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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fantastic! Covers lots of topics with effect of media and ignorance of self being the ones that stuck out to me.
After reading this so close to Paul Murray I can see some similarities in their writing approach with lots of different characters (this was actually a complaint for me with the Seeker but here I found every viewpoint specifically valuable).
Docked a point for the part about the 60s, it’s just a part of history that I find personally less engaging and I was far more invested in the 2011 storyline.
After reading this so close to Paul Murray I can see some similarities in their writing approach with lots of different characters (this was actually a complaint for me with the Seeker but here I found every viewpoint specifically valuable).
Docked a point for the part about the 60s, it’s just a part of history that I find personally less engaging and I was far more invested in the 2011 storyline.
The flip side of being a person who never fails at anything is that you never do anything you could fail at. You never do anything risky. There’s a certain essential lack of courage among people who seem to be good at everything
But you cannot endure this world alone, and the more Samuel’s written his book, the more he’s realized how wrong he was. Because if you see people as enemies or obstacles or traps, you will be at constant war with them and with yourself. Whereas if you choose to see people as puzzles, and if you see yourself as a puzzle, then you will be constantly delighted, because eventually, if you dig deep enough into anybody, if you really look under the hood of someone’s life, you will find something familiar.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book. I’ve had it for a quite a few years and attempted to read it a few years back and never got into it. Someone close to me picked it up and started reading it to me for fun and then I decided to read it for real this time to feel closer to them. In the end I really enjoyed this book and it had me hooked and wanting to stay up all night reading it. I really enjoyed seeing the mother son dynamic and how in the end „all debts must be owed“ but not necessarily in a bad way. It may be hard to pay those things back, but in the end it will most likely be worth it. Like for Faye, diving into her past, telling all of her secrets to the son she abandoned. She was paying back the debt she owed for leaving him and leaving that gap in his life. I really enjoyed this book and sped through it even though it was over 600 pages!
This book was pretty awesome. I loved how well it was written and all of the different people that were in it.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't quite know how to review this book. There's a lot of interesting social commentary, which I enjoyed, a lot of well-researched historical detail and overall the writing is very good. It's charming, and overwrought, oddly paced and a bit bonkers. It felt like the author's own personal manifesto, and like he wanted to tell every story in his head at the same time, whether we like it or not. The writing style reminded me of my own ADHD thought processes - at times, relentless. There was so much superfluous, batshit train-of-thought detail which I didn't love, but reminded me of listening to one of my funny, clever friends stream of consciousness rants, which is a compliment, I guess. There's a lot to like, but towards the end there were whole pages that could be skipped (particularly the police and TV staff during the protest) without losing anything from the story. There were characters explored at length who really added very little to the plot, but taken on their own were entertaining. Definitely one I'll remember.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes