Reviews

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

lamisosoup's review against another edition

3.25

mostly enjoyable! caveats being that it felt a little odd that the women aren't more central to the story considering the inciting events and all, and the tiny random moments of racism were jarring.

one thing I found really refreshing was the sparseness of the writing at times. the willingness to skip dialogue that would simply be a repetition of things the reader already knew, and leave some things to common sense or a one-sentence summary instead of drawing it out, was something I didn't realize I was looking for until I was reading it. I feel like lately I've been reading some authors who are overly explanatory or repetitive, and it felt good to have something different.

the story was also a good one, if a little predictable (but I also wonder how much of that is due to a hydrox-oreo effect of the imitations being more well-known than the original, at east for me personally). despite the limited characterization, I did still feel for the folks in midwich and their predicament, even if it did feel more like a thought exercise than a story at times.

nicmc92's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lizardking_no1's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

ashleydavies's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

daniel1501's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

andreastopit's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

tothemoonandsaturn's review against another edition

The most dry, boring British writing. YAWN.

beyonator's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

stephibabes's review against another edition

4.0

Another Wyndham classic. I have been enjoying his carefully considered and imaginative storytelling this year. Even if there are misogynistic moments here and there that show it's age. But Midwich Cuckoos was definitely one where Wyndham's imagination really came out strongly.

Unusually for Wyndham the ending came as such a shock to me that I choked back tears.

I will definitely be trying to listen to more Wyndham before my Audible trial runs out! As ever, support your local library!

kayrae_42's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was a fun quick read. I loved the end, and the tension in the story