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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It is written from a perspective of an unborn baby. Yes, it takes a lot of liberties here and there but the way, the author tells the story is the reason why I fell in love with it the most.The sentences are beautiful to read. Highly recommended!
It is a pretty small book, makes for a good afternoon read. There, you have now no excuse left to not read it.
It is a pretty small book, makes for a good afternoon read. There, you have now no excuse left to not read it.
What a deliciously unique book.
The day I finished it, I wanted to give it five stars.
The day after I finished it, I wanted to give it five stars.
Four days after finishing it, I'm giving it four stars.
What happened?
The glamour of it wore off just a little bit for me.
Here is the easiest way for me to explain this. The story is meandering along in a lazy, warm summer day sort of way until suddenly it isn't. And then it is like one of those old TCM movies where the suspense is building and the violins are screeching and your heart is pounding. And then...BOOM. Silence.
The effect is magnificent.
Once I calmed down, it was still a unique tale that will stick in my mind for a long time. However, other things will stick with me as well such as my frequent nagging thoughts of things not making any sense at all - like a fetus being able to describe colors or rooms or what characters were doing at particular times. I can forgive that the fetus "speaks" better than a Harvard professor, but I can't forgive this as easily!
This is a short read and well worth the read. Try to push past the first couple chapters if the language/writing throws you off. It actually reads very easily once you hit the groove. And then it's witty and hilarious and suspenseful and delightful.
The day I finished it, I wanted to give it five stars.
The day after I finished it, I wanted to give it five stars.
Four days after finishing it, I'm giving it four stars.
What happened?
The glamour of it wore off just a little bit for me.
Here is the easiest way for me to explain this. The story is meandering along in a lazy, warm summer day sort of way until suddenly it isn't. And then it is like one of those old TCM movies where the suspense is building and the violins are screeching and your heart is pounding. And then...BOOM. Silence.
The effect is magnificent.
Once I calmed down, it was still a unique tale that will stick in my mind for a long time. However, other things will stick with me as well such as my frequent nagging thoughts of things not making any sense at all - like a fetus being able to describe colors or rooms or what characters were doing at particular times. I can forgive that the fetus "speaks" better than a Harvard professor, but I can't forgive this as easily!
This is a short read and well worth the read. Try to push past the first couple chapters if the language/writing throws you off. It actually reads very easily once you hit the groove. And then it's witty and hilarious and suspenseful and delightful.
What seems like a creative writing exercise (write a story from the point of view of an unborn fetus) is actually a well executed novel with Hamlet and other Shakespearian references forming the backbone. In any other hands this idea would be a disaster, and there are times when the conceit of the premise doesn't quite work. But McEwan is too good a writer to stumble over details, and he makes it all plausible in a way that other novels with similar narrative trickery never quite pull off. Superbly plotted with a perfect (if somewhat predictable) ending. One of the best crime novels I've read in a while.
Extremely well written and such an original perspective to use an unborn baby as the narrator.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I tried. But I couldn't even get through a chapter w/out putting it down and wandering off.
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes