alright, but maybe I just felt happy to be at that point because I knew it would be over soon. So, Francesca Lia Block, you have broken my heart, the beat of which was once forever changed by your magnificent tales. And my heart breaks for the future generations of girls whose lives are more likely to be changed during a reading "Twilight" than reading mediocre drivel like this.
February 1, 2009
I have loved Blocks books since they first saved my life at the age of 17. I hadn't been disappointed before but even authors are human I suppose, and at times bend to what the masses seem to be obsessed with.
A lot of people may dislike what I'm about to say but I will say it anyway. I feel that this book was uninspired, and in an effort to put something out there, Block seemed to grasp at what was aching people the most at the time. Part of me feels badly for the people who had to suffer through Katrina (the actual hurricane, not the self-defeatist character) and the tsunami that occurred a few years ago. I feel their pain was taken for profit and manipulated into a sort of self absorbed book that pours out cliches by the gallon.
This really does break my heart in a way. For a long time I felt a surge of love for someone who I believed was so enlightened and so abstract. This book didn't provide any of that. It provided a sense of desperation of an author trying desperately to clutch at the magic she once had.
I just really hope she can get it back, because this book kicked my ass in a bad way. I'm still in Blocks corner though! I have faith she'll provide us with another great book when the muse really does strike her. Until then, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
A lot of people may dislike what I'm about to say but I will say it anyway. I feel that this book was uninspired, and in an effort to put something out there, Block seemed to grasp at what was aching people the most at the time. Part of me feels badly for the people who had to suffer through Katrina (the actual hurricane, not the self-defeatist character) and the tsunami that occurred a few years ago. I feel their pain was taken for profit and manipulated into a sort of self absorbed book that pours out cliches by the gallon.
This really does break my heart in a way. For a long time I felt a surge of love for someone who I believed was so enlightened and so abstract. This book didn't provide any of that. It provided a sense of desperation of an author trying desperately to clutch at the magic she once had.
I just really hope she can get it back, because this book kicked my ass in a bad way. I'm still in Blocks corner though! I have faith she'll provide us with another great book when the muse really does strike her. Until then, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
September 2, 2014
This is primarily about sensitive Quakeland resident Katrina, who wrestles with depression and prophetic dreams. Through her female friendships and her male lovers, Katrina searches for happiness and comfort with her body (of which she is all too critical), but her insecurities plague her as she struggles with both attraction to and frustration with a man named Jasper. He preys on her weaknesses, but sometimes she is still grateful for his attention because it is something. Her dreams, her sexual longings, and her devastating loss of the most important people in her life make it very difficult for her to scratch out a stable existence. The second half of the book removes itself from Katrina's explicit perspective and explores relationships and influences between people who may or may not have known her, and the reality and power of dreams, death, life, and sensuality are explored and given spotlights.
It's a strange and often beautiful book, with confusing overlaps and odd visions, but I gathered you're supposed to feel the book, not necessarily completely understand it. It's certainly loaded with feeling.
It's a strange and often beautiful book, with confusing overlaps and odd visions, but I gathered you're supposed to feel the book, not necessarily completely understand it. It's certainly loaded with feeling.
February 17, 2011
I may have been in the wrong mind-state for Block this week. She always writes her novels like they are a breadth away from becoming poetry, and generally this is a refreshing experience. This time however, reading this collection of loosely tied short stories was almost like watching an interpretive dance performance when all I really wanted was to chow down on a helping of pizza. I found myself becoming irritated with the main characters in all of the stories, either for being to apparently strong, or too apparently weak.
This experience did not degrade the quality of the literature. Even in the depth of my irritation, I could tell that Block had created (once again) something beautiful (even if I was not in a place to truly appreciate it). I may return to reading this book one day when I am in that place, but in the meantime I can recommend this book to women in a spiritual crisis (or those who have been in a spiritual crisis) involving a man, as long as they have an open mind (and are not in a state of irritation).
This experience did not degrade the quality of the literature. Even in the depth of my irritation, I could tell that Block had created (once again) something beautiful (even if I was not in a place to truly appreciate it). I may return to reading this book one day when I am in that place, but in the meantime I can recommend this book to women in a spiritual crisis (or those who have been in a spiritual crisis) involving a man, as long as they have an open mind (and are not in a state of irritation).
January 5, 2015
Meh. She is one of my absolute favorite authors of all time, and I did not like this book. The interaction between Katrina and Jasper is disturbing and she seems to have no spine- I get that it was supposed to be this way, but it definitely rubbed me the wrong way. I found the switching between narrative points of view to be utterly confusing. The last hundred pages was so hard to follow, I had no idea how Angeli connected to the other characters or the rest of the book, and honestly, this seemed more like a novel that was still being formulated in the author's head and not quite ready for print. It pains me to say this because "The Hanged Man", "Violet and Claire" and "The Rose and the Beast" are some of my favorite books of all time. I want to say that perhaps I missed something and that it went over my head; but in general I enjoy Block's type of esoteric writing and can usually grasp it with no problems. I feel like if this was confusing to me, it was probably confusing for many other readers as well.
May 31, 2008
Reading this book, I found myself thinking of
Necklace of Kisses
and how that book felt like a move further into the "real" world. Unlike the magic world of
Dangerous Angels
which seems almost apart from our world, this world is definitely ours, with the 2004 tsunami and all. It has premonitory dreams and spirits and such, but in a way which feels more like, "Yes, this could happen in our world."
I found Katrina's development interesting and engaging, but I would have liked the book to end when Katrina finishes telling her story. A lot of the "In Her Own Words" and following sections felt like retelling of Katrina's story but not quite, which was frustrating as a reader, and I also generally found them less satisfying than Katrina's story.
I found Katrina's development interesting and engaging, but I would have liked the book to end when Katrina finishes telling her story. A lot of the "In Her Own Words" and following sections felt like retelling of Katrina's story but not quite, which was frustrating as a reader, and I also generally found them less satisfying than Katrina's story.
June 18, 2012
This is the first book that I have read by Block and with a handful of friends who praise her, I really had high hopes for this book. I wanted to LOVE Quakeland but to tell you the truth, I'm not even sure I liked it. At the beginning I hated it and almost gave up on it but it grabbed me about 50 pages in, then I hated it again. I don't know if it was the sloppy storytelling or the fact that Block changed every character's name torwards the end as if we weren't supposed to know who they were, but really, it just confused me. From a lot of other reviews I see that I'm not alone in this... I won't completely judge Block's talent off of this one book, but I really hope the next one I read is better.
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