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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just finished. Tears pooled in my eyes several times while reading, but right now I am actually crying.
A fantastic novel about a man's life - a study of what it is to be human.
FULL REVIEW HERE
A fantastic novel about a man's life - a study of what it is to be human.
FULL REVIEW HERE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great historical storytelling and interesting format (personal diary entries). The middle years of the main character, Logan Mountstuart, were the most interesting. The later years seemed too choppy and kind of haphazardly thrown into Logan's life story which, to me, dragged the book on a bit longer than it needed to be. All in all, an enjoyable read. Highly recommend.
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
Incredibly, intensely readable. As an intermittent journal-keeper and reluctant 20-something, I found this book to be a helpful, thought-provoking testament to the various phases, lives, cycles we live. My only critique is that Mountstuart occasionally felt more like a prop in the hands of Boyd (and perhaps an extension of Boyd himself?) with which to inhabit these by-gone eras/lampoon these by-gone figures than an actual, fully-developed character. These moments didn't do much to detract my general enjoyment of the book, but they did make me wonder about Boyd and his relationship with his character.
I loved listening to this flawed, fictional Englishman document his rich, 20th-century life. This quote reminded me of POTUS 45 and why [b: Stoner|166997|Stoner|John Williams|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320600716l/166997._SY75_.jpg|1559207] is more successful in Europe than in the U.S.:
[D]uring these years when I was truly on my uppers, I used occasionally to recall what Mr. Schmidt had screamed at me that morning in New York . . . LOSER! You English loser . . . I suppose he thought it was the most grievous insult he could hurl. But such a curse doesn't really have any effect on an English person—or a European—it seems to me. We know we're all going to lose in the end so it is deprived of any force as a slur. But not in the U.S.A. Perhaps this is the great difference between the two worlds, this concept of Loserdom. In the New World, it is the ultimate mark of shame—in the Old it prompts only a wry sympathy.