I really wanted to like this book. Historical fiction based on real people is one of my favorite genres. But the characters never came to life for me. Henry James is portrayed as one-dimensional and Frieda is thrust in the role of a shallow woman who can only observe. I DNF

Sad to say, I just couldn't get very interested in this book and it was rather a chore to finish it. Fans of Henry James and his style of writing should love it though. Just not for me - but I give it 3 stars for effort

DNF.

You remember Shari Lewis' and Lambchop's "Song that Never Ends"? Well, this is the book that never ends. Seriously, don't be fooled by the fact that it's less than 300 pages long. It might as well be "Les Mis," only it's way less interesting.

I made it about 58 percent of the way through this book before I fully remembered how boring Henry James' writing is. This book about Mr. James and his typist is trying way too hard to mimic the style of James himself. It's rare that I feel like a book is completely wasting my time, but I feel like I'm losing precious minutes of my life trying to finish "The Typewriter's Tale." The plot plods along at a snail's pace and lacks direction. I have no idea what the author is trying to accomplish, nor do I care.

The cover blurb says, "Fans of Henry James will love this book." That's great, except I forgot I hate Henry James' writing. So really, I brought this misery on myself.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I did not finish this book. The writing is not bad, but the book just failed to grab me. At no point did I find it difficult to stop, or find myself wondering what would happen next. I was impressed by the author's talent in replicating the older language of Henry James' day, and enjoyed the relative strength and independence of the main character, Frieda. I may try one of this author's other books.

A typewriter will always be a typewriter.

This one the first, resonant message emerging from the stunning, beautiful novel The Typewriter's Tale published today by St.Martin's Press and written by Michiel Heyns.

Written superlatively well, figurative writing-style, the writing is maniacally cured, researched, elevated, the atmosphere of the years taken under consideration vivid and very well portrayed.

If you can think at first starting to read it that the book can't absorb you, the intrigue will conquer you immediately.

I choose this book because I love Henry James' books.

Her Portrait of a Lady enchanted me when I was 18 years.

James a genius in discovering lacks, greatness, goodness and badness of the human soul.

Thanks to this book I discovered many anecdotes of this writer and his family that I didn't know: from the Fletcher's theory of mastication to the funny, absolutely funny observation that made me laughed a lot and that the typewriter will put on the "mouth" of her lover in the Journal she was writing in about health and James' family's relationship with it:

"The whole family [James] is obsessed with health, and as a result suffer from a variety of ailments unheard of in the annals of medicine. It is my theory that they positively bring on ailments in each other."

Said that, you will be curious to discover something more of this precious, very researched novel.

The story is real, the conspiracy realistically existed and involved the typewriter of mr.James here called Frieda and Morton Fullerton one of the best Henry James' friends, let's use this euphemism.

Mr.Fullerton worked at The Times of London during that time, and he was a guest at the house of Henry James like also Mrs Wharton with which he established a passionate relationship in th while.

People of great culture, very rich, their life has never been difficult in the common sense of the word, and they have always had the best. Best men, best women, best clothes, best travels, best everything. A privileged circle of people.


Frieda, chosen by Mr James thanks to her qualities as typewriter was working for him from various months. One day when she meets Mr Fullerton who stopped by for a visit at Mr.James.

Of course the man a fascinating one. Let's imagine the man of experience, the 23 years old and a bit shy girl conquered by him.

Maybe Frieda imagined that it could have been possible.

Possible also for her to being loved by someone of that privileged circle.

She donated her body to mr.Fullerton with great simplicity but Mr.Fullerton didn't want the body of a typewriter because in love for her and let's imagine that it wasn't for sex urgency either, considering the lovers he had and reputation as libertine he developed with the time, but simply because he wanted to use this ingenuous typewriter for his purposes and mr.Fullerton knew how powerful could be sex for obtaining something in return.

In which way?

