Scan barcode
stevenk's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the Dempsey brothers, two on the run from the IRA and Irish authorities and one a musician living in NYC (minus the imaginary Yeats) and they made the story enjoyable. But there was a lot going on here, the late 30's jazz scene, the Worlds Fair, the IRA in America, the wealthy sisters and the weddings, the former IRA hitman being drawn back in, a Czech photographer trying to stay in America and away from the Nazi's and these tangent stories detract from the book and makes it too long. The writing was good and I liked parts of this book a lot but there were just too many characters and it was too long.
jerkyf's review against another edition
2.0
2 1/2? Is been a few weeks and I honestly can't remember much about it.
sophistikitty's review against another edition
4.0
I struggled to get into this, and for about the first two thirds it was only earning itself three stars. It didn't seem like it was quite tying its characters together with a sense of where it was going; it was enjoyable, but not compelling. But then finally it picked up speed, and the last third made it all worthwhile, hence the four stars I gave it.
But at the same time I'm more glad to have finished it so I can move on than anything else.
But at the same time I'm more glad to have finished it so I can move on than anything else.
matokah's review against another edition
4.0
There is a fantastic story here--if you're willing to dig under hundreds of pages of often unnecessary descriptive prose. Pre-World War II New York is a fascinating place, made more so by the various characters in this novel. From a pair of Irish brothers on the run from the IRA to a Jewish Czech whose visa is about to expire, each character in The World of Tomorrow resonates and is believable. There's even a thrilling climax, yet again somewhat dimmed by too much exposition.
If you're a patient reader, this book will pay dividends. If not, this may just end up as one of your DNFs.
If you're a patient reader, this book will pay dividends. If not, this may just end up as one of your DNFs.
bookmaddie's review against another edition
4.0
This took me awhile to get through, mostly due to its length and how busy I've been this month, but I finally finished it! This is a lovely historical fiction adventure story, and I found it really comforting to enter the world of late-1930s New York City. The World of Tomorrow follows quite a few characters, which I found distracting. Flipping between so many characters and their stories also contributes to the length of this book, which is a little on the long side. The ending was also a little odd. It came off more as the ending to a non-fiction biography, where the stories of each character were quickly tied up in short chapters and sections. The ending for each character also went a few years into the future, which I didn't find necessary or relevant. This method of ending seems impersonal and an odd break from the story, which was stretched out for so long. Still an enjoyable read, and one I found especially comforting during the winter time.
tonstantweader's review against another edition
2.0
There is so much promise in Brendan Mathews’ The World of Tomorrow. There is a madcap caper driven by Francis who knows how to jump at a chance, fleeing prison during his father’s funeral and taking advantage of an accidental explosion to pick up some cash and new identities for him and his brother Michael. With Michael, we get a hallucinatory dream story, conversations with the ghost of Yeats. They sail for New York to their brother Martin where there is this family story, a marriage challenged by the conflict between responsibility and vocation. Then there is a grim thriller featuring hitman Cronin whose seeking these brothers on behalf of an IRA boss who imagines a grand political assassination. Then there is a comedy of manners featuring the Binghams, revealing the travails of privilege and gossip and the marriage market. With Lilly, we have a glimpse of the rising horror of Nazism and the coming Holocaust. This is a sprawling novel and I can’t help thinking that Mathews could not make up his mind what kind of book he intended to write so he wrote a bit of everything.
The general outline of the story is two brothers fleeing prison and the seminary for a safe house that was already occupied by some IRA bombers of less than stellar accomplishment. They manage to blow themselves up, leaving one brother wounded and the other one alert to the main chance. Grabbing the bomber’s money they head off to New York where their older brother emigrated and where they hope to escape into new lives. They go top class, taking on the identities of Scottish noblemen. An IRA boss dispatches a killer to capture one of the brothers and then sees an opportunity for a terroristic coup at the World’s Fair. Meanwhile, several other things are happening and every character down to the inconsequential get their day, their life history, their hopes, and dreams, are all shared in great detail, even if they barely impinge on the main story.
