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carolynf's review against another edition
2.0
Read the first two chapters and had to put it aside. Not much seemed to happen. Didn't really feel like there was too much depth to the characters either.
magdon's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting to read after Dreamers of the Day which took place right after WWI (this is right before). Middle east & oil & power-- all still the same game. Excellent character study with a tight little plot that picked up speed at the end. And a great ending, don't get those too often.
libkatem's review against another edition
2.0
This book is about the tumultuous middle east, fights over development, archeology, and oil. Sound familiar? It is. Pretty much set up for the crap that goes down today.
Yet it could have been really exciting, but it was more like... a Jane Austen novel but less interesting. Sorry, Unsworth.
Yet it could have been really exciting, but it was more like... a Jane Austen novel but less interesting. Sorry, Unsworth.
nocto's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up along with several other library book possibilities for a 'U' author to read. Didn't expect it to grab me but it easily hooked me in for the first half of the book. After that though I found it easy to put down again. Everyone else seems to concur that the ending is faster moving than the beginning but I lost interest as the book went on. Probably one of those 'It's not the book, it's just me' things!
matthew_p's review against another edition
2.0
This book kept trying to be interesting but was ultimately disappointing, but an anti-climatic ending.
angelikinika's review against another edition
3.0
Όταν είδα αυτό το βιβλίο στο ράφι του βιβλιοπωλείου είπα αρχαιολογία και πολιτική?! ΟΥΟΟΥ! Τι άλλο θα μπορούσα να ζητήσω; Όμως από την αρχή κανέναν από τους χαρακτήρες δεν συμπάθησα ιδιαίτερα ενώ και ο τρόπος αφήγησης των γεγονότων ήταν λίγο βαρετός. Δύο φορές το άφησα στην άκρη και τελικά όταν το τελείωσα έμεινα με ένα συναίσθημα μέτριου. Σαν βιβλίο δεν θα το χαρακτήριζα ως κακό ούτε αξίζει λιγότερα από 3 αστέρια. Απλά μάλλον δεν ήταν αυτό που περίμενα...
gobblebook's review against another edition
2.0
A young archaeologist is trying to make his name in a dig in Iraq in the summer before WWI, and he is racing to find something interesting before the German's build a railway line through his dig site. Meanwhile, the English send an American to look for oil in the area.
There were some intriguing things here, but for being such a short novel it had too many characters - they all remained one-dimensional. There were long rambling tangents about ancient Mesopotamia, which were of course relevant to the archaeological dig, but from what I could see they didn't really add anything to the story. The end was highly disappointing.
I think the problem is that Unsworth was trying to make a point instead of trying to tell a story. He's much more concerned about showing his reader why Middle Eastern politics are a mess, and how the rest of the world used the Middle East like a giant chessboard, than about telling a story. It feels like he decided he had made his point, and then couldn't decide how to end the story, and then just wrote a really horrible cop-out ending at the very last minute.
What redeemed the book for me was Unsworth's writing - he is an excellent writer - but the writing didn't make up for the bad storyline.
writerlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Slow and mellow with a big bang at the end. This illustrates how obsession and believing in one's lies can be a very dangerous to your health. Two men, one a scholar by choice, who is seeking self validation and is riddled with doubts, the other a man with no education but skills, self made, in love with a dream and obsessed with a woman. Both destinies tied together and for both to achieve their dreams both must succeed or die trying.
The setting is wonderfully done. Mesopotamia right before WW1, archeological digs, spies uncover as scholars, military men, the end of a great empire. You can feel the sand, the heat. You feel the despair Somerville is experiencing, his nightmare of losing his dream. The sounds of the railroad approaching.
It's a slow read, not a thriller, definitely not a spy novel but well worth reading if you like to read about how men behave under duress and how some bend, some crack and some race through it and come out stronger on the other side.
The setting is wonderfully done. Mesopotamia right before WW1, archeological digs, spies uncover as scholars, military men, the end of a great empire. You can feel the sand, the heat. You feel the despair Somerville is experiencing, his nightmare of losing his dream. The sounds of the railroad approaching.
It's a slow read, not a thriller, definitely not a spy novel but well worth reading if you like to read about how men behave under duress and how some bend, some crack and some race through it and come out stronger on the other side.
maylingkuo's review against another edition
4.0
it took me awhile to plow through this one... i had to force myself to cut through the archaeology speak and middle eastern names, but i think it was worth it. for those interested in archaeology, it's definitely a good read!
initially it's hard to keep people straight, but you get sucked in and wonder what's in store for everyone. the author definitely builds up tension and you're a bit stressed towards the conclusion. there's a lot of intrigue and strong characters in this book. no one i really loved, but i kept reading to find out what would happen. i actually think the plot makes a better film than a book.
it's main weakness is that it wraps up so quickly. like a weak film, the climax hits and the last few pages basically sum up what happens to all the characters.
initially it's hard to keep people straight, but you get sucked in and wonder what's in store for everyone. the author definitely builds up tension and you're a bit stressed towards the conclusion. there's a lot of intrigue and strong characters in this book. no one i really loved, but i kept reading to find out what would happen. i actually think the plot makes a better film than a book.
it's main weakness is that it wraps up so quickly. like a weak film, the climax hits and the last few pages basically sum up what happens to all the characters.