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maggie_clark13's review
2.5
Barry’s prose is gorgeous but a lot of the plot of this book is unnecessarily convoluted to me (or maybe I just didn’t get the point) and his depiction of women is extremely sexist and outdated despite attempting to be progressive (I think?)
daisygunner's review against another edition
2.0
I was so ready to love this, it seemed right up my street. It started out gritty and atmospheric, then dissolved into a sludge of too many characters I cared too little about doing stuff that didn't matter, and ended with a rather obvious event which wasn't built up to or impactful in any way.
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
2.0
Hmm.
I disliked this book, but I disliked it with interest and engagement, which ought to count for a second star. This arguably deserves a few *more* stars even, but Goodreads' rating system asks me whether or not *I* liked a book, so that's what I use.
I appreciated the world Barry builds, even as I was conscious of how much I disliked reading about that near-future-dystopian, inexplicably-technology-limited, fashion-obsessed world. The feeling from that world has stayed with me after finishing the book (and breathing a sign of relief and feeling accomplished).
Maybe it's just been too long since I last read a book that was challenging in this way. I read a lot of books that challenge my politics and my worldview and my privilege, and then a lot of books that maybe don't do those things but that entertain me without making me work for the entertainment. Post-university, without having to take lit classes, I don't really read writing that is in and of itself challenging (setting aside challenging themes or content).
I disliked this book, but I disliked it with interest and engagement, which ought to count for a second star. This arguably deserves a few *more* stars even, but Goodreads' rating system asks me whether or not *I* liked a book, so that's what I use.
I appreciated the world Barry builds, even as I was conscious of how much I disliked reading about that near-future-dystopian, inexplicably-technology-limited, fashion-obsessed world. The feeling from that world has stayed with me after finishing the book (and breathing a sign of relief and feeling accomplished).
Maybe it's just been too long since I last read a book that was challenging in this way. I read a lot of books that challenge my politics and my worldview and my privilege, and then a lot of books that maybe don't do those things but that entertain me without making me work for the entertainment. Post-university, without having to take lit classes, I don't really read writing that is in and of itself challenging (setting aside challenging themes or content).
bizzels's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
joshgauthier's review against another edition
4.0
This is not the easiest book to read. It's dark and dirty, profane and crass. The entire novel is a sort of experiment with language - written entirely in a dialect shaped specifically for this story. The speech of this book is not the speech that I am used to hearing or reading and takes some getting used to.
That being said, in the midst of capturing the rough and violent world of Bohane, Barry's writing is a (pleasure?) to read. It is interspersed with moments of descriptive beauty that shine through before the force and tone of the overall narrative return in strength.
Barry makes some wonderful decisions here and uses his craft to great effect. The narrator of the story is a surprise. The narrative style is unique and engaging. The perspectives through which events unfold are not always the perspectives I would have expected, but they work well. And the story twists and develops in some surprising and delightful ways.
The story starts well, but about half-way through really gains momentum in my opinion. And the ending sequence was fascinating to me as both a reader and as a writer. The book ends without a lot of detailed resolution, but it isn't lacking either. The ending is excellent in that it is unexpected, feels inevitable, and finishes with a resonance that outlasts the novel itself.
In short, this is not a novel for everyone. It's unique and it's experimental. Its style may unsettle. Its content may unsettle. But, for me, it was fascinating, engaging, memorable, and gave me so much of what I want to see in a story - first and foremost a complex world that I can loose myself in for a time.
That being said, in the midst of capturing the rough and violent world of Bohane, Barry's writing is a (pleasure?) to read. It is interspersed with moments of descriptive beauty that shine through before the force and tone of the overall narrative return in strength.
Barry makes some wonderful decisions here and uses his craft to great effect. The narrator of the story is a surprise. The narrative style is unique and engaging. The perspectives through which events unfold are not always the perspectives I would have expected, but they work well. And the story twists and develops in some surprising and delightful ways.
The story starts well, but about half-way through really gains momentum in my opinion. And the ending sequence was fascinating to me as both a reader and as a writer. The book ends without a lot of detailed resolution, but it isn't lacking either. The ending is excellent in that it is unexpected, feels inevitable, and finishes with a resonance that outlasts the novel itself.
In short, this is not a novel for everyone. It's unique and it's experimental. Its style may unsettle. Its content may unsettle. But, for me, it was fascinating, engaging, memorable, and gave me so much of what I want to see in a story - first and foremost a complex world that I can loose myself in for a time.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
3.0
Barry hss lost the qualities that made his short fiction notable. The smartness is replaced with contrivance, the poignancy with rambling. He tries to invent a patois, city, fsshion and time, falling short on all counts. Beloved by Irish reviewers and publishers he is being trumpeted as more than he was. The progress has actually been a reverse.
mark_lm's review against another edition
4.0
Ulysses meets Clockwork Orange. Quite brilliant. In particular there is a scene where the newspaper editor meets the Gant and a child runner returns from Bohane with news of a gang feud that is hysterical and, at least for me, very reminiscent of Joyce. Not much to say, this book has been widely reviewed.
23149014345613's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a noir novel, an incomprehensibly thick Irish accent, and a gentleman's style guide mashed together and turned up to 11. If you like phrases such as "a dapper buck in a natty-boy Crombie", "rum ol' love mess for certain" and "Sweet Baba Jay", you will probably enjoy this novel. The style is consistently thick throughout, so you know by page 2 if this is for you or not. Or better yet, just look at the author photo on the back and ask yourself if you'd talk to this guy at a party (my answer: yeah, for a while, after a pint, and I probably wouldn't get a word in edgewise). I liked the Irish slang and the author is definitely *doing something*, but the style was layered on so thick, I felt I had to squint to see the plot through velvet and smoke and blood and grime and rain and and and and.