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strawfly14's review against another edition
1.0
Lo siento pero con lo MACHISTA que es este libro ni si quiera puedo valorar su trama (floja, por cierto). Menos mal que es un libro de la biblioteca y no comprado. Un libro ambientado en el fútbol centrado en la desaparición de una estrella futbolista. Escrita por un señor que lo único que hace es hacer comentarios sexistas y querer acostarse con todas las mujeres que se le ponen delante, me ha dado vergüenza, al final cada día de una forma u otra (periodista deportiva dedicad al fútbol femenino), tengo que tragar con cosas como estas. Sin ir más lejos ayer preguntándole un señor a la ganadora del Balón de Oro que a ver si perreaba. En fin, que me voy por las ramas. Libro de un señoro para otros señoros. Ejemplo de algunas frases:
"Siempre he pensado que a las mujeres preciosas se les puede perdonar un nivel de ignorancia prácticamente total".
"-No me malinterprete, me gusta el metro, pero una mujer como yo en Sevran... sería como pedir que me hicieran algo.
-Es que, con un vestido así, hasta a mí se me ha pasado por la cabeza hacerle algo".
"-¿Qué tipo de abogada es?
-De las que están muy buenas".
Entre medio, se justifica diciendo que no le parece bien que el Mundial de 2022 se celebre en Qatar por cómo tratan a las mujeres, porque le gustan las mujeres. Valiente ironía, lo que le gusta es tirárselas y tratarlas como muñecas.
"-¿Me pagarás el vuelo a Londres para la vista?
-Siempre y cuando follemos de nuevo".
"Era una joven bastante atractiva -siempre que te gusten las mujeres vestidas de fubolista-".
Señor no es que se vista de futbolista, ES QUE ES FUTBOLISTA.
Y el libro termina literalmente así:
"No me hagas esperar, porque estoy con la maldición y, cuando estoy con la maldición, me pongo muy irritable si no consigo lo que quiero".
La maldición. Nad que añadir, señoría.
"Siempre he pensado que a las mujeres preciosas se les puede perdonar un nivel de ignorancia prácticamente total".
"-No me malinterprete, me gusta el metro, pero una mujer como yo en Sevran... sería como pedir que me hicieran algo.
-Es que, con un vestido así, hasta a mí se me ha pasado por la cabeza hacerle algo".
"-¿Qué tipo de abogada es?
-De las que están muy buenas".
Entre medio, se justifica diciendo que no le parece bien que el Mundial de 2022 se celebre en Qatar por cómo tratan a las mujeres, porque le gustan las mujeres. Valiente ironía, lo que le gusta es tirárselas y tratarlas como muñecas.
"-¿Me pagarás el vuelo a Londres para la vista?
-Siempre y cuando follemos de nuevo".
"Era una joven bastante atractiva -siempre que te gusten las mujeres vestidas de fubolista-".
Señor no es que se vista de futbolista, ES QUE ES FUTBOLISTA.
Y el libro termina literalmente así:
"No me hagas esperar, porque estoy con la maldición y, cuando estoy con la maldición, me pongo muy irritable si no consigo lo que quiero".
La maldición. Nad que añadir, señoría.
keeksisreading's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Good god, Scott Manson is not a likable man.
kelic's review against another edition
1.0
This book sucked.
It was an endless philosophical lecture on humanity, politics, psychology and football as a metaphor for life. And none of it was enlightening It was a snoozefest that contained more similies than a third grader's poem. I'm not sure if Phillip Kerr always writes like this but he has his protagonist get on his soapbox and expound on whatever bullshit theory is marginally relevent to the situation with EVERY single character he meets. I'm not even kidding. If he speaks to them he fucking lays in on some twatish, anti-liberal, cod psychology crap speech. I think Charlotte, the housekeeper, is the only one who escapes one of the dullard's dry diatribes. There's even a soliloquy when there's no other character for Scott to drone on to.
