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sunbreak's review against another edition
I've tried to read this two times.. I think mainly because I like the title.
nikkyp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I actually enjoyed reading this book. The style of writing is quite straight forward and crude, which I like, and made it quite easy and quick to read as well. The author really achieves in making you feel so bad for the poor main character with his absurd situation he has to deal with and the people he has to interact with. And throughout the book the themes of living in a consumerist, media centric age where exciting and sensationalist news can (at times) be seen as more valuable than honest and noteworthy news - it really brings to light the dangers of the way we consume media, and what we choose to believe in a day and age where we are constantly swimming in a information overloaded, media saturated sea.
The whole time I’m just feeling so bad for the main character and the ending does seem to get quite dark - which I liked. Although I can see how one can view the book to be too satirical or have over exaggerated situations and characters, I think the message and point of the book can still be found, and the main character is easy to relate to.
The whole time I’m just feeling so bad for the main character and the ending does seem to get quite dark - which I liked. Although I can see how one can view the book to be too satirical or have over exaggerated situations and characters, I think the message and point of the book can still be found, and the main character is easy to relate to.
elnaann1313's review against another edition
2.0
"Jesus' ponytail eddies through shafts of sunlight; he seems to swirl with the trees overhead. He's changing, ole Jesus, turning pretty in an Indian kind of way. The stumps of his extra fingers have almost disappeared. He's still clumsy as hell though, and his mind's clumsy too; the certainty of our kid logic got washed away leaving pebbles of anger and doubt that crack together with each new wave of emotion"
p. 16 paperback ed.
A bit disapointed, as this was a Booker winner.
p. 16 paperback ed.
A bit disapointed, as this was a Booker winner.
frankiec's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Gun violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very interesting read. It tells the story of the aftermath of a high school massacre in the USA, in particular the life of someone who was suspected to be in league with the killer.
The story starts very plausible, but by the end you are pretty much in a dystopian version of America, I can't work out if it was like that at the start or if the madness gradually crept in. Perhaps it was always there, but certainly at the start it seems like the normal world as told from the point if view of someone who is not all that clever and mutates into... well, what the current US President would have you believe the media is actually like now.
It's a great satire on reality television, but most of all you care about the outcome, because as the protagonist sits on death row, put there by greedy "friends" and people desperate to make their names in the media, you know he is innocent even if the rest of the world doesn't know or care.
There are some amazing characters - Vernon's Mum, who is more worried about where she is in the pecking order with her friends than the fact that her son is being tried for murder, is a particular delight (in terms of sheer horridness!) and Vernon's high school crush, Taylor, is also fascinating. There are paedophile school teachers, psychologists who run websites that exploit young men, it's a glorious collection of vileness that actually would leave Vernon as one of the more savoury characters even if he had been guilty!
Found this on Radio 4's A Good Read. And it really is. Will probably keep an eye on this author in the future too!
The story starts very plausible, but by the end you are pretty much in a dystopian version of America, I can't work out if it was like that at the start or if the madness gradually crept in. Perhaps it was always there, but certainly at the start it seems like the normal world as told from the point if view of someone who is not all that clever and mutates into... well, what the current US President would have you believe the media is actually like now.
It's a great satire on reality television, but most of all you care about the outcome, because as the protagonist sits on death row, put there by greedy "friends" and people desperate to make their names in the media, you know he is innocent even if the rest of the world doesn't know or care.
There are some amazing characters - Vernon's Mum, who is more worried about where she is in the pecking order with her friends than the fact that her son is being tried for murder, is a particular delight (in terms of sheer horridness!) and Vernon's high school crush, Taylor, is also fascinating. There are paedophile school teachers, psychologists who run websites that exploit young men, it's a glorious collection of vileness that actually would leave Vernon as one of the more savoury characters even if he had been guilty!
Found this on Radio 4's A Good Read. And it really is. Will probably keep an eye on this author in the future too!
isabookabel's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't think I'd rate this very highly for the first 2/3 of the book but the final third really hooked me in. Not my humour and I think I may have preferred a more ambiguous ending. Overall though the second half made up for the first.
livyoung87's review against another edition
4.0
I just wasn’t sure at all for the first half but by the second I couldn’t put it down. I cried towards the end and had goosebumps by the last page so I guess it won me over!
pheebzoc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
ikvindlezenleuk_mathilde's review against another edition
3.0
2013 book 9 - read my review in Dutch on my website Ikvindlezenleuk: http://www.ikvindlezenleuk.nl/2013/04/dbc-pierre-vernon-god-little.html