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helen_lewis's review against another edition
5.0
The Umbrella Men is not what you'd expect - it's a novel with many layers, a story of a corruption, selfish greed, over-spending, flippancy regarding the impacts of one moment in time on future generations - and it's incredible to think that the impacts are still being felt by us - and will be by our children - in years to come. I knew little of the rare-earth mineral mines before I read this, a little of the financial crash of the late 1990s, but now understand more about both, which is unusual for a fiction book! I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading a novel that is witty and exposing of human nature!
cjasmine's review against another edition
5.0
This interesting and witty book looks at things from a different point of view and makes you think. We are fast forgetting the last financial crisis – the one caused in 2007 by the banking industry going rogue: The Umbrella Men looks at it from the perspective of a victim – but, unusually, a corporate one. We are all keen on renewable energy – this book gently asks us to consider its environmental costs as well as the benefits. We hold marital fidelity as a high standard – the author invites us, in an ingenious way, to contemplate how fragile this can be.
It is highly entertaining - at times it felt like watching an absorbing box-set. I warmly recommend you read The Umbrella Men.
It is highly entertaining - at times it felt like watching an absorbing box-set. I warmly recommend you read The Umbrella Men.
raoionna's review against another edition
4.0
I wonder if the book illustrator was thinking of Magritte or the Thomas Crown affair when coming up with the cover for this one. In some ways this book is a bit of both, surrealist and a caper. This book reminds me a bit of the Oracle or Golden State. A book about our world and the drawbacks of our corporate culture but in a novel. I found this quick read interesting and thought-provoking. I would recommend this for anyone who is a bit fed up with our state-of-affairs in our country but is tired of reading the same old news reports.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
anjana's review against another edition
4.0
I do not know what drew me to this book in the first place, but I am really glad something did. If one reads as many books as I do in the time that I have, a pattern emerges. This relates to the type of books and stories that become some sort of standard. This book shook that standard at its root.
The narrative in this tale reads like a non-fiction report of situations in multiple places around the globe with tenuous but ultimately important connections to each other. More than the core story which revolves around rare-earth mineral mines, or excessive lending to people the fascinating part were the conversations. There were a lot of humours statements hidden beneath seemingly simple narration.
'Not just pleased with himself in general, which he generally was, but pleased with himself in particular'
The above was one statement that I found funny and managed to highlight, there were obviously more. The people introduced to us are extremely selfish(as well as corrupt in some form) in varying degrees but it was not hard to read about them because of something positive in the telling of the tale, which in itself is a rarity because most books that are kind of aggressive with regards to money and related motives tend to put me off. Reading about lives with focus on their financial dealings and dependencies is not something that I ever thought I would be comfortable doing because of my limited attention span for such topics but I not only read this one but enjoyed the experience! I just wish the book could have been smaller, maybe split into two parts for my own personal satisfaction.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a diverting read with interesting writing.
The narrative in this tale reads like a non-fiction report of situations in multiple places around the globe with tenuous but ultimately important connections to each other. More than the core story which revolves around rare-earth mineral mines, or excessive lending to people the fascinating part were the conversations. There were a lot of humours statements hidden beneath seemingly simple narration.
'Not just pleased with himself in general, which he generally was, but pleased with himself in particular'
The above was one statement that I found funny and managed to highlight, there were obviously more. The people introduced to us are extremely selfish(as well as corrupt in some form) in varying degrees but it was not hard to read about them because of something positive in the telling of the tale, which in itself is a rarity because most books that are kind of aggressive with regards to money and related motives tend to put me off. Reading about lives with focus on their financial dealings and dependencies is not something that I ever thought I would be comfortable doing because of my limited attention span for such topics but I not only read this one but enjoyed the experience! I just wish the book could have been smaller, maybe split into two parts for my own personal satisfaction.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a diverting read with interesting writing.
pvn's review
4.0
This book was not what I was expecting for some reason, but it was refreshingly good. The author has a unique style which I enjoyed, along with the globe trotting. Also an interesting take on corporate culture and society. I always look for well written characters and dialog, and this fit the bill. Mr Carter is a talented writer and I look forward to more. Recommended.
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!
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