He wanted to return in possess of some letters according to his point of view too much compromising sent to mr.James and considering the frequent illness of Mr.James it would have been great to have them back.

Just in case...

If Mr.Fullerton considered the sexual meeting with Frieda like a routine and another woman without importance added to his conquests, laughing of the availability of this girl with his rich and acculturated friends, including Mrs. Wharton, the girl still ingenuous started to fall in love for Mr.Fullerton.

The idea of this wonderful, absolutely perfect man who was asking her to destroy a precious word as trust between her and mr. James didn't alarm her. No: she started to searching for these letters.

In the while and waiting for the return of her "Prince Charming" of the situation she started to write a Journal . The protagonist: herself and her beloved object of desire: Mr.Fullerton.

Mr. Fullerton didn't have any kind of serious purpose on Frieda and I think that he hadn't never thought for a second that he could have taken in consideration a choice like that one: the typewriter, a girl socially inferior respect him, culturally, sexually and with a different background but the insanity of his gesture, followed enthusiastically by the typewriter, repeated, brought the typewriter in a condition of perennial ecstatic dream able also to ruin her good relationship with Mr.James based on trust.

I found impressive to seeing Henry James in action while he was writing a book. Or better: imagining how a book was written at that time. There was more life, not a desktop, not a PC, not solitude in a word, but interaction. Someone real in front of us with which sometimes to speak, to interact.

A human world.

I loved when the relatives of Mr.James William and family afforded from Boston where they lived to England in vacation.

They brought the typical energy of that city I love so badly in the pages of this book as well.

The typical enthusiasm of Bostonians always ready for fighting for new causes and new injustices and new goals to reach.

Miss James, the daughter of William was fighting as a suffragette for trying to obtain more space for women. We are at the beginning of 1900.

Miss James interested in a medium able to connect her with her beloved aunt Alice.

She asked at the typewriter...

Also in this part of the book I must try to understand if miss James was honest with the typewriter or simply she used her for trying to see if the girl was honest or a manipulator, manipulated by Miss James in this case without to think who she had in front of her. Miss James could simulate surprise or shock or astonishment with simplicity.

I think I later found the answer when Mr.James burned some documents.
The Typewriter tested also from James' family.

It's a book, The Typewriter's Tale that will let you think a lot about manipulation, manipulative people, hidden purposes, broken friendship and trust.


Not only: when the typewriter discovered that an affair with Mrs. Wharton and the adopted sister was going on (in this second case she was her girlfriend) she was shocked, maybe thinking that a man like Mr.Fullerton would have become in the while a friar waiting for another encounter with her after more than a year or two.

It's a book that will let think of being more prudent in choices, and more diffident if a novel can teach something.

Under some aspects I would compare it at Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos although in very little measure.



Highly recommended for sure!

I thank NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this book.

This is a book I should have liked: historical fiction; a cast of well-known literary characters; a central protagonist who is trying to find her way in a world littered with icons of her era. But man it was weird. Just really strange and kind of boring, unfortunately. I gave up on it at one point, but then persevered and finished it finally. Despite the initial (quite surprising, rather sexy) event that launches the story, pretty much nothing happens and most of the dialogue is an imagined conversation between the protagonist and someone in another country. That is unless you believe telepathic typewriters - then you will love this book. Otherwise, a bit of a miss sadly.

What a compellingly strange historical novel slash love triangle of secrets! I liked the curiously specific sort of language of it, aptly aping James’ own and the more formal milieu, just short of satire, even in her inner monologue.

I fell in love with the style Mr. Heyns showcased in this book. His eloquence is sure to broaden your vocabulary.
However, this book fails at delivering a believable story. I am saddened to report that there a few cringe-inducing moments set as plot-points as well (I don't want to spread spoilers, so I apologize for not listing them). After all, this is a historical fiction book with characters that actually existed (shall we call it historical fanfiction? It's how I viewed it.). Their portrayal lacks authenticity, which takes away from the experience.
I recommend this book for it's style.