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kimlouiseb's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
greybeard49's review against another edition
3.0
I have read several books by this author and enjoyed them very much. The ‘biographical’ story format he has used in other books and it usually works well. Here, I found it to be less convincing. Some of the scenarios he placed his heroine in stretched credibility for me. Overall well written but not the usual top quality read I expected.
kathieboucher's review against another edition
3.0
Once again, I wish Goodreads would enable half stars. This book would have gotten four stars from me--good story, well written--except for the conceit of adding photos. I imagine the story was constructed around the found photos, and perhaps it was an interesting exercise for the author. But they strongly detract. For one thing, this is a work of fiction, and I was continually distracted, wondering what and whom these photos actually depicted. And some of the photos were clearly not of the era the story. More distraction.
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
The first William Boyd book I ever read was [b:Any Human Heart|77866|Any Human Heart|William Boyd|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386912980s/77866.jpg|2237564], the diary of a fictional man whose life spans much of the 20th century. It remains one of my favourite books and I was hopeful that Sweet Caress, also a fictional autobiography, would have a similar impact on me. The "author" is Amory Clay, a photographer born in 1908, who is pulling together her memoirs in 1977. Over the course of her life she will work as a war photographer in WW2 and Vietnam, spend life as the lady of a manor in Scotland and live in Berlin, New York, Paris and London.
William Boyd's writing is a joy to read and he creates a very believable world for Amory (I kept googling people to see if they existed, but I don't think any real individuals made their way into this book). He has also integrated photographs throughout the book, allegedly taken by her over the course of her lifetime. This is a clever technique but it actually eroded the story for me because I kept thinking that the standard of the photos was much too weak to make her career successes credible.
I'm trying to put a finger on why I didn't like the book more. I never warmed to Amory, but then I never particularly liked Logan Mountstuart in "Any Human Heart" and that didn't stop me loving his story. Certainly there was an absence of memorable characters. Amory's love interests floated in and out but never became fully formed people for me (particularly Charbonneau) - and did we really need the descriptions of their penises? The story touches on some fascinating areas - WW2, Vietnam, California communes, Nazi Germany) - but it always feels like we fail to get a sense of what those places or events were really like because we're too busy focusing on Amory's amateurish photos or love interests. Perhaps that's deliberate, because after all that is how we all do live our lives, on the fringes not in the centre, but it makes a less compelling book. In the end I said goodbye to Amory with few regrets.
William Boyd's writing is a joy to read and he creates a very believable world for Amory (I kept googling people to see if they existed, but I don't think any real individuals made their way into this book). He has also integrated photographs throughout the book, allegedly taken by her over the course of her lifetime. This is a clever technique but it actually eroded the story for me because I kept thinking that the standard of the photos was much too weak to make her career successes credible.
I'm trying to put a finger on why I didn't like the book more. I never warmed to Amory, but then I never particularly liked Logan Mountstuart in "Any Human Heart" and that didn't stop me loving his story. Certainly there was an absence of memorable characters. Amory's love interests floated in and out but never became fully formed people for me (particularly Charbonneau) - and did we really need the descriptions of their penises? The story touches on some fascinating areas - WW2, Vietnam, California communes, Nazi Germany) - but it always feels like we fail to get a sense of what those places or events were really like because we're too busy focusing on Amory's amateurish photos or love interests. Perhaps that's deliberate, because after all that is how we all do live our lives, on the fringes not in the centre, but it makes a less compelling book. In the end I said goodbye to Amory with few regrets.
jantjee's review against another edition
3.0
Ich habe ne Weile gebraucht um reinzukommen, aber am Ende hat es mich doch noch etwas gepackt.
bibliovolubile's review against another edition
4.0
Pour le lire le billet que j'ai écrit au sujet de ce livre, sur Lili les merveilles, c'est par ici!
http://www.lililesmerveilles.com/2016/12/sweet-caress.html
To read my blog post about this book, follow the above link! (Post is written in French)
http://www.lililesmerveilles.com/2016/12/sweet-caress.html
To read my blog post about this book, follow the above link! (Post is written in French)
hannahsoothers's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
didactylos's review against another edition
4.0
Another panoramic novel of a whole life. I found this more unified, and certainly more crafted. Very clever use of photographs.
booknerdjo's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book from the very first line!
Like several other novels by Boyd, this is a fictional biography which tells the story of a fictional character against the backdrop of real historical events and encounters with real people.
Amory Clay is born in 1908 and her life spans most of the 20th Century. Hers is a life touched again and again by war and conflict, and she moves from being a society photographer to being a pioneering female war photographer.
I loved Amory: restless, passionate and determined but also pragmatic and rational.
I found it hard to believe that this book was a work of fiction written by a man, so real and compelling was Amory's voice.
Moving, heartbreaking, inspiring, joyful.
Like several other novels by Boyd, this is a fictional biography which tells the story of a fictional character against the backdrop of real historical events and encounters with real people.
Amory Clay is born in 1908 and her life spans most of the 20th Century. Hers is a life touched again and again by war and conflict, and she moves from being a society photographer to being a pioneering female war photographer.
I loved Amory: restless, passionate and determined but also pragmatic and rational.
I found it hard to believe that this book was a work of fiction written by a man, so real and compelling was Amory's voice.
Moving, heartbreaking, inspiring, joyful.
merle24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0