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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
The author had a great idea for an action-packed thriller blockbuster film wherein letters referring to a lost play by William Shakespeare inspire a multiparty international treasure hunt, complete with double dealings, mystery, romance, gangsters, car chases, priests and spies and reference librarians.
He started to write it. Then he stopped and wrote convoluted back stories so he'd understand his characters' motivations better.
Then he went back and wrote all the letters that were found, even the ones that don't refer to the Shakespeare manuscript, just so he'd get a feel for this character that was a friend of the Bard.
Then he did exhaustive research so his scenes about cryptography and intellectual property law and bookbinding and the shorthand of the 1600's would seem real. Then he looked at this pile of writing he'd generated and thought fuck, this adds up to more than a screenplay! I should staple it all together and make it a book!
The story is actually a pretty fun romp--I wish it didn't digress so much. I almost didn't finish it because of the exhaustive never ending analysis and explanation of codebreaking at the 88% mark.
He started to write it. Then he stopped and wrote convoluted back stories so he'd understand his characters' motivations better.
Then he went back and wrote all the letters that were found, even the ones that don't refer to the Shakespeare manuscript, just so he'd get a feel for this character that was a friend of the Bard.
Then he did exhaustive research so his scenes about cryptography and intellectual property law and bookbinding and the shorthand of the 1600's would seem real. Then he looked at this pile of writing he'd generated and thought fuck, this adds up to more than a screenplay! I should staple it all together and make it a book!
The story is actually a pretty fun romp--I wish it didn't digress so much. I almost didn't finish it because of the exhaustive never ending analysis and explanation of codebreaking at the 88% mark.
At first this book is thrilling and intriguing with the story written from the alternating views of one of the main characters and as the events happen. The potential existence of an unknown Shakespeare play suggested by the letter really whets your appetite for a full one race to find it and the potential impact this could have on the literary world. But by the end of the book the background information and detail and the disappointing and somewhat unconvincing discovery about the letter and play spoil what could've been a really really good book.
I slogged through one chapter, read the reviews, and decided that the things I hated about the start of this book, weren't going to improve. Quit.
I really wanted to give this book a 3.5, but you can't...and I did enjoy it, so there you have it. It's not a book that I would recommend to others though because it's not one of those "everybody will love it" things. I was told that it's a thinking mans Da Vinci Code - quite a bit different, but it did keep me guessing.
I really wanted to love this book — a mysterious Shakespeare manuscript!! But there was WAY too much gratuitous objectification of women for me. Like it drove straight past characterization and veered into sexual assault territory. In the first 20% of the book. I couldn’t get past it. I’m also docking points for lack of consent and fat shaming. I realize this was written in 2007 and is a product of its time, but it does not hold up in 2024.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
I confess. I'm not a big fan of "literary" fiction. I often find it pretentious, the author trying to sound smart, or conversely, trying to make the reader feel stupid or at least uneducated. Either goal, of course, makes for a poor author but I'm convinced they're out there and they're supported by similarly pretentious editors and publishers.
Nevertheless, I keep trying them in an effort to prove myself wrong. Surely there are authors that write masterfully in the English language while at the same time, can tell a darn fine story. Well, I've found one in Michael Gruber. The Book of Air and Shadows is a fantastic fictional story, a thriller of sorts involving the discovery of a long lost unknown Shakespeare play. The book has all of the elements I love including a fascinating plot, intrigue galore, cool settings, and complete characterization. But, this is truly a "literary" novel in that Mr Gruber has produced a genuine work of art. He does not stoop to the devices of lesser (although perhaps best selling) literary authors such as I refered to in the first paragraph. He does not use a large word where a smaller one will do just fine, merely for the sake of using a larger word. He doesn't lose the reader in a maze of prose, forcing them to re-read sections to try and figure out what the author is trying to say. This book is not boring in any sense but rather vibrant. It's like the difference between a black and white photograph and full color.
This novel is one of the best I've read all year. I checked out Mr Gruber's website and paid special attention to one of his essays, "Writing Life: A Short Guide". I often look up authors of books I enjoy, attempting to glean tips on how to improve my own writing and Mr Gruber summarizes much of what I've read elsewhere. For example, most authors say a good writer is first, a good reader. Mr Gruber puts it this way: "Read both stuff you like and difficult stuff that people you respect have told you is great." That's what I try to do and the main reason I read what are considered to be the great classics as well as those books that are classified as "literary" novels. Thank-you Michael Gruber for a great book, and the will to keep trying those other "literary" books.
Nevertheless, I keep trying them in an effort to prove myself wrong. Surely there are authors that write masterfully in the English language while at the same time, can tell a darn fine story. Well, I've found one in Michael Gruber. The Book of Air and Shadows is a fantastic fictional story, a thriller of sorts involving the discovery of a long lost unknown Shakespeare play. The book has all of the elements I love including a fascinating plot, intrigue galore, cool settings, and complete characterization. But, this is truly a "literary" novel in that Mr Gruber has produced a genuine work of art. He does not stoop to the devices of lesser (although perhaps best selling) literary authors such as I refered to in the first paragraph. He does not use a large word where a smaller one will do just fine, merely for the sake of using a larger word. He doesn't lose the reader in a maze of prose, forcing them to re-read sections to try and figure out what the author is trying to say. This book is not boring in any sense but rather vibrant. It's like the difference between a black and white photograph and full color.
This novel is one of the best I've read all year. I checked out Mr Gruber's website and paid special attention to one of his essays, "Writing Life: A Short Guide". I often look up authors of books I enjoy, attempting to glean tips on how to improve my own writing and Mr Gruber summarizes much of what I've read elsewhere. For example, most authors say a good writer is first, a good reader. Mr Gruber puts it this way: "Read both stuff you like and difficult stuff that people you respect have told you is great." That's what I try to do and the main reason I read what are considered to be the great classics as well as those books that are classified as "literary" novels. Thank-you Michael Gruber for a great book, and the will to keep trying those other "literary" books.
I gave up. Endless sidetracking, heaps of information, no clear storyline and most of all very boring. This book made me wonder if it was edited at all. Also, i did not really like the main character that starts out telling the story. A very annoying, self-absorbed and egocentric lawyer. In the end i remembered my resolution: life's too short to read bad books. Such a pity. I really do love books about mysterious books.
Interesting story about a missing shakespeare manuscript. One of the main character's love of movies is a fun lense to look through. The character said of cops 'they act like the cops they see on tv acting etc.' It is done well and has not become tiresome.
Told pretty well through alternating point of views until the two alternating POVs join the same story line then the chapters are retelling the same plot developments from different perspectives rather than two different stories with a common link.
Both gentlemen are obsessed with women who dooped them (separately) and if it turns out to be the same woman that ploy was terribly transparent and should not have been dragged out as long as it was. If for some reason they are twins or two different women that might be interesting...but I doubt that is the case.
*Update* the author did drag on the two women who happen to be the same woman until the very end. It wasn't terribly painful and I began to doubt my assumptions.
Overall it was interesting and fun to listen to. It kind of fizzled out in the end rapping everything up terribly neatly. It used the 'life is the like the movies' angle like a crutch in the end scenes.
Told pretty well through alternating point of views until the two alternating POVs join the same story line then the chapters are retelling the same plot developments from different perspectives rather than two different stories with a common link.
Both gentlemen are obsessed with women who dooped them (separately) and if it turns out to be the same woman that ploy was terribly transparent and should not have been dragged out as long as it was. If for some reason they are twins or two different women that might be interesting...but I doubt that is the case.
*Update* the author did drag on the two women who happen to be the same woman until the very end. It wasn't terribly painful and I began to doubt my assumptions.
Overall it was interesting and fun to listen to. It kind of fizzled out in the end rapping everything up terribly neatly. It used the 'life is the like the movies' angle like a crutch in the end scenes.
Mind numbing. Couldn't get through the first 5 chapters.
I used the word "romp" to describe this to someone while I was reading it. It plays on standard film and thriller tropes, and I felt the author was a bit tongue-in-cheek about it all and had a great time writing it. A fun read.