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malkmess's review against another edition
3.0
i liked it. let's get that straight. i breezed through it pretty quick because i was interested in what was happening. i was mostly rooting for the son (and not just because we share the same name, though different genders). i really love mark haddon and i'll keep reading his works, but i doubt anything can ever top the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime.
kateella07's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a little while to get it in to it as I felt the characters were introduced very quickly and I kept forgetting who was who! Lots of laugh out loud moments and covers the topic of mental health in a clever way.
princesskl's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by Mark Haddon. The story follows 4 family members as they navigate a number of changes in their life. George, who is losing his mind after retiring, his wife who is having an affair, their son who can't open up his life to change or to love and their daughter, who is unsure about getting married for the second time.
I found it as easy to inhabit these characters as I did those in The Curious Incident, I slipped easily into their world and followed their stories with interest, laughing a lot and recognising some very human faults and mistakes I've made myself.
I found it as easy to inhabit these characters as I did those in The Curious Incident, I slipped easily into their world and followed their stories with interest, laughing a lot and recognising some very human faults and mistakes I've made myself.
dlberglund's review against another edition
2.0
I love Curious Incident...but I didn't love this one. Part of it, I admit, was being lost in the place-based nature of the book. It is very British. Every time he mentioned a town, a street, a neighborhood, I knew that it was conjuring up something in the minds of British readers that it was conjuring up for me. Like if an American author refers to Martha's Vineyard, or the Castro, Americans have a collective understanding of why that specific place is being referenced. In reading Haddon's book, I felt adrift. The characters, their thoughts/worries, and their interactions, were interesting. The plot was compelling enough. But Haddon's writing style, which worked so well when narrating form an autistic mind, didn't work for me in this book.
caitlin21521's review against another edition
4.0
I'd previously read The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time by Haddon, and loved this. I'd seen this book many times, and thought I should check it out - finally I did (also checked out a YA book by him; a bit too young for me as it turned out but I'll be posting a review of it shortly).
This novel is both funny and sad. It's funny in the way that life can just be funny while being so sad at the same time. Although I did laugh out loud a lot at the wry British humor. This centers around a family - and a wedding, which tends to bring out a lot of uncomfortable feelings, whether we'd like to admit that fact or not. Both weddings and funerals do the same; people can get rather ugly at them because all of the tension comes out somehow. You have to navigate around family members and friends, some of whom you may not have seen or communicated with in some time. There's a lot of awkwardness. Haddon does a wonderful job capturing these awkward tense moments. The book feels realistic, almost as if you know these people. You probably do know these people in some way or another.
I found myself endeared to this family as they navigated their troubles, hoping that they would somehow find themselves in the end. If you experience awkward family situations, or enjoy reading about them with a touch of sarcasm and wit, then this book is certainly for you.
This novel is both funny and sad. It's funny in the way that life can just be funny while being so sad at the same time. Although I did laugh out loud a lot at the wry British humor. This centers around a family - and a wedding, which tends to bring out a lot of uncomfortable feelings, whether we'd like to admit that fact or not. Both weddings and funerals do the same; people can get rather ugly at them because all of the tension comes out somehow. You have to navigate around family members and friends, some of whom you may not have seen or communicated with in some time. There's a lot of awkwardness. Haddon does a wonderful job capturing these awkward tense moments. The book feels realistic, almost as if you know these people. You probably do know these people in some way or another.
I found myself endeared to this family as they navigated their troubles, hoping that they would somehow find themselves in the end. If you experience awkward family situations, or enjoy reading about them with a touch of sarcasm and wit, then this book is certainly for you.
fictionwriter's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this novel although not as much as THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME which I've recommended to fellow readers many times. It's not fair to compare...this novel takes on the main characters in a family from a neurotic, hyphochondriac husband and father to his philandering wife to his engaged daughter and his gay son.. the author moves seamlessly from one story to another and you do care about what happens to each of them even while they are driving you nuts. That alone is a remarkable achievement.
michelleforrestry's review against another edition
I picked up this book only because I read another book by the author. Sometimes I'm a little worried about doing this, since more often than not the second novel is nothing at all what you were expecting. And while A Spot of Bother is different than The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time, I'd say it's just as good.
It's a great example of families. All the craziness, love, dysfunction, and loyalty that one family can hold. It's hilarious, heart warming, and in the end, it'll make you appreciate your family all the more.
It's a great example of families. All the craziness, love, dysfunction, and loyalty that one family can hold. It's hilarious, heart warming, and in the end, it'll make you appreciate your family all the more.
yvetteadams's review against another edition
3.0
I loved The Curious Incident Of The dog In The Nighttime and gave it five stars, which was why i bought this. But it was just ok. About a man who retires and goes a bit cray, his wife who is having an affair, their adult children who have relationship issues of their own... it's nothing special.
ladydewinter's review against another edition
4.0
Mark Haddon paints a very realistic picture of an ordinarily dysfunctional family here. It was almost a bit unnerving to read - the family really is like every other, and like every other family they're facing some problem or other. It's the ordinariness that affected me most, the realization that really everybody, or almost everybody, is facing smaller and bigger problems in their life, and while some can be solved, in the end nobody's perfect.
Erm. In any case, this was a great read, and while there were some gross bits, it's really worth reading.
Erm. In any case, this was a great read, and while there were some gross bits, it's really worth reading.