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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
North Korea's own John Doe.
I read this while on my way to and back from Berlin.
My personal review ratings are based upon the following: 1 Star, “I did not like it and wasted my time or couldn’t finish it”; 2 Stars, “I think it is just Ok, but I’ll never think about it again”; 3 Stars, “I think it is an entertaining , enjoyable book, and I’ll think about it again”; 4 Stars, “I really love this book, and I may read it again”; and 5 Stars, “I think this book is excellent, I will read it again, and it will stand the test of time.” Please note the intentional, repeated use of the pronoun “I,” for this is my opinion. Others may disagree and are free to.
I read this while on my way to and back from Berlin.
My personal review ratings are based upon the following: 1 Star, “I did not like it and wasted my time or couldn’t finish it”; 2 Stars, “I think it is just Ok, but I’ll never think about it again”; 3 Stars, “I think it is an entertaining , enjoyable book, and I’ll think about it again”; 4 Stars, “I really love this book, and I may read it again”; and 5 Stars, “I think this book is excellent, I will read it again, and it will stand the test of time.” Please note the intentional, repeated use of the pronoun “I,” for this is my opinion. Others may disagree and are free to.
So many fascinating layers, like a gruesome North Korean onion. Wait, that's not a thing. This book though, is really something. Even after the last chapter, when I knew how it ends, I wanted to re-read it to look for all of the clues. I really hate the rampant overuse of the adjective "epic" to describe things that are merely overstuffed and/or delicious (say, burritos) but I'm not a good enough writer to describe this book any better. Bravo, Adam Johnson. Well played.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
I'm sure this is a good book but I didn't enjoy it at all and only slogged to the end for the sake of it being a Pulitzer Winner. Sorry!
A book club choice. Did not finish. Continual brutality and inhumanity was just too much.
Uniquely evocative, ambitious, imaginative, memorable, tragic and surprisingly funny. And other assorted glowing adjectives. Loved it.
challenging
sad
slow-paced
DNF at like 50%. I thought I'd like this book because I like learning about different cultures, but now I realize contemporary fiction just isn't for me.
I admire what Adam Johnson was attempting to do with this book, but man did I struggle with it. I tried it first on Kindle and then switched to audio, which helped a little. The main character just seemed so devoid of emotion that I couldn't ever get invested in what happened to him. Then in the second half of the book everything is confusing and told in alternating time periods, and while we eventually get some answers about what happened it never really explains why. I don't understand the notion that this is a great love story — how can you fall in love with someone you've never actually met before? While I appreciate getting an "everyman's" perspective of North Korea (and how the United States could be made to seem awful via propaganda), I'd rather read first-hand accounts than go off an American's imagined version of things based on second-hand research. I'm sure some aspects of the book will stay with me, but it's unfortunate that the bulk of the book is inscrutable characters having stilted dialogue. Despite the Pulitzer and the high ratings, I personally can't recommend this.