The Vet's Daughter (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback – April 30, 2003

This is a terrific novel, no question about it. It is short but dense with detailed observations by an acute albeit hugely inexperienced narrator. She is frustratingly accepting of her various fates, and yet also admirably watching out for her own interests. Thus, like all the characters, she is complex.On the other hand, there are evil beings herein, who may even outdo Dickens in that department. The narrator is a female David Copperfield, but with some decided twists that make the novel quite unDickensian in the end.In fact, the literal end(ing) almost undoes the whole novel, in my opinion. (SPOILER ALERT. The following comments might "give away" the ending a bit.) Besides a different trajectory from what a Dickens reader would expect, as well as what nature herself would allow -- so far so good, though -- a downright sin is that the very ending simply makes no sense with regard to the narrative structure of the book.Nevertheless, as I say, the novel is a must-read for anyone who loves good writing and truly gripping narrative.

I originally bought this because I'm slowly working my way through the NYBR Classics list. I'm really torn with this one. Alice had an ethereal quality that the author portrayed perfectly, vividly. On the other hand there were some gaps in the story itself. When I got to the end I couldn't help feeling that I'd missed something along the way. A strange story with a decidedly gothic feel.

The Vet's Daughter is one of a kind. The writing itself is gorgeous, and if you are a writer, the attention to hyper-detailing and hallucinatory images alone would make this short novel worth your time. Comyns has created a world view where the narrator doesn't grow up to understand reality in the same terms as those surrounding her, which makes for a fascinating, supernatural tale.

I am reading all of Barbara's books. She astounds me. Her heroines are vivid, tragic, amusing, brave and enduring. I love love love this writer and this book was spectacular.

The writing in this book is so strange and vivid... reading this small book left me breathless. It starts out as a small story about a wretched girl and her horrible upbringing, then becomes kind of a fantasy, which I didn't so much care for. But still, the whole book is so original that I have recommended it to a bunch of friends.

An interesting example of magical realism in a British novel of the sixties... Well worth reading, if only because it is a literary curiosity.

This is a really fabulous and strange little book that was recommended to me by a writing teacher. Magical, hallucinatory, intriguing, and surprisingly little-known, I'd recommend this book to other readers who enjoy strong female protagonists, magical realism, the unexpected, and the extraordinary.

I enjoyed this, but it's odd. Comyns isn't like any other writer, she's a pure original.