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micheleheather's review against another edition
3.0
Follows four English men who are trying to carry out thier friend's "last request" - to scatter his ashes at a specific location. Of course, it is much more about the relationships between the four men, an exploration into male friendship and loyalty, than about the ashes or where they end up.
A quiet book. Not alot of action, but the characters are fairly well created. My problem with it is that I didn't really connect well enough with any of the men, so while I enjoyed reading the book, I didn't fall in love with it.
A quiet book. Not alot of action, but the characters are fairly well created. My problem with it is that I didn't really connect well enough with any of the men, so while I enjoyed reading the book, I didn't fall in love with it.
sloatsj's review against another edition
3.0
The weird thing about this book is I must have started reading it once before and forget that. Either that or I was having major deja vu, which quite honestly could be the case. I knew so many details that I otherwise can't explain. Maybe I read a review when it was published?
Anyway, the book was enjoyable, but definitely didn't seem to me like a Booker Prize winner. (I preferred Seamus Deane's "Reading in the Dark," which was shortlisted the same year.) Life could be beautiful, but it isn't. Life could be beautiful, but we're corralled by our own personalities and limitations. So instead of making difficult changes, we look for pleasure/comfort in small things, routines, cigarettes, beer.
The switching of narrators/points of view made it more interesting than it would otherwise have been. An Irish friend of mine said she found the book very funny, but that went over my head, maybe because of the vernacular lower-class British dialect. I didn't have any trouble understanding it, but it was particular. The final scene was excellent, and is probably what cinched the prize.
Anyway, the book was enjoyable, but definitely didn't seem to me like a Booker Prize winner. (I preferred Seamus Deane's "Reading in the Dark," which was shortlisted the same year.) Life could be beautiful, but it isn't. Life could be beautiful, but we're corralled by our own personalities and limitations. So instead of making difficult changes, we look for pleasure/comfort in small things, routines, cigarettes, beer.
The switching of narrators/points of view made it more interesting than it would otherwise have been. An Irish friend of mine said she found the book very funny, but that went over my head, maybe because of the vernacular lower-class British dialect. I didn't have any trouble understanding it, but it was particular. The final scene was excellent, and is probably what cinched the prize.
megadan777's review against another edition
3.0
A group of four friends meet up at the pub with the ashes of the fifth member of the group and are tasked with carrying out his last wishes. The book delves into the back stories of each character, often with miserable lives that revolved around work and the pub in one of the London suburbs. An enjoyable read
mturner2's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And life plods on. Beautiful.
monikapuff's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not sure I can find a fault in this novel. I didn't expect to love book about crazy old people on mission to scatter the ashes of their deceased friend, but I did. All different POVs, thoughts, history, troubles going way back into their youth, lives never lived to the fullest, failures and wrong choices are what can happen to every one of us. Story of missed chances, having no choice, or making a wrong one, being happy with who you have been all your life and questioning whether that person is really you, and where have your dreams gone? Believable and faulty, characters came to life in front of my eyes and I felt so sorry for them and their wasted lives and sorrows and guilt and everything a human being can feel. It was beautifully written, so simple and yet so complex underneath the surface, I love it.
hpc1c21's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ethan0lsen's review against another edition
3.0
What better way is there to get the lads back together than to send them off on a road trip to scatter your ashes?