Imogen Martin > Recent Status Updates

It's so exciting to come on Goodreads and see that my latest book has been put on the selves! This one will be available on NetGalley in early February.

Enjoyed the explorations of the most Vermeery of the Vermeers. Graham-Dixon thinks The Girl with the Pearl Earring was the patron's daughter, referencing Mary Magdalene. All I can say is that it is possibly, probably, the most luminous painting I've ever stood in front of.

Getting worried now that the author isn't going to deliver, that the people who are soulmates to each other, are going to be left hanging. You know: he leaves her his phone number but we don't know if she'll phone or not.

I get frustrated with those books that set lovers up and let them down: Capt. Corelli's Mandolin, Chesil Beach, Cold Mountain. Interesting that those are all written by men...

Getting down to the exploration of the pictures now. Andrew Graham-Dixon is brilliant on this, knowing what all the different thing symbolise. He posits things as almost-fact, when I'm not sure the evidence is there. But then, he's the expert...
Would like more exploration / explanation of Vermeer's extraordinary technique.

The Thirty Years War in what is now Germany: know nothing about it. Sounds like the apocalypse. Brutal.

Almost half way through, and absolutely LOVING this book.

Only 100 pages to go. And things are hotting up.
We've gone back to that whole "Trust / not trust" thing. I'm still bothered that Violet thinks love means the other person has to share EVERYTHING.
Love spending time in Xaden's company though. Makes up for all Violet's whining.

Picked this up again after finishing Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend.
Iron Flame really should have been two books. Feel like I've been reading it a life time.
But, AT LAST!, a character has pointed out how daft Navarre is to let cadets die; "It's you who are the weird ones, killing cadets on your conscription day." (pg506) Never a truer word...

Picked this up again, now I've finished a different book. It's such a long book, feels like it should have been two books any way!

Loving the depth of writing. Fully invested in Lila and Elena. However, the book maybe sags under the weight of being judged the best book of the 21st century so far.

Putting this to one side, having reached the end of Part 1, because I'm moving on to my book club read: My Brilliant Friend (my proposal, hoping it's good).

I still think there is a problem with Violet's motivation. She's now told her friends what's happening, expected them to hate her because she kept secrets, and they go "yeah, of course people have secrets."

Feels like there's a lot of padding going on.

Putting this to one side, having reached the end of Part 1, because I'm moving on to my book club read: My Brilliant Friend (my proposal, hoping it's good).

I still think there is a problem with Violet's motivation. She's now told her friends what's happening, expected them to hate her because she kept secrets, and they go "yeah, of course people have secrets."

Feels like there's a lot of padding going on.

First reaction: Yarros is struggling to find a convincing conflict to keep Violet and Xaden apart. I'm finding the "you have to tell me ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING about you and everything else; otherwise we're done" attitude from Violet pretty weak as a motivation. It's immature controlling behaviour. Maybe that's what Yarros is getting at though.
It also means Xaden's devotion feels cheesy.

OMG, loving this!