Reviews
** spoiler alert ** I re-read the Sally Lockhart trilogy, one of my favorites as a child, specifically in order to recall the deeply upsetting moment in the second book when Frederick dies. As a young girl, this moment, and the way Pullman described it, and the fact that it occurs right after Sally and Frederick sleep together for the first time, made such an impression on me that to this day whenever I remember this trilogy, it's that moment which stands out most clearly in my mind. I was curious so I decided to re-read it. I have just finished the second book, and have not yet started the third, of which I remember very little. My first impression was that while I recalled elements of the first book's story quite easily, of the second book I could remember almost nothing of the plot. I felt as if I was reading it for the first time, except, of course, for the exact moment when he dies. But even with that, I remembered it differently. And yet there were certain elements of it that hit me in just the same place. It was overwhelming, and I was reading it at the laundromat, so I held back my tears, but I deeply wanted to cry, the same way I wanted to cry when I re-read The Amber Spyglass and The Ring of Endless Light. Revisiting something so beautiful yet painful, something so poignant to me as a young person, that now as an adult holds a similar poignancy but even more fully developed because of all the life experience I have layered on, reading it now. It was the same, and not the same. It's still such a brutal moment, the way he describes her horror at seeing Frederick's body without life when just hours before she was held in his naked arms for the first time, warm and surrounded by life. I think my emotions were also triggered by the intensity of my life for my current partner, and how much I feel like I would collapse if he were gone. And my discomfort at knowing I feel that way. Commitment issues and such. I am glad I re-read this book, though. And the last thing I'll say is that overall, minus the childhood nostalgia and the emotional punch of that moment when Fred dies, it's not such a good book. I don't think the story is quite as compelling as Pullman wants it to be, and the twists and turns are not nearly as thrilling as The Ruby in the Smoke. It's slightly tired in spots. But still, fun to read, and Pullman has a way with words that brings the emotional content of his scenes to the fore and makes you feel as if it is happening to you. That's what I latched on to as a child, and what I still deeply admire now.
