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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Listened to audio. Totally gripping
What stands out is how quiet and desolate most of the book is, the lingering, overreaching certainty that what we knew was ending.
(maybe on the off-hand I should mention it is quite different from the movie, in atmosphere and plot)
(maybe on the off-hand I should mention it is quite different from the movie, in atmosphere and plot)
2 stars seems so harsh but it translates as "it was ok" and that's what I thought of this book. I didn't like it that much, definitely didn't love it... in the beginning, the main character was hard to sympathize with and the author was far too wordy for my taste, and he liked to show off his vocabulary while avoiding using a period. Eventually it picked up I was able to get into it but still, it took too long to get to the point.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this but I think it’s one of the very rare occasions where the movie is much better
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked this book up because I saw the movie some years ago, and had enjoyed it. Well. Reading it was a revelation.
Firstly, different to the movie, the book is primarily set in Oxfordshire, something I really appreciated, having lived in Oxfordshire for the last seven years. And James even put some events in areas very close to some of my favourite spots - including a real village I didn't even know about, right on the doorstep of where we used to live. I loved that.
Secondly, the reason for the title of the book, when it was revealed, was very ingenious, and a delight. Not something I would have thought even possible, but at the time of reading it, it totally made sense to me.
One doesn't really get into the characters in this book. The emotional involvement of the reader is somewhat detached. But nevertheless, this was a compelling read - but also gentle, with atrocities being painted with a hazy stroke - and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. This being my first PD James novel, I will definitely read more of her work.
Firstly, different to the movie, the book is primarily set in Oxfordshire, something I really appreciated, having lived in Oxfordshire for the last seven years. And James even put some events in areas very close to some of my favourite spots - including a real village I didn't even know about, right on the doorstep of where we used to live. I loved that.
Secondly, the reason for the title of the book, when it was revealed, was very ingenious, and a delight. Not something I would have thought even possible, but at the time of reading it, it totally made sense to me.
One doesn't really get into the characters in this book. The emotional involvement of the reader is somewhat detached. But nevertheless, this was a compelling read - but also gentle, with atrocities being painted with a hazy stroke - and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. This being my first PD James novel, I will definitely read more of her work.