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nicknjeffers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
phenomenal
lokroma's review against another edition
2.0
All the requisite pieces of a high stakes art world thriller are here: protagonist who's an ambitious junior specialist at an upmarket London art auction house; Russian billionaire oligarch who owns an important and priceless art collection, including a rare, "missing" Malevich that no one has seen for decades; the oligarch's wife who falls for the junior specialist; and pretty competent writing. But none of this ever coalesces into a real story, and for a good two thirds of the book the three main characters kind of meander around, fall in and out of bed together, and analyze/philosophize about the meaning of life and art, especially Malevich's. I kept waiting for a heist, or a forgery, or anything to happen but, alas, I waited in vain.
isabelrstev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
4.25
acton's review
3.0
Hammer, by Joe Mungo Reed, is a nicely written novel that is billed as a thriller, but reads more like a drama. It takes place mostly in London in the years 2013-14.
The first character we meet is Martin, an ambitious youngish man working at a London auction house. His backstory is meticulously drawn, including his eccentric parents and best friend James. Later, during an important auction, Martin reconnects with Marina, an old friend, who is now married to Oleg, a Russian oligarch. This connection with a rich oligarch is an exciting development in Martin's career, but while he is dazzled with dealing with Oleg, he is also drawn into an affair with Marina.
Oleg's story is partially shrouded in mystery--we know that many people in his native country consider him to be a crook, that he obviously took advantage of difficult, chaotic times in Russia to make his fortune. After Oleg's mother dies and he goes to visit a cousin still living in his hometown, he becomes remorseful, and sets out on a bizarre and ill-advised plan to enter politics, to become the next Russian president and save his country.
It is more than halfway through this novel that Oleg decides to sell his entire art collection to fund his campaign. This is when Oleg's hubris really gets the better of him. He believes, deep down, that he is always correct and can do anything he wants, so there is no stopping him. Unfortunately and inexplicably, he does not seem to understand that he is putting himself and those around him in danger.
While reading this, I learned about Malevich, an important Russian avant-garde painter, and enjoyed some of the symbolism used in this story, particularly the description of a certain painting that is sent to Martin. Overall, though, I felt that these intriguing details did little to help me understand or like the main characters, or make the plot more compelling.
Hammer was an enlightening cultural experience for me, and I am grateful for it. Thank you to Simon Schuster and Netgalley!
The first character we meet is Martin, an ambitious youngish man working at a London auction house. His backstory is meticulously drawn, including his eccentric parents and best friend James. Later, during an important auction, Martin reconnects with Marina, an old friend, who is now married to Oleg, a Russian oligarch. This connection with a rich oligarch is an exciting development in Martin's career, but while he is dazzled with dealing with Oleg, he is also drawn into an affair with Marina.
Oleg's story is partially shrouded in mystery--we know that many people in his native country consider him to be a crook, that he obviously took advantage of difficult, chaotic times in Russia to make his fortune. After Oleg's mother dies and he goes to visit a cousin still living in his hometown, he becomes remorseful, and sets out on a bizarre and ill-advised plan to enter politics, to become the next Russian president and save his country.
It is more than halfway through this novel that Oleg decides to sell his entire art collection to fund his campaign. This is when Oleg's hubris really gets the better of him. He believes, deep down, that he is always correct and can do anything he wants, so there is no stopping him. Unfortunately and inexplicably, he does not seem to understand that he is putting himself and those around him in danger.
While reading this, I learned about Malevich, an important Russian avant-garde painter, and enjoyed some of the symbolism used in this story, particularly the description of a certain painting that is sent to Martin. Overall, though, I felt that these intriguing details did little to help me understand or like the main characters, or make the plot more compelling.
Hammer was an enlightening cultural experience for me, and I am grateful for it. Thank you to Simon Schuster and Netgalley!
lonestarwords's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
3.0
Power is like a muscle that must be exercised.
Hammer
Joe Mungo Reed
•
First of all, this cover. I admit to being totally drawn in by it, in hopes I had found a new art thriller to share with all of you. And for the first 1/3 of Hammer, I was taken in, both the setting (auction houses, London) and the wild ride that happens when money, power and art collide inside the pages of a book.
•
The narration of Hammer is stellar and thank you @simonandschuster for this gifted copy. Hammer really morphs from an art-centric thriller into more of a geopolitical storyline; the timing of this book is actually mind blowing because we have a Russian oligarch named Oleg and his stop at nothing desire for wealth and power. There are lots of Putin references (Putin even makes an appearance in the story) as does Ukraine. The book is set in 2013 but clearly the author had a good working knowledge of where the world was headed. For me, when the plot veered away from art almost totally into world politics, I was both disappointed and a bit bored. This is more a criticism about what I thought the book was going to be - I think if you're looking for ripped from the headlines, international thriller, you might want to check Hammer out. But, I definitely expected and wanted the focus of the story to be the high-stakes world of fine art, and that it is not.
Hammer
Joe Mungo Reed
•
First of all, this cover. I admit to being totally drawn in by it, in hopes I had found a new art thriller to share with all of you. And for the first 1/3 of Hammer, I was taken in, both the setting (auction houses, London) and the wild ride that happens when money, power and art collide inside the pages of a book.
•
The narration of Hammer is stellar and thank you @simonandschuster for this gifted copy. Hammer really morphs from an art-centric thriller into more of a geopolitical storyline; the timing of this book is actually mind blowing because we have a Russian oligarch named Oleg and his stop at nothing desire for wealth and power. There are lots of Putin references (Putin even makes an appearance in the story) as does Ukraine. The book is set in 2013 but clearly the author had a good working knowledge of where the world was headed. For me, when the plot veered away from art almost totally into world politics, I was both disappointed and a bit bored. This is more a criticism about what I thought the book was going to be - I think if you're looking for ripped from the headlines, international thriller, you might want to check Hammer out. But, I definitely expected and wanted the focus of the story to be the high-stakes world of fine art, and that it is not.
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