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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
medium-paced
It‘s official: Atkinson and I will not be friends. This is entertaining enough, but ultimately I didn’t care about any of the characters, not even the feisty librarian. The best part was the off-kilter narrative that kept jumping back and forth - it felt like being slightly drunk, which I suppose is appropriate.
Such a long time building characters with nothing much happening in the story. Her writing is brilliant but the story was just very slow for me. Maybe I'll return to this at a later time.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
very intriguing great characters.. slightlyodx ending
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This world, these characters, and this story were all wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them.
This would have been a full 5 stars, but the ending felt more like an add on and very disjointed to the rest of the book.
This would have been a full 5 stars, but the ending felt more like an add on and very disjointed to the rest of the book.
Daniel kincaid, below, has written the review I would have written if I had the wit or the time. In addition, I could add that, as someone who has known and loved London since the 60s, I loved all the specific references to specific places around London.
Didn't finish. I was just too bored to continue. I know Atkinson can write an engaging story with good characters. Not this one
- I love this era, and this author, so I knew I would enjoy this, and I certainly did.
- It's a tapestry of perspectives that slightly overlap in time as the story moves forward, giving rise to small mysteries and larger ones, small surprises and larger ones. That's a style I would usually find irritating in a lesser author, but Kate Atkinson has a masterful touch.
- The somewhat abrupt ending, with short shrift given to some characters, took me somewhat aback, but given this is partly about the opportunities and dangers for women in this time period, it was apt (and I did love the main female characters).
- It's a tapestry of perspectives that slightly overlap in time as the story moves forward, giving rise to small mysteries and larger ones, small surprises and larger ones. That's a style I would usually find irritating in a lesser author, but Kate Atkinson has a masterful touch.
- The somewhat abrupt ending, with short shrift given to some characters, took me somewhat aback, but given this is partly about the opportunities and dangers for women in this time period, it was apt (and I did love the main female characters).