Meanwhile, several other things are happening and every character down to the inconsequential get their day, their life history, their hopes, and dreams, are all shared in great detail, even if they barely impinge on the main story. Perhaps the most egregious example is the doctor, van Wooten, who has an entire chapter devoted to his frustrated life of medical servitude to the Binghams. He could not exist and the story would not change one whit.
Evaluating a book is always a matter of taste and some people like books that sprawl all over creation. It’s not that I demand books be linear, but I like to think what is in the book is necessary. The long introductions to characters feel like those writing seminar exercises in imagining a character, it’s all backstory and tedious. It is all telling, no showing. Completely realized, fully drawn characters with nothing to do but wait for their stories. But this was not van Wooten’s story and he could have stayed on his index cards. As could a lot of the details on other characters.
The writing varies from imaginative to prosaic. Eyes and gimlet and rituals are arcane. That is disappointing, but when he ventures into more imaginative writing, Mathews can be excellent and then he can be downright silly. I kind of like comparing the first note on the violin to a starter’s pistol in a musical steeplechase, but in the same scene, the writing descends to parody of low-rent romance with Anisette’s pupils contracting and dilating to the music. It was so overblown and florid, I laughed.
I wish I had liked The World of Tomorrow but I did not. I was about two-thirds through the book and considered giving up, but hoped that at least the thriller plot would redeem itself. It did not. It was as anticlimactic and silly as anything. And then, to wrap it all up, we are given a summary of who did what bringing us up to near the present day in the most ridiculous final chapter ever. And now, I have to stop this review, because the more I write, the more I am reminded of what I did not like.
The World of Tomorrow will be released September 5th. I received an advance e-galley from Little Brown, the publisher, through NetGalley.
The World of Tomorrow at Hachette Book Group for Little, Brown and Co.
Brendan Mathews faculty page
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/9780316382199/
The general outline of the story is two brothers fleeing prison and the seminary for a safe house that was already occupied by some IRA bombers of less than stellar accomplishment. They manage to blow themselves up, leaving one brother wounded and the other one alert to the main chance. Grabbing the bomber’s money they head off to New York where their older brother emigrated and where they hope to escape into new lives. They go top class, taking on the identities of Scottish noblemen. An IRA boss dispatches a killer to capture one of the brothers and then sees an opportunity for a terroristic coup at the World’s Fair. Meanwhile, several other things are happening and every character down to the inconsequential get their day, their life history, their hopes, and dreams, are all shared in great detail, even if they barely impinge on the main story.
Meanwhile, several other things are happening and every character down to the inconsequential get their day, their life history, their hopes, and dreams, are all shared in great detail, even if they barely impinge on the main story. Perhaps the most egregious example is the doctor, van Wooten, who has an entire chapter devoted to his frustrated life of medical servitude to the Binghams. He could not exist and the story would not change one whit.
Evaluating a book is always a matter of taste and some people like books that sprawl all over creation. It’s not that I demand books be linear, but I like to think what is in the book is necessary. The long introductions to characters feel like those writing seminar exercises in imagining a character, it’s all backstory and tedious. It is all telling, no showing. Completely realized, fully drawn characters with nothing to do but wait for their stories. But this was not van Wooten’s story and he could have stayed on his index cards. As could a lot of the details on other characters.
The writing varies from imaginative to prosaic. Eyes and gimlet and rituals are arcane. That is disappointing, but when he ventures into more imaginative writing, Mathews can be excellent and then he can be downright silly. I kind of like comparing the first note on the violin to a starter’s pistol in a musical steeplechase, but in the same scene, the writing descends to parody of low-rent romance with Anisette’s pupils contracting and dilating to the music. It was so overblown and florid, I laughed.
I wish I had liked The World of Tomorrow but I did not. I was about two-thirds through the book and considered giving up, but hoped that at least the thriller plot would redeem itself. It did not. It was as anticlimactic and silly as anything. And then, to wrap it all up, we are given a summary of who did what bringing us up to near the present day in the most ridiculous final chapter ever. And now, I have to stop this review, because the more I write, the more I am reminded of what I did not like.
The World of Tomorrow will be released September 5th. I received an advance e-galley from Little Brown, the publisher, through NetGalley.
The World of Tomorrow at Hachette Book Group for Little, Brown and Co.
Brendan Mathews faculty page
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/9780316382199/
More...