At first, I thought it was all a bit tongue-in-cheek because it was so ridiculous the things Manson would wax lyrical about; feminism, liberalism and racism all within the context of the vulgarity of excess that is top flight football. Especially, when Kerr has the MC reference Kerr himself as a great ghost writer lacking in ego. It's easy to think Kerr's obviously not taking this too seriously. But then why do it? It's not a humorous book. It's just a little mystery heavily coated in football references. What purpose does it serve to have your MC give his opinion on everything?Particularly, when the other character in the exchange invariably ends up saying, "I never thought about it like that," or "Yes, I think you're right." Scott seems to be only intellectual in football. Ugh
Then there is Scott's blackness. At first, I liked that the MC was black. There aren't enough black protagonist out there. But then it started to piss me off cos it seemed his blackness was a shtick. There are several references to the abuse Manson suffered growing up in Scotland but then he doesn't want to talk about race on the BBC cos they aren't recognising his whiteness. I'm not saying every black or blackish person wants to represent all black people but as a mixed race woman I find this character offensive. He is a white man's black man. "Yessah, mista I ain't gots no problems with da racism. Cos I gives as good as I gets.*" Really?! I don't know if Mr Kerr is black but I'd bet 100 to 1 that he's not. And if he is he sure as hell didn't grow up around any black people who come from white majority cultures. I have never, not once, met a black man who thought racism was okay cos he could give as good as he got. Never. It doesn't work like that. Try applying this bullshit psychology to the actuality of growing up and always being aware of your own otherness; a place in which the shame and frustration of not only being called a "nigger" but, also, being treated like one by your fellow countrymen, some of whom were your teachers, local police, employers etc. Then ask yourself if you would find the same discourse and treatment acceptable simply because it's on a football pitch. Hey Phil, here's an insight, people of color can "give as good as they get" off the pitch too. Does that mean racism is okay there too? I think it's weird and wrong that a white man is using a black character as an apologist for racism and political correctness. Even if Kerr is black it's still wrong. There's no excuse for racism.
Either way Scott Manson is a vile, self-centered, elitist, proto-Objectivist white man dressed in black face. I'll end it with this creepy WTF passage,
"...she was the first black woman I had ever been with and I'd liked it; I'd liked it a lot. I don't think there's anything Oedipal about that, but maybe, just maybe I'd fallen for her in a way I hadn't 't expected."
*Not a direct quote from the book.
It was an endless philosophical lecture on humanity, politics, psychology and football as a metaphor for life. And none of it was enlightening It was a snoozefest that contained more similies than a third grader's poem. I'm not sure if Phillip Kerr always writes like this but he has his protagonist get on his soapbox and expound on whatever bullshit theory is marginally relevent to the situation with EVERY single character he meets. I'm not even kidding. If he speaks to them he fucking lays in on some twatish, anti-liberal, cod psychology crap speech. I think Charlotte, the housekeeper, is the only one who escapes one of the dullard's dry diatribes. There's even a soliloquy when there's no other character for Scott to drone on to.
At first, I thought it was all a bit tongue-in-cheek because it was so ridiculous the things Manson would wax lyrical about; feminism, liberalism and racism all within the context of the vulgarity of excess that is top flight football. Especially, when Kerr has the MC reference Kerr himself as a great ghost writer lacking in ego. It's easy to think Kerr's obviously not taking this too seriously. But then why do it? It's not a humorous book. It's just a little mystery heavily coated in football references. What purpose does it serve to have your MC give his opinion on everything?Particularly, when the other character in the exchange invariably ends up saying, "I never thought about it like that," or "Yes, I think you're right." Scott seems to be only intellectual in football. Ugh
Then there is Scott's blackness. At first, I liked that the MC was black. There aren't enough black protagonist out there. But then it started to piss me off cos it seemed his blackness was a shtick. There are several references to the abuse Manson suffered growing up in Scotland but then he doesn't want to talk about race on the BBC cos they aren't recognising his whiteness. I'm not saying every black or blackish person wants to represent all black people but as a mixed race woman I find this character offensive. He is a white man's black man. "Yessah, mista I ain't gots no problems with da racism. Cos I gives as good as I gets.*" Really?! I don't know if Mr Kerr is black but I'd bet 100 to 1 that he's not. And if he is he sure as hell didn't grow up around any black people who come from white majority cultures. I have never, not once, met a black man who thought racism was okay cos he could give as good as he got. Never. It doesn't work like that. Try applying this bullshit psychology to the actuality of growing up and always being aware of your own otherness; a place in which the shame and frustration of not only being called a "nigger" but, also, being treated like one by your fellow countrymen, some of whom were your teachers, local police, employers etc. Then ask yourself if you would find the same discourse and treatment acceptable simply because it's on a football pitch. Hey Phil, here's an insight, people of color can "give as good as they get" off the pitch too. Does that mean racism is okay there too? I think it's weird and wrong that a white man is using a black character as an apologist for racism and political correctness. Even if Kerr is black it's still wrong. There's no excuse for racism.
Either way Scott Manson is a vile, self-centered, elitist, proto-Objectivist white man dressed in black face. I'll end it with this creepy WTF passage,
"...she was the first black woman I had ever been with and I'd liked it; I'd liked it a lot. I don't think there's anything Oedipal about that, but maybe, just maybe I'd fallen for her in a way I hadn't 't expected."
*Not a direct quote from the book.
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