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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I'm revising this from 3 stars to 2 having read Slaughter House 5, after which I can no longer understand why Amis bothered.
reflective
tense
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-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
Time's Arrow moves in many ways. A consistent and stunning view of life. It's fragility and confusion. Imagine your life backwards.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, with its peculiar narrative style - going backwards, that is. I think it might be a much better read if one doesn't know where the story is going, and so it might be even more surprising. I enjoyed it immensely, as it was deeply interesting, funny at times and painfully human.
I think the book is a cool idea, but I didn't like the delivery.
Clever concept, handled well in the prose. Not handled that well in the plot. The 2 BIG questions looming over the whole book were not answered and just…totally ignored.
The conceit of writing this story backwards seemed clever initially. Before the first chapter ended, the novelty had worn out its welcome. A few chapters later, I finally had to throw in the towel and admit defeat.
The gimmick extended as far as having the conversations read backwards, statement by statement. Add in a (to the point where I gave up) protagonist that didn't strike me as interesting, and the decision to start reading another book was easy to make.
Other reviewers have enjoyed the novel more than I did, so obviously, YMMV. Amis' reputation is good, so I'll probably try another of his books one day. But this one ... blech.
The gimmick extended as far as having the conversations read backwards, statement by statement. Add in a (to the point where I gave up) protagonist that didn't strike me as interesting, and the decision to start reading another book was easy to make.
Other reviewers have enjoyed the novel more than I did, so obviously, YMMV. Amis' reputation is good, so I'll probably try another of his books one day. But this one ... blech.