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Amazon Vine Reviews for Cooking with Bones

There are some vine reviews online for Cooking with Bones. These are from Amazon reviewers who get advance proofs to read:

“Love at first paragraph.”

“a rich story, richly written and a strange story, strangely written…”

“enchanting, compelling, disturbing…”

“Cooking with Bones is told again from multiple points of view and written in the same style, at times resembling dark fairy tales and feverish nightmares, but this novel feels even more mature in terms of language and the tackling of sensitive subject matter. The book raises some profoundly human and philosophical questions, all written in strange and wonderful prose that often reminded me of poetry (“conversations stinging everyone’s mouths”, “spices clamouring in their jars”). A lot of contemporary issues are addressed in the book, but it also owes its existence to the ancient oral traditions of storytelling and remembering events through song. Again, like in Snake Ropes, there is no gentle introduction, and the reader is thrown headlong into the often puzzling and enigmatic narrative, turning the reader’s expectations on their heads.”

“full marks for daring originality”

“I don’t want to give too much away, because it’s an unusual novel with a strong element of fantasy and surprise, but as the plot unravels it’s deliciously complicated and intriguing. Beautifully written and easy to read, but also thought provoking and disturbing in just the right ways. A must read.”

“I am fairly anti Magical Realism – so I started reading with the expectation that I would hate it. Turned out I could hardly put it down.
The structure is tried and tested – we flip between the perspectives of the main three characters as the chapters progress – but what stands out is the use of language. The author has the ability to use language in order to draw you into the world she has created and into the minds of her characters. Despite my prejudices against created idiom and words, I came to really love what she is able to do in this way.”

“I loved this book! I love the magical realism, and the sinister feel to it – an up to date, adult fairy tale! …it uses magical situations to explore themes relevant to all our lives – truth and lies, identity, and hope.”

“The story is brilliantly conceived and superbly well-executed not only from the point of view of the prose, which is a delight to read from beginning to end, but also in its dramatic structure, which unfolds with perfect pacing and masterful misdirection throughout.”

“The central characters are well-developed and complex, with the reader coming to care about each of them — and each in a different way, somehow — from shortly after encountering them, as the author imbues each of their voices with an innocence that is simultaneously bewitching and endearing.”

“The book is both mesmerising and thought-provoking and is guaranteed to have even the sharpest of readers scratching their head wondering how it is going to play out, right until the very end. It is absolutely 100 percent not to be missed. And it is definitely not for children!”

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