Books: Why I Did Not Finish Reading "The Queen Of The Night"

(Drivebycuriosity) - I like to read a lot. I am always searching for interesting literature. Sometimes I get inspired by reviews - and even advertisements. "The Queen Of The Night" by Alexander Che appeared on my radar because I find the subject - historical novel & opera - fascinating and the book got rave reviews. The "Queen" is a "New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and a Best Book of the Year from NPR, Boston Globe, BuzzFeed, and others. The mesmerizing story of one woman's rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva is a brilliant performance" (Washington Post)" ( amazon).

The book was a disappointment. I got repelled because of the affected and stilted style and the cliches. Here one example:

"They introduced themselves, but I knew very well who they were. Brother dukes, known to most for their handsome profiles, philanthropic works, enormous wealth, and most important to me on this evening, their reputation for returning women from an evening in their company with their dresses cut to pieces by sabers - and for supplying those women afterward with more dresses in return, presumably to meet the same fate"

I could not swallow more than 500 pages of Che`s pompous and pretentious style, so I gave up reading after a few pages. I could have accepted the novel anyway if it would have be written by a woman. But Alexander Che is an American fiction writer, poet, journalist and reviewer, born on Rhode Island. What does he know about the live of an opera singer in the 19th century? Apparently he copied Balzac and other writers from 19th century.

The reviews show that his sheme works, but not for me.