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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
i am VERY MUCH confused. i think i might have to read this again if i really want to understand it.
for a long time i thought this book was one like many others, being told in a nice, refreshing way through the transcripts of audio files that sometimes get words so incredi ly wrong (it took me at least 50 pages to understand that missiles meant miss isles).
the middle part was very slow and surely is this book's weak spot. but the last third is quite brilliant. i really did not see many of the twists coming, especially the big reveal SPOILER!! that steven made it all up. hiding clues in the transcript just put it on such a meta level, it is brilliant. nevertheless, the mystery and the riddles are very complex and multi-layered and i somehow lost track. also, they often do not seem quite natural and are not as interesting as say, the ones in da vinci code, as for me at least a closer connection to the real world would have made it much more interesting.
i have no clue wether operation fish or rather hoax fish actually existed and sadly i have to say that i am too confused and not intrigued enough to go and do detailed research. the edith twyford/enid blyton thing seems actually much more interesting to me, but i do not find a lot of information on it online and also i only know the adapted german versions of enid blyton's books, so i have nothing to compare to.
i think if i wanted to understand the details i would really have to read it all over again, but then it just was a little too slow and the themes explored not quite interesting enough for me to
go through 350 pages all over again.
i reeally liked some of the characters in this though, especially steven, his experiences. i know little about eough childhoods in london, let alone about street smarts but it seemed real. emotional. understandable. i felt with him all the way through.
for a long time i thought this book was one like many others, being told in a nice, refreshing way through the transcripts of audio files that sometimes get words so incredi ly wrong (it took me at least 50 pages to understand that missiles meant miss isles).
the middle part was very slow and surely is this book's weak spot. but the last third is quite brilliant. i really did not see many of the twists coming, especially the big reveal SPOILER!! that steven made it all up. hiding clues in the transcript just put it on such a meta level, it is brilliant. nevertheless, the mystery and the riddles are very complex and multi-layered and i somehow lost track. also, they often do not seem quite natural and are not as interesting as say, the ones in da vinci code, as for me at least a closer connection to the real world would have made it much more interesting.
i have no clue wether operation fish or rather hoax fish actually existed and sadly i have to say that i am too confused and not intrigued enough to go and do detailed research. the edith twyford/enid blyton thing seems actually much more interesting to me, but i do not find a lot of information on it online and also i only know the adapted german versions of enid blyton's books, so i have nothing to compare to.
i think if i wanted to understand the details i would really have to read it all over again, but then it just was a little too slow and the themes explored not quite interesting enough for me to
go through 350 pages all over again.
i reeally liked some of the characters in this though, especially steven, his experiences. i know little about eough childhoods in london, let alone about street smarts but it seemed real. emotional. understandable. i felt with him all the way through.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved The Appeal and was looking forward to this but this one was a struggle to get through. I finished it because I thought the big reveal would be coming up and it just kind of fizzled. Problem was that the ‘code’ was just way too convoluted with complicated acrostics and hidden meanings that when the reveal did happen I was more annoyed than anything else, like, how the hell was I meant to work that out?!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was really strange, but definitely in a good way. I was no where near guessing the ending. I've never read a book where it is all scripts of audio recordings, really clever idea
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes