Even though I've enjoyed other works by Hodgson and this one concerns in part the woodblocks for Vesalius' magnum opus, I had a hard time getting into The Sensualist, and ended up somewhat unsatisfied with it. Seems to me that it might have been a better story without some of the supernatural elements, which just confused the narrative. But Hodgson's illustrations and interesting design, plus the bits of the story I liked, made the book worth a read. ( )

Anatomy, history, (dis)embodiment are some of the focus of this novel. Not quite sure whether it's interestingly nice or just strange: it's that kind of book. The visuals were beautiful; however, the text and story don't seem to deliver, despite its promising premise. Hodgson could have done so much with her researches on the history of anatomy, including the themes which she chose--disembodiment and disjointedness--but somehow they fail to capture one's emotions and attention. That said, the visual additions (pop-ups, pages from anatomy books) seem as if they were only included to spice up an otherwise plain story. ( )

barbara hodgson is singular in her style, this is one of her better books ( )

Confusing. Not an easy-read by far. I did, however enjoy the brief glimpses of Europe. (The pop-up style of the book was also intriguing.) If you can keep up, this is a mildly interesting ghost story. ( )

This is a very strange mystery. It begins rather like a David Lynch film: A young woman sits in a train compartment, when a huge and odd woman wearing an alarming wig and accompanied by a foppish young man sits in her compartment. The enormous woman gives her a peculiar gift, even as her dog offers to get her a new pair of shoes. The gift- a strange, locked box.
The young woman is Helen Martin, an art historian who specializes in medical illustration, who is headed to Vienna to find her absentee husband. While there, she becomes embroiled in a mystery that is utterly unique and strange.
The writing feels almost baroque, and is perfectly matched with the illustrations by Nick Bantock, famed for his conundrums. The entire book is a conundrum. ( )