Fionnáin reviewed The Master by Colm Tóibín
Ambitious but stale
2 stars
This is more an issue of taste than of talent. Colm Tóibín is undoubtedly an in-depth researcher and a good writer, but the story of Henry James is just missing anything of any interest for me. The character of his sister, who seemed by all accounts to be a fascinating character, is unfortunately left aside for a foray into Henry James himself, a remembered but moderate writer unloved but unhated in his time. The book unfortunately suffers from James' own fairly uninteresting story.
This is more an issue of taste than of talent. Colm Tóibín is undoubtedly an in-depth researcher and a good writer, but the story of Henry James is just missing anything of any interest for me. The character of his sister, who seemed by all accounts to be a fascinating character, is unfortunately left aside for a foray into Henry James himself, a remembered but moderate writer unloved but unhated in his time. The book unfortunately suffers from James' own fairly uninteresting story.