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Blue eyed girl
“As 2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, it's fitting that the interests of several novelists have turned to him. Louis Bayard chose to depict Poe in a little known segment of his life, his tenure as a cadet at West Point. The mystery revolves around the death by hanging of one of Poe's classmates. Retired NYC detective Gus Landor is brought in by the Superintendent to solve the crime, and he enlists the aid of silver-tongued Cadet Poe as his inside informer. As the story unfolds, other murders occur, family secrets emerge, secret crypts are discovered, and it is not until the final chapter that it becomes apparent that we have actually been reading a mystery within a mystery, one that Poe must solve himself. Author Bayard is a gifted writer, equally adept at creating plot, character, and atmosphere; in this case, the ambience is as Gothic as one of Poe's own. The Pale Blue Eye is a tour de force, not to be missed by readers who enjoy nothing better than a well crafted, engrossing mystery. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-26. -
Homage to Poe
“In this interesting but somewhat glacially paced fiction (for much of the tale anyway), Louis Bayard does a yeoman's job of recreating the atmosphere and feel of early 19th century America, right down to its characteristic literary voice. Yet the mystery, itself, is peculiar for most of the way through, being not highly mysterious as one can pretty much guess who the suspicions of retired New York constable Augustus Landor will light on well before they light. More, too much of the tale is taken up with Landor's musings and seemingly pointless digressions.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-10-18.
It's the addition of West Point freshman cadet Edgar A. Poe, however, that gives the tale resonance thanks to Bayard's colorful portrayal of the youthful dissolute and aspiring poet in the supporting role vouchsafed him in this novel. Recruited to aid the retired constable, young Mr. Poe is nicely drawn and even convincing, in his period romanticism, as the two "detectives" set out to discover the perpetrators of an apparent murder of a West Point cadet, in what seems to have been rigged to look like a suicide, and to discover the miscreants behind the subsequent desecration of the corpse and how the two deeds may be connected.
Nevertheless, though the upper New York environs and ambience are handled with great attention to detail, this novel's nod to 19th century sensibilities comes off as overdone in places, slowing the read more often than aiding it. At times, in fact, the author's choice of phrases seems almost too precious, as if he were trying just a mite too hard to capture the era and its voice. In fact, Poe, himself, who apparently inspired this novel, achieved the effects he did with much shorter narratives even while indulging in just such 19th century meanderings. In a tautly written piece which a mystery or thriller must be, there is only so much meandering a narration can sustain.
Equally as disappointing, the unraveling of the primary mystery in the final quarter of the book is done with a near-pulp sensibility, being overwrought and drawn out to the point where you find yourself going on just to be done with it. Nor are the motives of the the culprits satisfactorily exposed or explained at the denouement and one is left with a vague sense of dissatisfaction. But in a final homage to a Poeian sensibility, the author has a further twist in mind which he only unveils in the final pages, a twist that changes the whole tone and tenor of the story, echoing Poe's own penchant for surprise and dark endings steeped in madness. There isn't much that can be said about it without destroying the effect so I'll offer no more, but suffice it to say that, if you can stick with the long and often ponderous narrative, despite its heavy-handed affectations, interspersing the testimony of Landor with that of his peculiar assistant, Cadet Poe, the abrupt revelation at the tale's end makes the story a worthwhile read.
Until that point I had determined on a much less warm endorsement here. But the unexpected reversal via the final revelations, however heavy-handed in their own right, proved surprise enough to reverse my opinion of what might otherwise have been an undistinguished period mystery whose main claim to fame had been the inclusion of a still young and wet behind the ears Edgar Allan Poe.
SWM
P.S. For historical mysteries I liked Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) much more! ” -
Fine Novel of Detection Set at West Point in 1830
“The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard, $24.95 hardcover, $14.95 softcover, 432pp., Harper Collins, 2006.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-12-31.
At West Point Academy in the autumn 1830 a cadet commits suicide by hanging. While being stored in an icehouse the dead man's heart is removed. West Point neighbor and retired NYC policeman, Augustus Landor is asked by academy adminstrators to discreetly investigate. At risk is the academy's fledgling reputation. Landor enlists the aid of cadet E. A. Poe. Yes, that E. A. Poe who was indeed a West Point cadet at that time. The New Yorker and the Virginia are certainly a different Holmes-Watson pair of investigators.
