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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
Ray Welter is an ad exec seeking to escape his mid-life crisis and the quagmire of consumerism by traveling to the remote Scottish island where George Orwell wrote 1984 and drinking copious amounts of fine scotch. But the locals are anything but friendly. Everything goes from bad to worse on this vacation from hell, and that's no hyperbole -- Ray's misfortunes are absurdly terrible (and hilarious). Will he ever find meaning in life? Highly entertaining, light summer satire with a philosophical inclination, this debut novel is a top choice for fans of Murakami, Palahniuk, and of course, the titular Orwell himself.
Read my other book reviews on my staff reviews page at Grass Roots Books!
Read my other book reviews on my staff reviews page at Grass Roots Books!
I liked some parts of the book more than others. The setting and some of the characters was very interesting although the story felt rather flat for me. But as the same time the audiobook was quite easy getting invested in so it had some compelling elements to it
I went from not really liking this book, to being kind of interested, to flying through it, to being completely underwhelmed by the ending.
Ray was an "eh" kind of protagonist... I didn't love him or hate him, though he did feel a little weirdly like a stock protagonist. What I mean is, I feel like I've met him in lots of other stories—life's got him down and he's run off for some ~alone time~ to figure out the answers to life's big questions. A lot of the Orwell metaphors and references felt a little like a stretch, or just self-serving for the author. It was probably the secondary characters in Jura that kept me entertained, and I kind of like that not all the mysteries of the island or its inhabitants were resolved. But I don't know, some kind of unique conclusion or message was missing. Maybe it was too much to expect, but it did seem that the book was building toward *some* kind of inspiring or insightful conclusion? But no, everyone made unsatisfying decisions and we're just supposed to be on board because they sounds nice and wrap up the story neatly. I just don't really see the point. Disappointing.
Ray was an "eh" kind of protagonist... I didn't love him or hate him, though he did feel a little weirdly like a stock protagonist. What I mean is, I feel like I've met him in lots of other stories—life's got him down and he's run off for some ~alone time~ to figure out the answers to life's big questions. A lot of the Orwell metaphors and references felt a little like a stretch, or just self-serving for the author. It was probably the secondary characters in Jura that kept me entertained, and I kind of like that not all the mysteries of the island or its inhabitants were resolved. But I don't know, some kind of unique conclusion or message was missing. Maybe it was too much to expect, but it did seem that the book was building toward *some* kind of inspiring or insightful conclusion? But no, everyone made unsatisfying decisions and we're just supposed to be on board because they sounds nice and wrap up the story neatly. I just don't really see the point. Disappointing.
I’m just very glad that it didn’t go where I think it was, which was a middle-aged man in a mid-life crisis sleeping with a barely legal teenager….. it was a bit of fun, though it could do without the fantasy of being with someone young enough to be your daughter.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m on the fence about this. It was not bad, but I didn’t love it. After a certain point, I was just reading to get to the end.
It probably should be made into an independent film. The quirky, often unlikeable Isle of Jura residents would be perfect in a movie.
It probably should be made into an independent film. The quirky, often unlikeable Isle of Jura residents would be perfect in a movie.
For a book about advertisement, it was really poorly advertised. If you're looking for werewolves, horror, and hints of magical realism, look elsewhere. The best part of this book was when the prose was passable, and I didn't have to stop every paragraph to puzzle over the weird dialogue. Other than the dialogue (which was really really bad), the writing on a sentence to sentence basis was fine, but as far as writing a coherent story, :(. Nothing in this book had any weight or impact. Nothing had much build up. I finished this book hoping the werewolves would come in clutch, but deadass, the werewolf is mentioned maybe once a chapter break, the whisky about twice a paragraph. Main character was also super unlikable, and if you're like me and have had enough of: Cell phones are bad Please Clap, well.
I was going to give this book two stars, but some of that dialogue is just, it's really from another planet. Took me forever to get through this, and I did laugh a few times, but in a my immortal sort of way. Overall this felt like it was published a few drafts before it should have been.
Regardless, there's definitely an audience for this book, and if you take a look at the newer edition with the whiskey on the cover, and that intrigues you, you're probably that audience.
I was going to give this book two stars, but some of that dialogue is just, it's really from another planet. Took me forever to get through this, and I did laugh a few times, but in a my immortal sort of way. Overall this felt like it was published a few drafts before it should have been.
Regardless, there's definitely an audience for this book, and if you take a look at the newer edition with the whiskey on the cover, and that intrigues you, you're probably that audience.
Spoilers, probably, but I didn't make it that far anyways- I love Orwell (actually, I wouldn't say I love him, but I am fascinated by his work), and when I picked this book up I was hoping it was going to incorporate him into the story in an interesting way. But good lord, I cannot read another page of it. I don't know if it gets better, and frankly, I really don't care. I was really hoping this book would have something interesting to say about Orwell, about his history, about his work, about his politics, anything, but up until the point where I stopped, it was just passages of essentially mansplaining the plot of 1984. The whole reason Orwell is even important is because Ray, our protagonist, is totally obsessed with him. The reason for THAT is confusing, too, because it seemed to me as though Ray completely misinterpreted the themes of Orwell's book and became a big-time marketing executive who is painfully unlikable. Don't get me wrong, unlikable characters are great and absolutely have a place in literature. But only if you do it right. Additionally, I cannot take another whiskey-drinking scene. He's an asshole, he loves Orwell, he drinks whiskey a lot. Got it. I'm not necessarily angry at this book for being bad, but I am angry that it had so many interesting ideas, but it really seems like it has absolutely nothing to say and yet believes itself to be profound.
To conclude, I'll leave you with a quote that I believe encapsulates the unfunny writing that seems to consider itself hysterical:
"Sometimes after work he would hit the bars with some coworkers or go on the occasional date and bring a girl home to make sweat angels in the bedsheets"
Sweat. Angels.
I can't.
To conclude, I'll leave you with a quote that I believe encapsulates the unfunny writing that seems to consider itself hysterical:
"Sometimes after work he would hit the bars with some coworkers or go on the occasional date and bring a girl home to make sweat angels in the bedsheets"
Sweat. Angels.
I can't.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
I was really pulled into this one. It's main character, Ray, isn't a very lovable man, but you can identify with his need to get away from everything and try to clear his mind someplace he believes to be completely isolated. Unfortunately, no such place exists in the world anymore. Everywhere you go, there you are - you take yourself and all of your baggage with you, and there are others there, too. These others have their own agendas, madnesses, personality problems and past. I think the Orwell connection was pretty weak, and that Ray doesn't really love 1984 as much as he says he does, or doesn't relly understand it. In any rate, the writer doesn't go enough into this idea, which is the stated issue of the title. The strongest parts of the book were the ones taking place on the island of Jura, which keeps surprising Ray and is almost nothing like its fantasy of it. I love how the British seem to have more tolerance towards eccentricity and difference than anyone else in the world, and this is also clear in this novel. This tendency is marred though by their apparent inherent dislike of anyone "foreign", or maybe they're just not as hypocritical about it as others are. Very enjoyable, even suspenseful at times, and gives you a lot to think about when it's done.