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2.82 AVERAGE
2.82 AVERAGE
Started slow for me though got more interesting toward the end.
Didn't see the "spoiler" coming...
Didn't see the "spoiler" coming...
sorry, bookclub! not sure why this got such good reviews. i didn't enjoy it and no one else seemed to either.
Far better than expected. Yes, it's obvious and bit of a caricature, but with enough twists and turns and with a good, sharp eye of the journalism native.
Als einen atemberaubenden Showdown, wie im Klappentext beschrieben, würde ich es nicht bezeichnen, wobei das Buch gegen Ende doch etwas Fahrt aufgenommen hat. Es war nur vorher so zäh, dass von atemberaubend keine Rede sein kann.
Warum ich trotzdem weitergelesen habe, stoisch der sich sehr langsam entwickelnden geschichte folgend? Weil die Gegenüberstellung der beiden Charaktere einen Showdown versprach, irgendwas musste passieren, dass diesen ausführlich ausgearbeiteten gegenspielern, mit denen man sich abwechselnd anfreundete oder auch nicht, rechtfertigte. Beide waren teilweise höchst unsympathisch bis verplant und dumm, die eine mehr die andere weniger.
Das Ende enthält einen Knaller und einen Dämpfer, ohne zu viel verraten zu wollen, jedoch so ohne jeden Bezug zu der ersten Hälfte des Buches, das es einen unbefriedigt zurücklässt.
Warum ich trotzdem weitergelesen habe, stoisch der sich sehr langsam entwickelnden geschichte folgend? Weil die Gegenüberstellung der beiden Charaktere einen Showdown versprach, irgendwas musste passieren, dass diesen ausführlich ausgearbeiteten gegenspielern, mit denen man sich abwechselnd anfreundete oder auch nicht, rechtfertigte. Beide waren teilweise höchst unsympathisch bis verplant und dumm, die eine mehr die andere weniger.
Das Ende enthält einen Knaller und einen Dämpfer, ohne zu viel verraten zu wollen, jedoch so ohne jeden Bezug zu der ersten Hälfte des Buches, das es einen unbefriedigt zurücklässt.
i really liked this book, about two female journalists at very different points in their lives, and at very different points of what journalism means and should be. at the beginning, it seems like you respect one much more than the other, but by the end ... i really liked it.
When watching a news program or scrolling through headlines, do you sometimes roll your eyes and think "how is THIS news?" Then this is a book for you.
Setting: A London newsroom ca. 1997, just prior to the internet takeover of journalism. Two journalists: One a veteran war correspondent past her prime and, some would say, past her fame as well. The other a young thing who considers top 10 lists and the latest celebrity sex scandal more significant than pesky things like facts or history. Battle lines are drawn as the two meet for an interview.
The newsroom staff are annoying, self-centered, and self-important and it shows. There are some Mad Men-esque views into this world of deadlines, cutthroat competition, and expense reports. Honor Tait, a war correspondence now in her 80s, is the old guard watching with horror the coming tide of "journalists" who promote the celebrity over knowledge. Tamara Sim could be a chick-lit heroine as drawn, but we are shown the darker side of that coin, the damage that results from replacing facts with soundbites and from assuming that, in a career, over-confidence can compensate for lack of knowledge. Imagine Bridget Jones as perceived by her superiors rather than herself.
There were two plot twists that you could see coming a mile away, and a third that ultimately revealed the true nature of both main characters (in my opinion). Overall an excellent book with well drawn characters.
Setting: A London newsroom ca. 1997, just prior to the internet takeover of journalism. Two journalists: One a veteran war correspondent past her prime and, some would say, past her fame as well. The other a young thing who considers top 10 lists and the latest celebrity sex scandal more significant than pesky things like facts or history. Battle lines are drawn as the two meet for an interview.
The newsroom staff are annoying, self-centered, and self-important and it shows. There are some Mad Men-esque views into this world of deadlines, cutthroat competition, and expense reports. Honor Tait, a war correspondence now in her 80s, is the old guard watching with horror the coming tide of "journalists" who promote the celebrity over knowledge. Tamara Sim could be a chick-lit heroine as drawn, but we are shown the darker side of that coin, the damage that results from replacing facts with soundbites and from assuming that, in a career, over-confidence can compensate for lack of knowledge. Imagine Bridget Jones as perceived by her superiors rather than herself.
There were two plot twists that you could see coming a mile away, and a third that ultimately revealed the true nature of both main characters (in my opinion). Overall an excellent book with well drawn characters.
I was so disappointed in this book. I read multiple good reviews, but the plot didn't pick up until page 200 (out of 200!). Don't waste your time on this one.
Hard to finish, unlikable characters, yet I plowed on to find out if the spoiler was as I guessed and it was.
I can't decide on this book. To be honest, I didn't really feel for either of the main characters until the end. Still, it is an interesting story that kept me reading until the end with plenty of twists and turns.