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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a good read! I was fully engaged in the plot and characters from the first page, and remained this way throughout.
Diary entries aren't always a format that I'm keen on - I feel like it can sometimes be grating as you only ever get the inner monologue of the main protagonist - but here it worked really well. The frequency of the entries jumped around, sometimes only being days apart and sometimes years, but it meant that you only got the really meaty aspects of the plot, with no tedium in between. There were also sections of writing which preceded the jumps between different parts of the main character's life, written in third person, which provided context for his experiences. They worked really well in adding the necessary exposition whilst not being boring.
This book really came across as a deep examination of an individual's whole life, from his school days all the way up to old age. There are times when you dislike him, feel desperately sorry for him and laugh at the predicaments he gets himself into. It's quite funny in parts (in a very private school boy type way) and incredibly rich in the manner in which his life is portrayed.
Great read - would highly recommend.
Diary entries aren't always a format that I'm keen on - I feel like it can sometimes be grating as you only ever get the inner monologue of the main protagonist - but here it worked really well. The frequency of the entries jumped around, sometimes only being days apart and sometimes years, but it meant that you only got the really meaty aspects of the plot, with no tedium in between. There were also sections of writing which preceded the jumps between different parts of the main character's life, written in third person, which provided context for his experiences. They worked really well in adding the necessary exposition whilst not being boring.
This book really came across as a deep examination of an individual's whole life, from his school days all the way up to old age. There are times when you dislike him, feel desperately sorry for him and laugh at the predicaments he gets himself into. It's quite funny in parts (in a very private school boy type way) and incredibly rich in the manner in which his life is portrayed.
Great read - would highly recommend.
4,5 waw. Such a magnificent book. LMS felt so so real. I loved all the literary references and the drama.
My only tiny complain was the all the obscenity until the end. I do get that it was an unglamorous and honest review of his journals so that’s why it was done
My only tiny complain was the all the obscenity until the end. I do get that it was an unglamorous and honest review of his journals so that’s why it was done
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The most fun I've had reading for ages. Witty, insightful and masterfully done. More Boyd, please.
Logan Mountstuart is a fictional writer born in 1906. This book is written as a series of journals written throughout his life from a schoolboy at a public school, Oxford where he did his degree, through a range of jobs, experiences and relationships up to the end of his life in France as an old man in his eighties.
Having lived in every decade of the twentieth century, Logan is amazed at the social changes he sees all around him by the end of his life. More than that, his life is affected by many of the major events of each decade; the First World War, the General Strike, the Wall Street Crash, the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War etc. The journals and diaries also detail his friendships and relationships which are many and varied. It’s a fascinating read and cleverly constructed. There were definitely some parts of the book that I loved more than others so for me, it was a rather uneven reading experience but one that was enjoyable and interesting most of the time.
Having lived in every decade of the twentieth century, Logan is amazed at the social changes he sees all around him by the end of his life. More than that, his life is affected by many of the major events of each decade; the First World War, the General Strike, the Wall Street Crash, the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War etc. The journals and diaries also detail his friendships and relationships which are many and varied. It’s a fascinating read and cleverly constructed. There were definitely some parts of the book that I loved more than others so for me, it was a rather uneven reading experience but one that was enjoyable and interesting most of the time.
Found the protagonist dull dnf. Well written but I had no interest in the characters or the story really
In some ways reminiscent of Anthony Burgess’s epic Earthly Powers, Any Human Heart takes us on a tour of the political and cultural events of the 20th century in the form of the episodic diary of Logan Mountstuart. A highly privileged, deeply flawed man, LMS is great company as he encounters, often tangentially, the major figures and events of that momentous century and I am forever grateful for being provided with that great, cryptic, epithet for so many people I meet…CAUC!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes