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litwithlexie's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
I liked the concept, but the style of execution wasn't for me. It seems very odd that the baby was speaking like a philosopher which broke the imaginary I had.
1likebigb00ksand1cann0tlie's review against another edition
4.0
A compelling read told from a very unique perspective. Kept me guessing until the very last sentence. I know I’ll be thinking about this book and its characters weeks from now.
Quote … “But here’s life’s most limiting truth- it’s always now, always here, never then and there.”
Quote … “But here’s life’s most limiting truth- it’s always now, always here, never then and there.”
bioarla's review against another edition
3.0
McEwan here re-writes the tragedy of Hamlet in a new light, with the main character portrayed in an unusual, innovative fashion. The modern Hamlet is physically confined in a “nutshell”, and extremely limited in his actions – though the biggest one will ultimately lead to his uncle’s demise like in the original tragedy. Similar to the Shakespearian prince, the main character is often pensive and a bit verbose, but McEwan also gives him a sharp tongue (and love & great knowledge of wines). Thus the hate for Claude/Claudius is often accompanied by witty, sarcastic remarks on his stupidity and inadequacy, which give the prose a lighter tone. Initially I was a bit worried/sceptical about this story (high school did not make me love Hamlet), but by the time I reached the end I was already missing our modern prince.
rlwaite's review against another edition
1.0
Way way way too wordy. The author clearly considers himself a poet, but fails at his attempts to give us finely honed lyrical prose. All in all, this is a truly boring novel.
rjbs's review against another edition
1.0
I know you've seen that romcom — and there are many — where the Woman Who Thinks She Has Mister Right But Doesn't is involved with some self-important writer, and everyone can tell he's a pretentious twit, especially Mister Actually Right, and even more especially the audience. And at some point, the male lead and his opposition are stuck at a dinner party talking to each other, and our hero asks what the pretentious twit is writing, and he starts to describe a book so incredibly ill-conceived that you start to wonder if the screenplay writer wrote the screenplay just to trot out the incredibly bad idea they'd come up with.
This book is that book.
One star, on my rating guide, is "I will gladly talk at length about how much I didn't like this book." This book qualifies.
So, the glib summary of this story is: a prequel to Hamlet, set in the modern day, where the story is narrated by Gertrude and Old King Hamlet's unborn fœtus who lets us know, among other things, when he is suffering the attacks of his uncleClaudiusClaude's intruding penis. I don't want a baby telling me about its mother's orgasms, and that's not because I'm puritanical. And it's hardly the most tedious thing about the book. One saving grace was having read a review, partway through, that suggested imagining the whole story told in the voice of Stewie from Family Guy. Good advice. Better advice would've been "don't read this."
This book is that book.
One star, on my rating guide, is "I will gladly talk at length about how much I didn't like this book." This book qualifies.
So, the glib summary of this story is: a prequel to Hamlet, set in the modern day, where the story is narrated by Gertrude and Old King Hamlet's unborn fœtus who lets us know, among other things, when he is suffering the attacks of his uncle
evie_thompson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
readingbowls's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book gave me a little too intimate insight in being a drunk foetus
foofers1622's review against another edition
4.0
If Stewie Griffin were to write a memoir, this would be it. Only Ian McEwan could think of a story where the narrator is an unborn baby. The ending was predictable, but still entertaining. I also listened to this and Rory Kinnear does another wonderful job.
dottiemi's review against another edition
4.0
Effortlessly effective and wonderfully wordy, McEwan has produced another winner.
dua_liepard's review against another edition
2.0
This is essentially a retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of a foetus. To that end, I found the gimmick of the narrator being an unborn baby utterly bizarre, especially given the academic tone of the narration. The methods McEwan used to get around the obvious pitfalls of this gimmick seemed a bit of a reach.
Having said this, the prose is, at times, astounding; the plot thoroughly gripping. There is however a tendency towards self-indulgent digressions, which again grate when considering the titular voice is supposed to be a baby. McEwan has instead inserted himself as the principal character, which is both conceited and tragic. Rather than exploring the idea of how an innocent baby may perceive the plotting of his treacherous mother and uncle from within the womb, McEwan instead elects to cast himself and level his incisive, sardonic wit at an array of contemporary (and entirely irrelevant) issues, such as his views on identity politics.
As a 200-page exercise in self-indulgence, this book left me cold. The frustration is that there is a lot to like here, but it is ruined by an author who's considerable success seems to have finally gone to his head.
Having said this, the prose is, at times, astounding; the plot thoroughly gripping. There is however a tendency towards self-indulgent digressions, which again grate when considering the titular voice is supposed to be a baby. McEwan has instead inserted himself as the principal character, which is both conceited and tragic. Rather than exploring the idea of how an innocent baby may perceive the plotting of his treacherous mother and uncle from within the womb, McEwan instead elects to cast himself and level his incisive, sardonic wit at an array of contemporary (and entirely irrelevant) issues, such as his views on identity politics.
As a 200-page exercise in self-indulgence, this book left me cold. The frustration is that there is a lot to like here, but it is ruined by an author who's considerable success seems to have finally gone to his head.