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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
The premise of this novel was fun. The way the main character uses a book on mindfulness as a reference to decide his next actions as he is caught up in a hectic situation does a unique take on the trope where antiheroes have made bold, calculated, and extreme choices because they "did what they had to do."
There's a whiff of The Sopranos to the approach in this novel as well, in the sense that ideas meant to be therapeutic and guide one through personal growth are corrupted into helping the main character to commit brutal and criminal acts. As such, the main character turns the mindfulness book into a modern version of The Art of War.
The story can, in some ways, also be viewed as a darkly humoristic exploration of finding inner peace and breaking free from the constraints of business life, social norms, and everyone else's expectations. It exemplifies our inner desire to sometimes say "F it" and choose chaos to put others in their place. While we rarely actually do that in real life, stories like this let us experience it vicariously, albeit in a violent and immoral way.
One gripe, though, is that I wanted the comedy elements to be more consistent. The humor was dry and deadpan, which was great, but there were times I felt the author got too focused on driving the plot forward - with scheming and characters outsmarting each other - to evenly sprinkle the humor across the story. Which is a shame, because the story had me smiling and chuckling a bit from the first chapter.
Some unevenness, in other words, but it was a fine, enjoyable read overall!
There's a whiff of The Sopranos to the approach in this novel as well, in the sense that ideas meant to be therapeutic and guide one through personal growth are corrupted into helping the main character to commit brutal and criminal acts. As such, the main character turns the mindfulness book into a modern version of The Art of War.
The story can, in some ways, also be viewed as a darkly humoristic exploration of finding inner peace and breaking free from the constraints of business life, social norms, and everyone else's expectations. It exemplifies our inner desire to sometimes say "F it" and choose chaos to put others in their place. While we rarely actually do that in real life, stories like this let us experience it vicariously, albeit in a violent and immoral way.
One gripe, though, is that I wanted the comedy elements to be more consistent. The humor was dry and deadpan, which was great, but there were times I felt the author got too focused on driving the plot forward - with scheming and characters outsmarting each other - to evenly sprinkle the humor across the story. Which is a shame, because the story had me smiling and chuckling a bit from the first chapter.
Some unevenness, in other words, but it was a fine, enjoyable read overall!
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Lectura CONJUNTA con MANU
dark
funny
tense
Do I normally read this genre? No. Did I expect to like this? Also no. And still, I laughed my ass off and learned a few useful tips to combat stress - more than in my one year of therapy.
It's a surefire recommendation for anyone searching for a light-hearted crime story with some dark humor (which is actually funny and not the "dark humor" people use to excuse making asshole "jokes")
It's a surefire recommendation for anyone searching for a light-hearted crime story with some dark humor (which is actually funny and not the "dark humor" people use to excuse making asshole "jokes")
funny
tense
fast-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
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
fast-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:
Yes
dark
funny