Cover Image: The Bedlam Stacks

The Bedlam Stacks

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Merrick Tremayne was an adventurer until an incident almost cost him his leg. In the book's setting of 1859, he doesn't quite know what to do with himself until he is given the opportunity to travel to Peru on a (slow-moving) quest for adventure, mystery and magic. The books focus was just as much on this quest as it was on Merrick's quest of self-discovery. Even though it was slow-moving in my opinion, the writing was vivid and bright, which allowed the characters and settings to leap off the page in a beautiful way.

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I ended up abandoning this book early on. I continued reading as far as I did with the optimism that it would get better but reading each page felt like a chore and I didn't care to struggle further. The characters felt underdeveloped, writing didn't click with me, and the first person narration is not to my cup of tea either. It’s a novel that just doesn't seem suited to my taste, which is highly unfortunate given the wonderful synopsis.

However, without a doubt there are many readers out there who will love this.

It's not you, book, it's me.

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Merrick Tremayne is stuck. After an injury to his leg, he is confined to the crumbling familial estate where he is slowly going crazy of boredom (if his brother doesn't drive him there first). When the India Office asks him to take one last expedition, he knows that it will be a disaster. But his desperation to do something other than sit at home drives him to take the job, even though the men sent before him didn't come back. Merrick sets out into the Amazon to find the quinine that can cure malaria, but the locals or perhaps the local spirits aren't going to allow an easy expedition. Can Merrick trust the people he encounters? Will he make it out of Peru alive?

When I saw that Natasha Pulley had a new book coming out, there was no doubt that I would have to read it. I loved her quirky and charming debut The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and I was excited to see what magical and unexpected things she would do in her newest book.

As it turns out, the two books are somewhat connected. There is a minor inclusion of a character from the first novel, but it mostly feels as if the two books are two sides of one coin. Watchmaker was very centered in the possibilities of machines and gears within the city and Bedlam lives in the realm of forests and seas and ancient magic. But I found myself frustrated because I wanted more and less at the same time. This book can easily be described as sprawling; the author is in no hurry to reveal all of her secrets. It seemed to take forever to get to the heart of the story and when we finally do, it seems like Ms. Pulley left out things that would have made the story and the characters richer.

Although this story didn't work for me completely, I was enchanted by many parts of it and I find Natasha Pulley to be a wildly inventive and unique writer in a sea of similar stories. I will certainly be back for the fascinating stories and characters I can't help but adore.

The Bedlam Stacks
By Natasha Pulley
Bloomsbury USA August 2017
336 pages
Read via Netgalley

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Natasha Pulley's "The Bedlam Stacks" moves slowly through its introductory material. After reading the first third of the book, I checked Goodreads to see whether I should continue. Enough reviewers called it a "slow burn" that I stuck with it. At times, all the pretty and overwritten details reminded me of "The Night Circus," but "The Bedlam Stacks" has more plot, more answers, and more interesting mythology. From Goodreads:

"In 1859, ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall after sustaining an injury that almost cost him his leg and something is wrong; a statue moves, his grandfather's pines explode, and his brother accuses him of madness.
When the India Office recruits Merrick for an expedition to fetch quinine---essential for the treatment of malaria---from deep within Peru, he knows it's a terrible idea. Nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who's made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is desperate to escape everything at home, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for a tiny mission colony on the edge of the Amazon where a salt line on the ground separates town from forest. Anyone who crosses is killed by something that watches from the trees, but somewhere beyond the salt are the quinine woods, and the way around is blocked.
Surrounded by local stories of lost time, cursed woods, and living rock, Merrick must separate truth from fairytale and find out what befell the last expeditions; why the villagers are forbidden to go into the forest; and what is happening to Raphael, the young priest who seems to have known Merrick's grandfather, who visited Peru many decades before. The Bedlam Stacks is the story of a profound friendship that grows in a place that seems just this side of magical."

