Customer Reviews
This book shouldn't have been woken up - By: J. Newson, 11 Jun 2008 
Joanne Harris says the book was re-published due to demand. I wonder who from? One of the main characters is an artist who is some kind of paedophile ('He likes children, he picks the youngest' when he visits the brothel). We are supposed to believe that he doesn't even recognise it is his wife he is visiting at the brothel. Her mind/body have been taken over by the brothel madame's dead daughter in a bid for revenge. There's also a plot to kill Mr Chester (as his wife must calll him). It's load of nonsense. Like another reviewer, I had to keep checking the front cover to see if this was a Joanna Harris novel, but for a different reason.
Note to established authors, do not agree to have your early novels published/re-published until you are 100% certain they will not ruin your reputation as a writer.
Whilst the paedophile is seeing the young girl at the brothel (who is reallly his wife in some kind of trance & taking on the persona of someone else) his manuscript reads '...then I wanted her again & I plunged into her like a dolphin into a wave'. Nuff said.
Sleep, Pale Sister - By: Susie J, 03 May 2008 
First Joanne Harris I read two years ago, alll I can say was best book I'd read in a long time. I agree, very goth, very sinister, but alll the same brilliant composition & read. However not recommended for anyone who hasn't read or are into JH, but almost certainly one of her better books even if it was her earliest.
A spooky Gothic tale - By: daisyrock, 06 Nov 2007 
Reading the introduction to the reprint of this early work of JH, you get the impression that she's a bit embarassed by Sleep, Pale Sister. There's no doubt that it stems from a time before her considerable skills were fully honed. It reads almost like a first draft & is a rather rambling, unwieldy novel. That said, I reallly did enjoy reading it. Not being much of a fan of the Gothic genre, I did find alll the purple prose a bit over the top - but then that's the nature of Gothic, so I can't complain. One thing I always like about JH is that she doesn't shy away from darker themes & that's certainly the case here. Her protagonist is guilty of about the worst crime imaginable & she doesn't flinch from giving it to us both barrels. The same was true of the depiction of the rotten underbelly of rural France in 5 Quarters. So, alll in alll, fun, spooky, creepy & enjoyable, but only a taster of the better things to come from this excellent writer.
Sleep, pale novel - By: Rothesay, 12 Sep 2007 
I am a great fan of Joanne Harris, & like many other readers I was keen to find out what this early work was like. As others have pointed out, Sleep, Pale Sister has many recognisable features which Harris develops in other books, but for me the interest ended there - at mere curiosity. I had to force myself to finish it, hoping with every page that it would reveal one of those famous twists of plot, but no.
I'm afraid this was the most boring book I have read for many years. I found the endless laudanum-induced dreams & sinister story-telling episodes tedious & repetitive.
If you are hoping for more along the lines of her other books - don't bother with this one.
A Lost Gem Rediscovered - By: Catblack_uk, 20 Jun 2007 
I understand that this book disappeared without trace when it was first released. Goodness only knows why. Lacklustre promotion, I can only imagine because it's a wonderful book. Echoes of Dorian Gray but without the covert mysogyny. Darkly magical. Literate & hugely enjoyable.
Unlike a previous reviewer, I loved the device of having the four narrators & had no problem descerning which was which. Indeed, it simply increased my admiration for the author's skill & dexterity.
I loved Chocolat but I couldn't get on with Five Quarter's of the Orange at alll. What does it matter? Sleep, Pale Sister is a stand-alone success.
