I think AL Kennedy is one of the best and most interesting writers working today and generally hugely enjoy her work. However, this wasn’t one of my favourites. I found it really hard to get into, to get a grip of who was talking, when and where, and what was going on with them. By the time I felt more confident of these things, I wasn’t at all convinced I wanted to be there with them. The story concerns the work of mediums and talks a lot about people ‘reading’ each other and the use of codes and double meanings to communicate, to lie effectively. I honestly found this stuff, the predictability of human pain and need and the helpless vulnerability we all conceal, while very perceptive and honest, profoundly depressing, like strip-mining all the magic and mystery from human intimacy and laying it out and labelling it. It made me sad. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the main protagonist’s tortuous relationship is with a man called ‘Art’. The book itself is a kind of a confidence trick in a way and it’s stuffed with double meanings and codes. Even the ending, despite the fact that it moved me to tears, felt like it could possibly be fake, which left an odd taste in the mouth. I’m still giving the book three stars because Kennedy’s writing is, as always, a joy in itself, clever, funny and touching and I will always want to read her work. If you’re interested in Kennedy’s work, maybe this isn’t the best one to start with though.

Well written with puzzling tricks going on throughout, don't know if I fully knew what was being done to my brain - a little hint at the end would have been nice.

This book is all dense, detailed beauty, haunting and haunted, with a twisted narrative that reminds me in some ways of [b:Infinite Jest|6759|Infinite Jest|David Foster Wallace|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1165604485s/6759.jpg|3271542], only with mediums instead of tennis players and a stronger wryly joking voice.

I swear this is probably the best book I'll read all year.

Astonishing magic trick of words. Favorite meta novel so far. And flirtatious indeed.

Absolutely exceptional. My Book of the Year so far and definitely in my top books of all time! Kennedy writes with such acutely beautiful and descriptive imagery it is impossible to do this book the justice and praise it deserves. One of Kennedy's many talents is her ability to write about pain and love and just envelop you in the lives of her characters. I say 'characters' but these people are so real to me it's hard to call them that.

Like another of Kennedy's novels "Serious Sweet" the way she weaves people's love stories into your mind and heart is truly magical. It is with deft choreography in structure, choice of words and form that all come together to bring alive the complexity of love and relationships. This is a must read for sure.

I listened to this book on Audible but will be rereading this very soon; I'm not ready to let these wonderful people go. Absolutely stunning. Thank you for your talent!

A cruise from Southampton to NYC in January. The location sets the tone for The Blue Book. Crashing, icy seas and gusting winds mesh well with the juxtaposition of a woman on board with her boyfriend who discovers her old partner in crime (literally) is on board as well. A setting that should be one of enjoyment, relaxation and companionship is instead filled with angst, separation and misunderstanding. Is this man following her or has she followed him?

Ostensibly, Elizabeth Barber is taking this trip with her boyfriend, Derek, and with the knowledge that he is likely to propose at some point on the journey. As they wait to board the vessel, another man inserts himself into their conversation asking Beth to do a magic trick involving numbers with him. She complies but is only marginally polite and is relieved when he moves away. Later we learn that this is Arthur Lockwood, Beth’s partner in a successful venture where they acted as mediums, channeling the spirits of the dead, for members of paying audiences.

Read more of this review at The Gilmore Guide: http:/gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2013/03/the-blue-book/

I've heard it said that poetry is emotion written down. If so, then this book is a prose poem. But closer, even, would be to describe it as music, maybe, which is perhaps more purely emotion.

It's a love story. It's a tragedy. It might even be called a mystery. Mysterious, anyway.

It is beautiful and it should be read. That's really all I want to say.

I was hypnotized by this book. At first, I thought it was slow, but the stream of consciousness, the interior monologues, the "your book" conceit, all of it conspired to enthrall me. Beth and Arthur's story could really be told in no other way, but by slow, ambiguous unveiling, they same way they operate, the same way their love unfolds in them. Key to enjoying this book is to let it unfold, don't try so hard to "understand"; approach it as a believer, not a skeptic.

Haven't really thought it through, but the page numbers at the top of the page (presumably the "blue book" page numbers) start to appear out of sequence and randomly. It distracted me, but only for a moment.