When I say some details of "The Bedlam Stacks" are overwritten, I mean that too many small moments are given too much attention. Decent dialogue doesn't require a description of a character's tone or gestures after each line. As is, the writing feels very self-conscious, as though Pulley fears being misunderstood. I'm sympathetic because I used to write this way. If one of my characters was going to change their mind over the course of a conversation, I wanted to show their transformation via eyebrow twitches, chuckles, and whatever other facial tics I thought were subtle at the time. I spelled out everything. Unfortunately, sympathizing with this writing style doesn't mean I enjoy reading it.

Paragraph-by-paragraph, Pulley's overly-detailed prose is lyrical. It conjures clear images, no easy feat once things take a turn toward the fantastic and magical. But after a few chapters, the unnecessary details snowball into an avalanche. It takes Merrick too long to leave for Peru because he can't go before encountering some moving statues and exploding trees at home. I think these scenes are meant to be an intriguing taste of what's waiting for him in Peru, but all they really say is "if this story ever gets going, it might be interesting." The premise is great, but be warned: You'll wait a while for a payoff.

It's true that I did not enjoy reading "The Bedlam Stacks," but some elements are clever. The moving statues kept me reading as did the forest. The forest is full of glowing pollen which leaves trails when disturbed, so it's home to some spectacular chases. Both the statues and forest benefit from Pulley's tendency to overwrite because they're so beautiful, creepy, and interesting that you'll want the maximum level of detail.

I'm trying to think of something nice to say...but I like tight, concise writing and this book is bursting with the opposite. Pulley's #1 trick to convey importance/foreshadowing is to add more and more details and repeat them over and over. But maybe she has a point: How can we know cinchona trees are rare/valuable if we aren't told over and over? How can we know Raphael is unusual if we don't read about his surprising strength and cold hands a dozen times? How can we know the plot is high-stakes unless it can only be solved via deus ex machina? Wait, that last question raises a whole other issue...

Overall: 2.4

NB: This book was provided for review by the publisher, Bloomsbury USA (via NetGalley).

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Incredibly original and imaginative! I love the combination of historical detail and fantasy elements. The world building was intricately done around and through the characters, the plot is well - paced, and the story held my attention start to finish. The twists and turns were unexpected in the best way. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Pulley, and would love to read more in this world.

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I'm sorry to report that I couldn't get my copy of this book to to download properly, but I look forward to buying and reading it. Thank you--Ionia

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Magical without the Harry Potter wands, engaging with few good guys, exemplifying, once again, how the Empire and the East India Company were basically one and the same, this was a fabulously hard to put down read.

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Sorry, this has been archived before I can review. I thought I had downloaded but it isn't on my Kindle.

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After reading The Watchmaker of Filigree Street in one evening, I fell in love with Natasha Pulley's writing. The summary for The Bedlam Stacks hinted at a story full of mystery and promised grand adventures in Peru so I was incredibly excited to get started on this book. Additionally, I am easily lured in by a gorgeous cover. The Bedlam Stacks was written in the same beautiful prose as Pulley's previous novel but ultimately lacked the drive and intrigue that had swept me away in Watchmaker. However, I think if I had gone into the novel with different expectations, I would have loved it.

The premise of this story was full of promise. The story begins with a literal bang as an ancient tree brought back from Peru explodes in Merrick's ancestral home. Add in a quest from the East India Tea Company for quinine and I thought the story was going to be a grand adventure full of mysteries, danger, and maybe just a hint of magic. It was, just at a much slower pace than I had expected. This is not a novel to read if you want a fast-paced plot that focuses on action. The Bedlam Stacks develops slowly, creating beautifully developed characters and settings that leap off the page. At times the plot progressed too slowly for my tastes, but I am sure that other readers will love how descriptive the book is due to the slower pace.

As much as the book focused on the quinine journey, it was also about Merrick's journey to become whole again. After an incident almost cost him his leg, Merrick doesn't quite know who he is anymore now that he isn't a smuggler. Merrick pushes himself physically and mentally throughout the book, evolving into something entirely new and magnificent to see. I never quite fell in love with him but I enjoyed watching his journey. Clem and Mina were both wonderfully interesting characters. However, I wish we had seen more of Mina throughout the novel since female characters were somewhat lacking. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Raphael, the man of mystery. As his layers were slowly unraveled and Bedlam's secrets discovered, I grew to love and respect him.

Natasha Pulley's genius as a writer is evident on every page of The Bedlam Stacks and I will absolutely be picking up any future novels she writes. The magical realism is flawlessly intertwined with the historical aspect of the novel, creating something entirely new. If you're in the mood for beautiful writing and detailed, rich descriptions, The Bedlam Stacks will be a book that you'll enjoy.

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I requested this book and was approved. To my dismay, it was not available on Kindle form and I had to download a whole new program to be able to read this book [which ended up being okay because its a cool program]. Imagine my surprise when I went to read The Bedlam Stacks today and I found out that the book had expired. There was nothing that said ANYTHING about the book expiring. So now I am unable to read a book I was really looking forward to. I am extremely unhappy at this [AND at the rude email that was sent to all of us that had other problems with the book with the loading and format] and will think twice about buying a book from this publishing house. And as much as I want to read this book, I will NOT be purchasing it. If my library chooses to carry it, then I may consider reading it at that time.

I am, at this time, unable to review this book as my ability to read it [due to an unknown expiration date] was taken away from me.

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I struggled through this book. I wanted to enjoy it but it just never grabbed my attention. I think I went into reading it expecting something different, a thriller, mystery type novel. It is not one of these. The writing of this book is excellent and the characters make you fall in love with them. I think I would have really enjoyed this had I taken my time more, focused on what the book was trying to tell me, and didn't keep wanting something different.

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DNF at 26%

I'm not going to rate this book as I'm not sure I gave it a fair shot. But I can say that no matter when I picked it up I just didn't care enough about our main guy. I dunno if it's because he was a bit dull, that the journey into the jungle was boring (and altitude sickness is not that interesting to me as I live at a higher North American elevation), or that I just wasn't in the mood for the style or topic.
Either way I am going to leave this one.

Haven't not read Natasha Pulley before maybe I just need time to get used to her style and presentation. I know she's a well respected writer but I just couldn't get into this one.

Maybe at a different time, on another day it will go better. For now I'm putting it aside and moving on.

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The Bedlhem stacks is not like any other book I have read. It is what happens when fantasy, adventure, historical fiction, and mythology with a touch of steampunk all are mixed up into a noble British family saga. This is just the type of story I would expect a favorite uncle to tell about his adventures in the East India Trading Company during the 1800's. Most of the auxiliary characters lack any depth, so it is a bit hard to become overly involved in all but the basic parts of the tale, but the setting and plot are fascinating. I loved how the many languages and their translations became such an expected part of the book. As I was reading I was constantly humming the Indiana Jones theme song. However, this is more like one of his father's stories instead of on of his.

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This book is fiction but it carries so much history and wonderful fantasy. Merrick Tremayne ex East India Company officer has been injured on a trip to Hong Kong and is recuperating at home in Cornwall England. He is offered a trip to Peru to get bark from a quinine tree for the treatment of malaria. Despite his troubling injury, he goes on this trip because his life in England is troubled and he had a personal link to Peru. When he gets to Peru, he finds even more trouble, the small village where his grandfather had lived is mysterious, the locals speak of cursed woods and with mounting tension from the knowledge that England will send ships and the Navy to Peru for the quinine trees, Merrick has to figure out very carefully how to survive this mission. The fantasy aspect of this novel did not distract from the accurate historical portrayal of England and the East India Company's reach during that time. This reminded me of another book For all the Tea in China which is an actual historical account of the work of gardener, botanist and plant smuggler Robert Fortune who went to China disguised himself and stole tea plants and cuttings to take them to India so England would have a supply of tea that was theirs. This book is a reminder that England in pursuit of Empire would steal, kill, and take anything they could, the veneer of "civilization" was just that a mask that hid the actual mud, blood and sweat that created "civilization."

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Thanks so much to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for giving me early access to The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley in exchange for my honest review! This book, much like Natasha Pulley's other novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, is something to be savoured slowly. You can't rush through it because you just might miss something beautiful building under the surface that you didn't realize was there. It encompasses everything I love in a great book: magic, whimsy, historical references, mystery, and hints of budding love/romance. The setting is somewhere I've never experience in a book before and I found it to be completely enchanting. The imagery is vivid and vibrant and totally draws you in. If you think you'd be able to enjoy the slow-burn and get through the initial introductory chapters I believe you'll soon find that you can't get this book out of your head, let alone put it down. I highly recommend this read!

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This book has certainly been making the rounds lately and for good reason. It's the followup to the equally beautiful The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, and it's a dazzling new tale of historical fiction. Set in 19th century Peru, we learn about an adventurous quest in a whimsical, magical setting. Be sure to check it out on August 1st

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I loved this book, there is so much here, magic and mystery, an intriguing landscape and historical elements both in the 1800's and ancient Peru. It really grabbed my Anthropology loving heart, and my need for character's that I can care about.

The Bedlam Stacks starts off with the feel of a historical fiction with a few odd elements that are mentioned in the description above. It slowly transforms into a more and more magical story, but retains that feel of historical truth. It seriously had me just about to start looking up flora of Peru to see if what was described really existed! After all, it mostly takes place in darkest Peru and strange and surprising things are continually found in South America!

The main characters are well developed and complex, and the growing relationship between them is interesting and also makes you wonder what their underlying motivation is. I liked both Merrick and Raphael very much, as well as the host of side characters that bolstered them.

If I have a criticism it's that I don't think it should be marketed as General Fiction, because when it does turn to the more fantastical elements of the story, it really turns, and it might be more than I think General Fiction can stretch to accommodate. Devotees of historical fiction might feel mislead, I'll admit I wasn't expecting as much of a change to fantasy as I got, but being already a fan of the genre, I'm fine with it and loved the whole thing.

I will definitely go back and read The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, and look forward to future work by Natasha Pulley!

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It’s 1859 and world-traveling botanical expert Merrick Tremayne believes his days of adventure are over after a leg injury. He has resigned himself to a life of solitude on his family’s deteriorating Cornwall estate with no company but his unhappy brother. When an old friend shows up to convince him to set off for Peru in search of cinchona tree cuttings for the East India Company, Merrick is initially resistant. With much needling from his friend and his brother threatening sending him to an asylum, Merrick relents and joins the expedition. Peru has a monopoly on the cinchona trees, the only source of quinine, and has begun charging exorbitant prices for the anti-malaria drug. The East India Company believes the Tremayne family’s ties to a remote village will allow him to sneak into the forest and smuggle out the cuttings under the guise of searching for frost-resistant coffee plants. Upon arriving in the village, Merrick discovers that the Peruvian mountains hide more than just the cure for malaria. There are exploding trees, a border of salt that is said to be fatal if crossed, moving statues, and a priest with a strange illness. When the quinine runners catch on to Merrick’s plan, he and the priest cross the salt border and enter the unknown forest hoping to make it out the other side alive.

This is Pulley’s second book, and has some loose ties to her debut, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, though each can be read as a stand-alone novel. A gifted storyteller, Pulley manages to make the fantastic aspects of her stories seem just as plausible as the mundane and shows the reader that true magic is found in love, trust, and enduring friendship.

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Honestly I really wanted to like this book. I think if I had known in advance it was magical realism I would have passed. I'm not a fan of magical realism. The writing is solid though and just on the merit of the writing I would recommend this author's books to patrons. I think it's the sort of novel that would go over well with many.

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