The Wicked Pavilion, Part 3
The further I get into this book, the more I like it. Powell's writing style and the dynamic plot restore my interest in the story just when it starts to get boring. While this has happened throughout the entire book, a great example of this is at the end of “...the waters under the bridge...” at the end of Dalzell's story. Ben was introduced in the previous chapter, but his character isn't well developed and he seems to be there only for Dalzell to interact with. Towards the end of the chapter I was getting bored of their interactions when Powell did something that she does throughout the book – she referenced a character mentioned in another story. This immediately restored my interest as I got to see what Cynthia Earle was really like and we learn that Dalzell was in love with her. It's these views of characters from new angles that really keeps me interested. From this little section of this chapter we learn a great deal about Dalzell and Cynthia. Powell changes the point of view between stories and we get to see how the characters appear to each other. This was especially evident in the previous chapters when Wharton and Elsie were described from their point of view and of their sibling's.
Another thing Powell does to keep the story moving is introduce new characters. There are more characters in this book than I can keep track of, yet it seems there is a new character introduced in every other chapter. Surprisingly, this doesn't hurt the story, it instead only offers another angle to view the story from. In the chapter “...the Marius assignment...” we are introduced to Briggs – a character that is immediately likable due to his apparent kindness and honesty. The same trend happens through this chapter as in previous ones and just when the story starts to slow down, Briggs runs into Ellenora who is featured in a famous Marius painting. This turn of events is surprising in itself, but we are immediately treated to a point of view change and we get to see how Ellenora views Rick Prescott. I was happy to know that she too thought of her lost “love” constantly and that Rick's emotions are not wasted. I thought the end was a little rushed and unclear, but I can only assume these events are cleared up in another chapter. The events of this book border on the unbelievable as you realize how many convenient coincidences there are, but I don't think they ruin the story. It may be a bit unrealistic, but it's interesting to see a story where every character gets to show their point of view. Without the change of view and introduction of new characters, I wouldn't find this book very interesting.
posted by rcunning @ 4:59 PM
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