Landor has his sorrows; both his wife and his daughter died soon after relocating from New York City to the Hudson River Valley. Superintendent Thayer has his priorities. Poe has his metaphors and insider inforamtion on the student body. The trio find themselves confronting a second murder and mutiliation. Clues, codes, and cults are examined and psychological suspense ensues. This reader suspended his disbelief in due time but also found a few outlandish developments that made him wince. But, Bayard's delightfully executed period prose and details were thoroughly enjoyable and returned this reader to his required disbelief. The meticulously described historical setting, the young Poe's literary inspirations, and Lander's veiled confessions provided incentive to bear with the slightly preposterous intrustions from the 1980s, such as the possiblity of a Satanic cult. These intrusions are rare and the plot does not hinge upon them.
Overall, The Pale Blue Eye is enjoyable because the plot hangs together, and the characters of Landor, Poe and Thayer are well described and compelling. The details of Benny Haven's Tavern and West Point's dining and residence halls appear accurate. The main detraction is a cinematically overwrought climax which fortunately is not the conclusion of the novel. Poe is not only a poet but a detective and uncovers the policeman's secrets at the very end. ” -
Anything but pale
“Let me preface this by saying that I'm not an avid reader of mystery novels in their pure "detective" form. I've read most of Sherlock Holmes. I've also read numerous "juvenile" mysteries over time (Hardy Boys and the like). I've also read numerous short stories including the "first" detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by E.A.Poe.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-12-04.
That said, I'm a big fan of a good mystery that really puzzles and gets you pondering. I've also always been a good fan of Poe and the themes and tones in his stories. So, on reading the "back of the book" blurb for "The Pale Blue Eye", I knew I had to read it.
Writing Style
The writing style in this book was phenomenal. Many will claim that it's too wordy and over the top, but I personally felt it was a fairly good homage to early 19th century literature and to the literature of Poe. The language used was well crafted and flowed wonderfully. Even at the moments when the pacing was slow and the text dragged a bit, there were intriguing turns of phrase that gave me a grin.
The flowery verbosity of Poe was humorous at times and felt a little too constructed at moments. This is, after all, an earlier version of the Poe with which we are all familiar and while it's true that much of his style may have remained unchanged, there were bits that left him seeming aged beyond his years. Granted, this was possibly intended since the many trials of Poe's life did create the pensive and morbid Poe responsible for the writings we have today...and who's to say that he wasn't already deeply entrenched in that persona during his time at West Point.
Characterization
As I mentioned, the Poe character felt perhaps a bit too stylized and pat, but generally speaking I found him to be a very full and intriguing character. Distancing him from the historical Poe and just using him as a fictional character, he stands on his own. His main inconsistency seemed to be the struggle between the morbid, brooding Poe and the head-over-heels-in-love Poe. These character traits didn't reconcile well within him and left me a little disconcerted.
Although I do have some complaints about the Landor character, I'll to address later (hopefully without spoiling the ending too much). His character has had a troubled life as well and that angst carries over into his mannerisms and dialogue. I rather enjoyed Landor's character and had a lot of fun being inside his head for most of the novel. I would really enjoy seeing perhaps a spin off series outlining some of his New York cases (although that would put him pre-troubles, so he might not be as interesting)
Many of the other characters were less full but they weren't quite flat. The West Point faculty and cadets that we interact with were each imbued with their own personalities, though sometimes these overlapped more than I would have liked. I often found myself confused between Hitchcock and Thayer, for example. Doctor Marquis and his family were also well crafted but felt a little hollow behind the facade. Patsy was another intriguing character who I felt was actually better crafted than some of the other primary players despite her character being relatively minor.
Still, I was very impressed with the characterization work done in this novel and applaud Bayard his efforts in fleshing out a full cast of characters.
Story/Plot/Pacing
My wife Lynette is a more avid mystery reader than me, so I'm eager to get her perspective on this. But with my level of mystery reading and my enjoyment of 18th and 19th century literature left me thoroughly enjoying the story line and having a lot of fun with the way it played out.
The pacing was slowed down perhaps a little too often by overreaching internal monologue. The pace definitely picks up as you near the end of the story...so much so that the last hundred pages raced by. The speed of the last section of the book was almost too fast when compared with the rest of the novel.
As with any mystery novel, I was playing along with the detective and trying to solve the crime before he did. Bayard appropriately threw out plenty of red herrings and extraneous details to muddle the waters, but he also kept the primary suspects in the forefront and made sure the reader was aware of them. While I had made the appropriate jumps and deduced the criminal before Landor explicitly acknowledged his theories (and was put in imminent danger in their vicinity), I felt a little obtuse for "figuring things out" only slightly before Landor revealed his findings.
And now for the potential SPOILER. I'll try to keep it spoiler free while also voicing my annoyance.
I really enjoy twists and turns in a novel, especially a mystery novel. It's great fun to be proven wrong. However, the degree with which this novel twisted was a little too extreme. Let's just say that in the climatic confrontation with the murderer, my eyes kept drifting to the page number and wondering why there were still 30-40 pages left in the book even though everything was about to wrap up.
I thought that perhaps the author would just become more verbose and would spend 30 pages rambling through the resolutions with minor characters.
I was very wrong. While there was a degree of "resolution" to be had, that wasn't the reason the novel was over. The novel continued so the author could raise the curtain on another aspect to the mystery that hadn't even been hinted throughout the novel. Our expert narrator Landor had obscured from the reader every possible key point that could have allowed a reader to guess at the "true" ending of the book.
I really enjoyed the conclusion and found the capstone to the story to be an intriguing and fun ending. What I didn't like was the feeling that I had been so painstakingly manipulated by the author & narrator. As one of my creative writing professors mentioned when talking about the mystery genre: "The reader wants to feel as smart or smarter than the detective. If the reader feels stupid or duped, s/he won't leave happy." I still left happy...but I left feeling a little cheated.
Overall
I would heartily recommend this book to any fan of a good mystery or of late romantic or gothic era literature from the 18th and 19th centuries. The descriptions and characterizations are exquisitely presented through wonderful use of language. The intrigue and details of the mystery are very entertaining and engrossing and make for an immersive read. My one caution would be to those of a more squeemish nature. The climactic confrontation scene is a bit gruesome. I physically shuddered at one of the descriptions. It wasn't much more gruesome than something from a prime time CSI or Law & Order show, but it was definitely a bit over the top considering the rest of the novel.
Still, if you're a fan of Poe, mysteries, or early American literature, I think you'll enjoy this dark mystery.
****
4 stars” -
Great characterization of Poe
“Just finished reading The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard... it's a novel set in the early 1800s at West Point. It's a whodunnit with a narrator that is similar to a retired Sherlock Holmes. But, to assist him with the mysterious murder at West Point, he enlists the help of a cadet, Edgar Allen Poe.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-11-28.
I have to say that my love of Poe's literature drew me to the book, and in that respect, I found some great joy in finding little snippets and allusions to Poe's various works. Bayard definitely took the time to create Poe and the time period with an immense care for details and vocabulary. At a few times, I was wary of the use of Poe as a character and of Bayard's book being stilted by forcing allusions to Poe's literature. However, Poe actually became a very realistic character in the pages; I grew to love how Poe would quote literature, compose poetry, and tell outlandish lies.
One allusion did irk me; it used a major plot point to pay homage to a part of "The Fall of the House of Usher," and it did not feel cohesive to the plot of Bayard's story. Along those lines, a few points of the plot were questionable... the author kept a few secrets too long, which was a strength and weakness to the book. Some reviewers were so thrown that they ended up hating the story, and some ended up loving it. I think I fall in between--not loving the book, but genuinely enjoying many parts of it.
Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this. It would probably not be my first book to recommend, except of course to a few select people... some mystery readers or Poe afficianados. I'll probably read his most recent book, The Black Tower, at some point in the near future. For now, I am still lingering over parts of the book and enjoying that glimpse into gothic 1800s. ”
