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Spotted Lily
Angela Pendergast, escapee from the Australian bush, grew up with the smell of hot mutton fat in her hair, the thought of her teeth crunching a cold Tim Tam chocolate biscuit-the height of decadent frivolity. Now, though her tastes have grown and she knows absolutely what she wants, her life is embarrassingly stuck. So when the Devil drops into her bedroom in her sharehouse in inner-city Sydney with a contract in hand, she signs. He's got only a Hell's week to fulfil his side, but in the meantime he
272 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 25, 2019
There are various cultural things about this book that had me struggling, and then I wondered if it was just supposed to be weird. I think it fits all the genre requirements! It’s weird, funny, off-beat, strangely readable, and peculiar.
If I remember Angela is an Aussie, it kind of makes sense. Her quirks are not particularly outrageous if you take cultural differences into account… until she gets really weird. I mean, talking to the Devil is one thing, making a pact with him is another.
A Hell’s week (which is all she’s got) is a helluva long time, it turns out. Angela has to be reinvented to suit the contract she’s asked the Devil to deliver for her. This leads on a random, rumbunctious, bizarre journey, intermixing high fashion, ultra-rich lifestyle with the problems of coping with the devil of a sexy beast.
Spotted Lily is funny, remarkable, and where on earth did the author get all these ideas from? Definitely worth reading if you like your devilled stories on the bizarre side.
If I remember Angela is an Aussie, it kind of makes sense. Her quirks are not particularly outrageous if you take cultural differences into account… until she gets really weird. I mean, talking to the Devil is one thing, making a pact with him is another.
A Hell’s week (which is all she’s got) is a helluva long time, it turns out. Angela has to be reinvented to suit the contract she’s asked the Devil to deliver for her. This leads on a random, rumbunctious, bizarre journey, intermixing high fashion, ultra-rich lifestyle with the problems of coping with the devil of a sexy beast.
Spotted Lily is funny, remarkable, and where on earth did the author get all these ideas from? Definitely worth reading if you like your devilled stories on the bizarre side.
August 16, 2017
To begin with, I quite enjoyed it - the intial premise of selling your soul to the devil, and having him move in on your life to make sure that you make good on your promise, but not actually quite making good on his side of the bargain worked for me. The writing was a tad sloppy, and I found that the fantasy element wasn't really strong enough to really interest me - it was far too 'mainstream' a book really. And, as the book progressed, I was less and less happy with it - it became more and more 'litracha', and the fantastical element became more and more offputting.
If you like literature, and don't mind a pretty far-fetched, even fantasy based premise, then I would recommend this book. If you are looking for escapist SF&F, avoid like the plague. This book requires far too much attention to what is going on, relies too heavily on veiled philosophy, and the ending is weak as water. As a reader, I don't like doing that much work.
and as a final comment: This book was as irritating as 'Sophie's World'. grrrr.
If you like literature, and don't mind a pretty far-fetched, even fantasy based premise, then I would recommend this book. If you are looking for escapist SF&F, avoid like the plague. This book requires far too much attention to what is going on, relies too heavily on veiled philosophy, and the ending is weak as water. As a reader, I don't like doing that much work.
and as a final comment: This book was as irritating as 'Sophie's World'. grrrr.
May 15, 2023
Tired conceit but polished writing, which kept me going for a bit. I labored through a few of the narrator’s non-adventures until we got to the endless stay at the boutique hotel. It got more and more tedious, until a totally unnecessary and lazy bit of bigoted imagery got thrown in. That decided me; I am through with this book and through with this author. Did not finish.
November 21, 2020
After the second time the protagonist shit herself for no good reason (yes, actually shit herself), I decided this was a waste of time and a DNF.
(This will say I read this in 1930 because I want to record I started reading it, but I do not want it to count towards my 2020 reading stats).
(This will say I read this in 1930 because I want to record I started reading it, but I do not want it to count towards my 2020 reading stats).
June 9, 2013
The Devil went down to Georgia Sydney, he was looking for a soul to steal. He was in a bind, ‘cos he was way behind, he was willing to make a deal. And he came across this young man woman playing on a fiddle at being an author beloved by the masses...
I loved this story. Angela Pendergast makes a deal with the Devil: Her soul in exchange for eternal writing fame. Of course, nothing turns out as she hopes...every twist that the tale took had me in stitches, right to the very last page.
Should I compare Anna Tambour’s first novel to her latest, Crandolin? Spotted Lily has the distinct advantage of being set closer to home, which, predictably, I adored:
“...we waded through an area of waist-high blooms of pretty yellow flowers, obscuring shiny leaves, serrated as steak knives...if he lost sight of me, he could follow my words: ‘I hate the bush! I hate the bush! I hate the fuckin’ bush!’” – p218
The plot is fairly straightforward. The protagonist is hugely entertaining, with the minor characters easier to keep track of. Still, when it came to the actual writing, Spotted Lily, for me, only delivered flashes of the sumptuous brilliance which had me drooling all over Crandolin. I can’t wait to see what Tambour dreams up/ riffs off next.
I loved this story. Angela Pendergast makes a deal with the Devil: Her soul in exchange for eternal writing fame. Of course, nothing turns out as she hopes...every twist that the tale took had me in stitches, right to the very last page.
Should I compare Anna Tambour’s first novel to her latest, Crandolin? Spotted Lily has the distinct advantage of being set closer to home, which, predictably, I adored:
“...we waded through an area of waist-high blooms of pretty yellow flowers, obscuring shiny leaves, serrated as steak knives...if he lost sight of me, he could follow my words: ‘I hate the bush! I hate the bush! I hate the fuckin’ bush!’” – p218
The plot is fairly straightforward. The protagonist is hugely entertaining, with the minor characters easier to keep track of. Still, when it came to the actual writing, Spotted Lily, for me, only delivered flashes of the sumptuous brilliance which had me drooling all over Crandolin. I can’t wait to see what Tambour dreams up/ riffs off next.
August 5, 2015
A story about a girl from the Australian outback who makes a deal with the devil that he will ghost-write the book which will give her lasting fame and adoration? Yes please! The book would have gotten 4 stars, but I was a bit torn about the ending - no spoilers!
Suffice it to say, Angela suffers indignities, Desiree lives a life of luxury, and the Devil isn't exactly who or what you expect him to be. Neither, for that matter, is the Omniscient.
Suffice it to say, Angela suffers indignities, Desiree lives a life of luxury, and the Devil isn't exactly who or what you expect him to be. Neither, for that matter, is the Omniscient.
December 6, 2015
More than once I was tempted - not by the devil - but tempted to quit reading.
Stubborn as I am I finished it but it was not enjoyable: an odd but boring story with too many too sudden too silly twists. Or maybe I simply did not get it.
Stubborn as I am I finished it but it was not enjoyable: an odd but boring story with too many too sudden too silly twists. Or maybe I simply did not get it.
March 12, 2013
Not my genre at all, but enjoyed this
August 3, 2015
It reminds me of some ero-guro manga in style.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews