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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Boy, oh, boy. Much like many of the reviews I've read, I had high hopes for this book after reading the blurb. There was a line in the book: Sometimes the before is more interesting than the after, no? and while it might hold true for most books, I don't think it was executed well in this one. It started strong (promising?). It ended strong. The middle was "not quite a lemon, but a definite citrus".
Struggled to plod through this one. Sounded promising--multiple perspectives surrounding the attempted assassination of the prime minister in the early 80s. Just too dense and way too much exposition. When the action picked up, it got better, but I was rushing to finish it to move on to something else.
An enjoyable read with well developed and interesting, complex characters. The writing style is engaging and keeps the book interesting. The secondary characters provide nice depth to the story. It was interesting from the perspective of the characters living their lives while waiting for a big event to take place. The ending leaves you wanting to know more about how the after-effects of the explosion affect the lives of the three main characters.
This was a pretty quiet book considering the plot is premised around a terrorist bombing. Considering that the moment before impact is more interesting, I found it difficult to get through all the mundanity of the characters, but I think the point of that felt so real at the end that the point did hit the mark.
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At times brilliant, it's an ungainly novel that promises to be an IRA thriller at the beginning and has all the makings of a crackpot yarn; instead, it's a book much more interested in the quotidian details of the lives of those working in a hotel that was the site of a real-life bombing / assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher. That makes the book feel like a bit of a bait and switch; there's big payoff in a moving finale, but frankly lots of well-realized but dull detail that builds out the worlds of these characters without feeling like they fuel the engine of the novel. Certain setpieces crackle (any scene involving the high dive; a heart attack; a brutal high school breakup), but the hotel day-to-day is just banal compared to the machinations of the bombers. Affecting but lumpy.
Knowing nothing about this book before I picked it up for #ToB17, I was surprised by how quickly the story drew me in. The characters were utterly human, flawed and simultaneously sympathetic. I was drawn in to both sides of the story. The narration of this #audiobook was engaging, transporting me from one grey, wet landscape easily into that of Northern Ireland and the English coast.
Very much wish I’d read this instead of listened to audio. I think it was much more intricate and complicated than the attention I gave it while listening. That said, I loved the characters, their crummy options, and their rationale. Nothing in this book went the way I thought it would.
Disappointing. I don't have a lot to say about this book except that, for me, it didn't live up to the (substantial) hype. It was slower than I would have expected for a story that could have added so much color to an intriguing and puzzling historical event. The three main characters had little depth, despite heroic efforts by the author to illuminate the mundane details of their thoughts and lives. I just didn't feel any strong empathy toward them, and I wasn't desperate to find out what happens to them.
What I will say, is that the writing is lovely. Jonathan Lee's prose flows beautifully across the page, and I often found myself muttering passages aloud because hearing them in my head didn't do the writing justice. I only wish his elegantly written story had picked up speed.
What I will say, is that the writing is lovely. Jonathan Lee's prose flows beautifully across the page, and I often found myself muttering passages aloud because hearing them in my head didn't do the writing justice. I only wish his elegantly written story had picked up speed.