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the_eggelstone's review against another edition
3.0
The story of a super successful finance giant and his wife in the beginning of the 20th century is told in four parts that all reveal something else about the couple and the rather simple takeaway how men are profiting from women‘s talents/achievements.
While the four parts are all fictional meta stories within stories (a novel, an unfinished autobiography, a memoir and a diary) that all reveal more about its characters, only the third part (the memoir of the tycoon‘s typist/ghost writer) really feels vivid and interesting. The other parts are rather anemic and more style over substance. Somehow I expected a vastly different book from what I got in the end.
While the four parts are all fictional meta stories within stories (a novel, an unfinished autobiography, a memoir and a diary) that all reveal more about its characters, only the third part (the memoir of the tycoon‘s typist/ghost writer) really feels vivid and interesting. The other parts are rather anemic and more style over substance. Somehow I expected a vastly different book from what I got in the end.
mollyluckhurst's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i wanted to enjoy this more, honestly. the mystery of the thing was building up so excitingly in the first half, and when i recognised a recurrent motif from a previous section i was thrilled, but i was somewhat let down by the payoff. some of the clever references to previous clues were, in my opinion, over-explained by the author. some of the points being made were excessively didactic. i wasn’t as blown away by any of it as i’d wanted to be, but the writing was undeniably excellent and i underlined some amazing quotations
jessica_fury's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I did not like this book. It was hard to follow and not very interesting. There were a few good antidotes and the ending was better than I expected based on the rest of the book, but it was overall not very interesting.
ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
camicarreno's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 para mí. Me demoré en leer esta novela, pero vale mucho la pena. ¿Cuántas versiones puede haber de una misma historia? Al menos tantas como personas la narren. A mí la segunda no me interesó tanto, pero la tercera me gustó mucho y con la cuarta se completa todo el mono.
theogb451's review against another edition
5.0
I found this slow to start but once I was in it hooked me strongly. The book is presented as four manuscripts that are all linked with the first also being the one I enjoyed the style of least.
It strongly reminded me of Iain Pears' "Stone's Fall" although less if a strong mystery thread pulling through the narrative since this book is more about the characters.
It strongly reminded me of Iain Pears' "Stone's Fall" although less if a strong mystery thread pulling through the narrative since this book is more about the characters.
nicole_jade's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
acer's review against another edition
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
4.5