The thing is, I can’t figure out why.  Not that that’s a bad thing but for a fantasy this story’s lacking the blatant fantastical elements that would make it so.  This one breaks some rules when it comes to what I like and what I don’t.  I definitely like this story despite that within the first month of postings is doesn’t live up to its fantasy tags, it’s character driven and, really, not all that much out of the ordinary (any ordinary) is going on.  I’d think I wouldn’t like it but I’ll be damned if I could stop reading it.

The voice is just amazing. It brings about an air of arrogance to the tone, of high society. One of my favorite lines is, "I wonder if this is how common mothers feel, picking up their children’s toys." That line is so poignant to the voice and is, essentially, the epitome of it. Normally I’m not too big of a fan of journal format stories (or character-driven ones, as I’ve said) but the voice in this one is just so intriguing that I can’t stop reading. There’s a lot going on in the background that we don’t see but just enough plays into the voice of the MC that we can deduce what’s actually happening and pick up on some of the implications being made.

For a month of posts, I still don’t have too solid of a grasp of the world they’re in. It’s not any kind of present world with present world gods although it does have a historical feel. I would like to see more of the woman’s surroundings in her entries in order to get a better understanding of the world she’s living in outside of her home.

While I do enjoy the round about way of explaining everything, sometimes I did want a bit more information on what was happening and there were times where I wished she wasn’t so proper in her writing (the MC) that she would just divulge but, in the end, that adds to her character.

I think the intrigue of just where this is going and what the MC has to say will keep people reading, not to mention the daily posts are quite short.  A month’s worth of logs can be cleared in no time.  As of late the posting schedule has been erratic but I hope she picks it up regularly again.  It’s definitely a different format from the rest of the serials, in a very refreshing way.  I’m going to have to file this one into the "don’t miss" category just because of the way it sucks you right in.

0 of 0 members found this review helpful.
Help us improve!  Register or log in to rate this review.

When you read a fantasy story set in an empire, you can generally expect certain things.

If the empire is evil, that it will fall due to the actions of the hero of the story.

The hero of the story stands outside [more . . .]

I loved reading Tapestry when it was being regularly updated.  It was skillfully written—intense, complicated, intriguing, all written by a noble lady in her journal.

The glimpse of her life and culture was beautiful and imaginative, even if it was hard to keep everybody’s name straight sometimes. 

[more . . .]

"Tapestry" is, plain and simple, one of the best pieces of web writing out there. It uses the medium better than almost anyone—in fact, I can’t think of anyone who uses the episodic nature of the web serial as well—and Wysteria’s dedication to tone and character in this diary of Lady Uru is flawless.

What happens in this serial? Nothing. Everything.

Wysteria paints a thorough portrait from the inside out of a society reminiscent of both Victorian England and Heian Japan—secretly decadent, fastidious, arrogant, elegant, mannered to the point of ridiculousness if it weren’t so deadly to breach protocol, or even to appear to approach the breaching of protocol. For those who understand the personal is political, that it is through the daily lives of people that history (including story) is best observed rather than through the sweeping actions of a few Great Men, "Tapestry" will become a must-read.

0 of 0 members found this review helpful.
Help us improve!  Register or log in to rate this review.