Scan barcode
serenhybrid's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was enjoying this book until the last chapter, which utterly killed it. As many reviewers have said, maybe I'm just not intelligent enough to comprehend the thread that ties everything together, but for me, throwaway references to the other narratives in the book does not make it clever!
I enjoyed the concept and I really appreciated the commentary on humanities inability to safeguard ourselves or the planet due to inherent greed and jingoism, among other things. But that message was not cleverly scattered across the various points of view but rather hammered home quite unsubtly in one chapter.
It's also worth mentioning that the misogyny of the writer is quite staggering and blatant. Almost every female character existed only to be raped, advised and taken advantage of, and most male characters inherently looked down upon any females in their life. This is not "one unlikable character", this is a theme across the entire book that reflects the authors views and not the characters. That makes it almost unreasonable for me, and I would have been a DNF if this wasn't recommended highly by two friends whose opinions I greatly value. Even in the second to last chapter, I was recommending this book to other people. Now I won't, or I might tell them to just stop before the end! Very disappointing.
I enjoyed the concept and I really appreciated the commentary on humanities inability to safeguard ourselves or the planet due to inherent greed and jingoism, among other things. But that message was not cleverly scattered across the various points of view but rather hammered home quite unsubtly in one chapter.
It's also worth mentioning that the misogyny of the writer is quite staggering and blatant. Almost every female character existed only to be raped, advised and taken advantage of, and most male characters inherently looked down upon any females in their life. This is not "one unlikable character", this is a theme across the entire book that reflects the authors views and not the characters. That makes it almost unreasonable for me, and I would have been a DNF if this wasn't recommended highly by two friends whose opinions I greatly value. Even in the second to last chapter, I was recommending this book to other people. Now I won't, or I might tell them to just stop before the end! Very disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: War
telemesmerism's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Rape
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When I started the first chapter of Ghostwritten I was completely hooked. Religious cults who believe they can teleport and will do anything for their blind faith? Sounds brilliant, yes please! But then that chapter finished and suddenly we're with a young adult manning a music store, which just felt anticlimactic and dull.
As I got further into the book I began to appreciate each new, seemingly separate story, and understand the wonderfully intricate connections that ran through them as we travelled the entire world embodying new characters. Some I absolutely loved (Bat's chapter at the end is so clever), and some I loathed to the point where I found it a little uncomfortable; a mark of how dated books can feel in only 20 years. Neal, I could've done without your entire character, thanks.
Each story essentially stands on its own, which for some was a disadvantage because they just weren't as interesting as others (sorry Satoru!). But what they do brilliantly is cover a huge range of cultures, locations, backgrounds and beliefs, which was fascinating almost without exception.
By the end, I have to say I was a little lost. I had to make a cheat sheet to keep all the random connections in my head, and by the final chapter I'm honestly not sure if I'd actually understood what was going on; though I appreciated the idea that things had come full circle. Maybe I missed something, maybe it's supposed to be unclear, but either way I lost a bit of my enthusiasm as a result.
As I got further into the book I began to appreciate each new, seemingly separate story, and understand the wonderfully intricate connections that ran through them as we travelled the entire world embodying new characters. Some I absolutely loved (Bat's chapter at the end is so clever), and some I loathed to the point where I found it a little uncomfortable; a mark of how dated books can feel in only 20 years. Neal, I could've done without your entire character, thanks.
Each story essentially stands on its own, which for some was a disadvantage because they just weren't as interesting as others (sorry Satoru!). But what they do brilliantly is cover a huge range of cultures, locations, backgrounds and beliefs, which was fascinating almost without exception.
By the end, I have to say I was a little lost. I had to make a cheat sheet to keep all the random connections in my head, and by the final chapter I'm honestly not sure if I'd actually understood what was going on; though I appreciated the idea that things had come full circle. Maybe I missed something, maybe it's supposed to be unclear, but either way I lost a bit of my enthusiasm as a result.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs
More...