Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster
By: Jonathan Auxier / Narrated By: Sarah Coomes
Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
Auxier delivers a message, some beauty, but mostly a disappointment…
I know, I know—I really should NOT compare books; after all, to a writer, each book is its own unique country, land that is fought for long and hard.
But the differences between the supremely wonderful Peter Nimble and all of his others is so profound that it’s hard not to look at that work and to hold ones breath, waiting to be transported and delighted by his other tales. Even the sequel to that book, Sophie Quire, comes in a rather distant second.
So when I saw the book cover of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster, saw its beauty and its pastel-colored whimsy, read of its darkness, I held my breath in anticipation, thinking that what was to follow was sure to be another tale of twisted adventure: I mean, a MONSTER, for heaven’s sake! What could be better than that?!?
Alas, you’ll find no adventure here, no colorful characters, no twists and turns: everything is fairly straightforward with one situation leading right into the next, everything is as it appears to be. The villain is badness personified, no confusion, no shades of grey. Nan, our heroine, is just a child with good intentions who’s had a hard life and disappointments. The benefactress she discovers has a heart of gold, no questions asked.
The only fully-fleshed out character is a side one, Newt. He was the only one that was written in such a way as to make you care about his thoughts, his feelings, his predicament. Even Charlie, Nan’s “char” come to life to protect her, is a sentimentally sweet innocent who doesn’t really have any depth though he does deliver some much-needed warmth. Which, in a cold London winter, is gratefully received.
There are climbing children and the hard-charging and abusive Sweeps they work for. There’s the sometimes beauty of a Golem whose only purpose is to bring light and protection to a girl he loves, there are sacrifices to be made, hardships to endure. But there’s no sense of anticipation, no: And THEN what happens?
Add to that, Sarah Coomes is no Michael Page. When Page narrated Peter Nimble, he really went for it. He was all in, delivering excitement, confusion, pathos galore. Coomes, though she does dialogue brilliantly, has this high-pitched whisper for when characters bellow, cry out, shout aloud. This makes Sweep an audiobook which you can listen to whilst unloading the dishwasher at two o’clock in the morning and not have to worry that you’ll wake anybody because the volume is static, no excited yelling to punctuate a fraught scene. It comes off as odd and breathy. Quite a disappointment.
There’s a beautiful image right at the very end which stands out and is memorable, but the whole book is really sad fare since even that image gets caught up with the sentimentality of the ending.
If you’re looking for a book about love and warmth, about desperation during desperate times, look past this even keel fare. Of the four book I know of that Auxier has written, at least it comes off as better than The Night Gardener, but Peter Nimble and its sequel Sophie Quire are far more entertaining and engaging. If you have but one book this month, and you want whimsy and imagination, this audiobook isn’t it.
>Sigh<
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