Scan barcode
rduncan's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
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? Yes
3.75
shelbymarie516's review against another edition
4.0
Was expecting a historical fiction on book smuggling during the Cold War. Got that and a romance.
bibliocinephile's review against another edition
3.0
so the prose of this book was truly unique. it felt dense yet was a quick read, and striking that balance was really well done. however, in the middle, the plot became somewhat muddied by this desire to make some sort of esoteric prose of inner conflict. after that, the ending seemed a bit rushed for the build up of the story. the ending was the perfect amount of satisfying with a bit of a cliffhanger, and i mean hello it's gay
taylor_doose's review against another edition
This was so boring, absolutely nothing to keep me interested in it. Characters, places etc all flat.
etakloknok's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
katyinscrubs's review
I really liked it for a while, but when the book switched narrators, I lost interest. It had potential, but I couldn’t convince myself to pick it up again after it got boring.
catbrigand's review against another edition
2.0
I reserve single stars for books that inspire an actual burning hatred. This book made me feel nothing, which might be worse.
First, let me talk about what did work: the strike-through chapter headings to track progression and evolution of characters, and the Greek chorus of typists.
What didn’t work: a lot of the rest. The chorus was, at times, too revealing. Tipping readers off to major plot points before they happen is kind of lazy, makes for a poor mystery, and makes it seem like the author doesn’t trust the readers to figure it out. The story is presented as East meets West, but honestly, the entire East portion could have been cut out—it didn’t add a whole lot. I appreciate that this is a love letter to Doctor Zhivago, but I’m just not sure there was really enough there.
First, let me talk about what did work: the strike-through chapter headings to track progression and evolution of characters, and the Greek chorus of typists.
What didn’t work: a lot of the rest. The chorus was, at times, too revealing. Tipping readers off to major plot points before they happen is kind of lazy, makes for a poor mystery, and makes it seem like the author doesn’t trust the readers to figure it out. The story is presented as East meets West, but honestly, the entire East portion could have been cut out—it didn’t add a whole lot. I appreciate that this is a love letter to Doctor Zhivago, but I’m just not sure there was really enough there.
ebc726's review against another edition
2.0
I went into this book excited and expecting to love it. The Reese's Book Club picks don't usually steer me wrong, but this was an exception.
The whole thing just felt choppy and disjointed to me. The characters didn't feel like they had a lot of depth, and it was difficult to connect with and root for them. I didn't feel like the author got her idea across very well. I had trouble understanding how exactly the typists played a role in securing Doctor Zhivago for distribution outside of the USSR. All of the characters' romantic relationships felt forced.
The whole thing just felt choppy and disjointed to me. The characters didn't feel like they had a lot of depth, and it was difficult to connect with and root for them. I didn't feel like the author got her idea across very well. I had trouble understanding how exactly the typists played a role in securing Doctor Zhivago for distribution outside of the USSR. All of the characters' romantic relationships felt forced.