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a_copp's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
A bit confusing to follow at times, but we’ll written.
teachermaryreads's review against another edition
4.0
I really have very little idea of what this book was about, who the characters were, what they did, or what happened to them. Even if I had more background knowledge of the time period (1984, mostly, I think) or the region (Central America and the islands of the Caribbean, mostly, maybe) I still don't think I would have passed a comprehension test. But Didion's writing is so gripping, so smart, so spare, and so compelling that it didn't matter. It was pure pleasure to read. I couldn't put this book down.
ritampais's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
davenash's review against another edition
4.0
The first two chapters are incredibly written and set the tone for the whole book.
Coincidentally, the last book I read was Absalom, Absalom (re-read actually) and reading Didion after Faulkner is like jumping out of the hot tub and into the pool - so cool and clear.
But there's a relation too - water - just like Faulkner tells the whole story in the first chapter, Didion gives away much of what happens up front too. Then she doesn't just go back once and tell what led up to it, but like Quentin Compson she keeps going around finding new tangents and angles, struggling with two things - what happened and how to tell what happened.
This book is about a sleazy arms deal in the Reagan years gone wrong and touches on a lot of the diplomatic hi-jinx the US was involved in the cold war years. The State department lingo and style is a perfect vehicle for Didion's shockingly clear, elegant prose.
Coincidentally, the last book I read was Absalom, Absalom (re-read actually) and reading Didion after Faulkner is like jumping out of the hot tub and into the pool - so cool and clear.
But there's a relation too - water - just like Faulkner tells the whole story in the first chapter, Didion gives away much of what happens up front too. Then she doesn't just go back once and tell what led up to it, but like Quentin Compson she keeps going around finding new tangents and angles, struggling with two things - what happened and how to tell what happened.
This book is about a sleazy arms deal in the Reagan years gone wrong and touches on a lot of the diplomatic hi-jinx the US was involved in the cold war years. The State department lingo and style is a perfect vehicle for Didion's shockingly clear, elegant prose.
peg_reads's review against another edition
1.0
I had trouble reading this one - I had trouble with her sterile, stark, cold, style. I typically love this about her. She knows how to edit. I loved "Slouching Toward Bethlehem" and "Play IT As IT Lays" but didn't appreciate this one. I even loved "The Year of Magical THinkng" which many people apparently could not finish. I love Joan Didion. Big fan. I will try again some day.
kate_in_a_book's review against another edition
4.0
Confusing but beautiful. I think this needs to be read multiple times to be fully absorbed.
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=2609
My full review: http://www.noseinabook.co.uk/?p=2609
nadiam's review against another edition
4.0
"Podemos juntar todas as peças, mas onde é que isso nos leva."
akaroo's review against another edition
4.0
I’m a huge Joan Didion fan, but The Last Thing He Wanted was actually my very first foray into her fictional writing—and won’t be my last. Elena McMahon, previously a journalist covering a presidential campaign, helps her ailing father out by doing what she assumes will be a small favor for him—until suddenly she finds herself on an unknown island, caught up in an arms-smuggling ring. The story, exciting and captivating, is told through the eyes of an unnamed first person narrator. Time lines jump around a lot, and the tale is narrated in a fragmentary manner, yet the style works well in delivering an intense plot in random spurts. I found the writing style to be remarkably similar to Didion’s essays and memoirs, so there was something wonderfully familiar about the book.