Reviews

Yikes, what an ending!

I loved the writing style here. Lots of character dissection from the narrator as well as dry, witty humor.

There’s a slow build, but I just eat up petty drama, and that was how this started. The main thing I struggled with was the believability of Robert, but I’m a little scared he’s all too real.

There are some ideological rambles, but I appreciated how Catton made it feel like the characters said these things. It didn’t feel like they suddenly became mouthpieces before returning to normal speech. It worked for me.

This definitely reads as a literary thriller. The writing quality is wonderful - thoughtful and insightful, not just serviceable. Will be trying out Catton’s other books.

horsley123's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This could have been a really good thriller - guerilla gardening outfit set up in a tech billionaire’s wilderness retreat, he discovers them, things start going wrong, suspicions are raised - and then the ending, goodness me that was bleak. On this level I really enjoyed the book. I could grasp the ecological issues being tackled and could identify the goodies and the baddies.

However for some reason the author decided that I needed to be lectured on environmental politics. Suddenly characters would go on and on, for pages, spouting off like earnest sixth formers telling their parents that they know nothing. I get enough of that at home - I am not really sure why it is there, as the plot deals with these issues in a far more entertaining and gripping fashion.

siobhanward's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging 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

2.5

NYT Notable Books 2023: 15/100

This was a bit of a disappointment, but it shouldn't have been, since I didn't particularly care for Catton's <i> The Luminaries </i> either. While this was better than that book, it was only by a small margin. Catton insists on making her books long for no real reason that I can see. This book would have been the same without the level of detail and the amount of time we spent going in circles. It felt like everything important happened in the last 50 pages and nothing really got resolved.

Content Warnings

thejoshdenk's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

soph_root's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

More...