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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Really creative reimagining of Hamlet with a lot of humor throughout. I LOVED the language, and the nods to Shakespeare, Drayton, Donne, etc, were delightful. I smiled through a lot of my reading. I switched back and forth between the book and audiobook, which was beautifully read by Rory Kinnear. There were a couple of musings on the fetus’ behalf that confused me regarding author purpose, and I wasn’t sure if he was being racist/ableist/xenophobic/transphobic or just showing the awe of a new being into a strange world. That part troubled me. I have to consider those elements and their intentions before rating it, but I did love the language and allusions. I did have to reread some parts, and some elements felt a bit overwrought, repetitive, or bogged down, but overall I thought it was fun and ambitious.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Well-written and funny, but definitely pretentious.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
incredibly strange. it's written in such a delightful way, i had a great time listening and just being completely in awe of the flow and word choices. would read more from this author.
Such an interesting concept and narrative perspective!
I was initially excited by the concept of an unborn child observing the world through his mother’s body, exploring the Oedipus complex, etc. The novel lost me a few times; once at the slight Islamophobic remarks, then when it made fun of woke university students who were just too sensitive and self absorbed for the world and later when the narrator sarcastically described the endless pool of genders. There was also a condescending tone to this baby’s voice, maybe the audiobook is to blame and not the writer. Perhaps a bit of both.. This novel didn’t age well, and it’s not been 10 years yet.
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story of a fetus in a woman's womb who plans to murder her husband, and get away with it. Only Ian McEwan can write such a masterful and original novel. Brilliant!