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trin's review against another edition
4.0
Really fabulous novel about growing up in Birmingham, England, in the ’70s. Coe tackles all the usual adolescent woes, but also politics and history and music and culture and… If this were a fantasy novel, I’d call it amazing world-building. Instead, Coe makes the real world—one I’ve never experienced, true, but a world that did exist—come alive so vividly.
I acquired this book last year, I believe on the recommendation of one of [author: Nick Hornby]’s Believer columns, and it sat on my shelf until I remembered it was set in England in the ’70s, hello Life on Mars connection. And it does capture sense of place much as that show does: color and texture and the taste of the food and the clothes people wore and the music—lots and lots about the music… And of course, this is all the more impressive as Coe does all of this without the aid of sets and costumes and actors. This is some amazingly lively prose, here. He switches POV a lot, which was at first confusing, as there are a lot of characters and it’s initially tough to keep track of who is related to whom, and who is crushing on whom, and who is a total scumbag. But once you get a little farther in, it’s incredibly easy to get gloriously lost amongst the excerpts from the school newspaper and the letters and diary entries—there’s even a bit of a Molly Bloom’s soliloquy pastiche at the end, and it all, amazingly, works. The ending’s a bit abrupt—a surprise set-up for a sequel—but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a novel that felt so alive, so full of real people, and real human tragedy and humor and life. What a wonderful surprise.
I acquired this book last year, I believe on the recommendation of one of [author: Nick Hornby]’s Believer columns, and it sat on my shelf until I remembered it was set in England in the ’70s, hello Life on Mars connection. And it does capture sense of place much as that show does: color and texture and the taste of the food and the clothes people wore and the music—lots and lots about the music… And of course, this is all the more impressive as Coe does all of this without the aid of sets and costumes and actors. This is some amazingly lively prose, here. He switches POV a lot, which was at first confusing, as there are a lot of characters and it’s initially tough to keep track of who is related to whom, and who is crushing on whom, and who is a total scumbag. But once you get a little farther in, it’s incredibly easy to get gloriously lost amongst the excerpts from the school newspaper and the letters and diary entries—there’s even a bit of a Molly Bloom’s soliloquy pastiche at the end, and it all, amazingly, works. The ending’s a bit abrupt—a surprise set-up for a sequel—but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a novel that felt so alive, so full of real people, and real human tragedy and humor and life. What a wonderful surprise.
outoftheblue14's review against another edition
5.0
Prima edizione ne "I Narratori" gennaio 2002.
Mia prima lettura nella primavera 2002. Ne rimasi folgorata, soprattutto dai personaggi di Benjamin e Claire; come Claire, anch'io ero un po' innamorata di Benjamin.
Sto rileggendo il libro adesso e mi rendo conto che avevo completamente frainteso il titolo. "La banda dei brocchi", the Rotters' Club, non si riferisce a Benjamin+Philip+Doug+Sean, bensì a Benjamin e Lois. E' la storia di un gruppo di adolescenti che crescono, ma è anche la storia di un fratello e di una sorella che si prendono cura l'uno dell'altra.
Insomma: il risvolto di copertina con la trama fornisce già un'interpretazione, una chiave di lettura, di un romanzo. Ma quando tu l'hai letto e ripensato per conto tuo, ti accorgi che forse l'elemento più interessante era un altro.
Mia prima lettura nella primavera 2002. Ne rimasi folgorata, soprattutto dai personaggi di Benjamin e Claire; come Claire, anch'io ero un po' innamorata di Benjamin.
Sto rileggendo il libro adesso e mi rendo conto che avevo completamente frainteso il titolo. "La banda dei brocchi", the Rotters' Club, non si riferisce a Benjamin+Philip+Doug+Sean, bensì a Benjamin e Lois. E' la storia di un gruppo di adolescenti che crescono, ma è anche la storia di un fratello e di una sorella che si prendono cura l'uno dell'altra.
Insomma: il risvolto di copertina con la trama fornisce già un'interpretazione, una chiave di lettura, di un romanzo. Ma quando tu l'hai letto e ripensato per conto tuo, ti accorgi che forse l'elemento più interessante era un altro.
tombennett72's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Read it in a day. Loved it - such marvellous, lovable characters.
Were you ever a teenager? You’ll love this book. Remember the 70s? This book is for you.
Were you ever a teenager? You’ll love this book. Remember the 70s? This book is for you.
corduroyemmett_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
bobeetle's review against another edition
2.0
It was interesting at first but the more I read the more I was confused with the story. There is not a focus on the overall story and also too much characters!
Plus the characters are flat and boring. I hated Benjamin et Paul. The author doesn’t get to the point in those extra long monologues. I wanted to like this book but chill, I’m disappointed that I even skipped the last chapter.
Plus the characters are flat and boring. I hated Benjamin et Paul. The author doesn’t get to the point in those extra long monologues. I wanted to like this book but chill, I’m disappointed that I even skipped the last chapter.
paw2904's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
Looking forward to reading this, having been a student in Birmingham in the late 60s. At times funny. Often confused. Often trite and superficial. Often quite moving. Overall I was disappointed. Not sure if I will read the sequels...
actualresultsmayvary's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really quite enjoyed The Rotters Club but I think my comprehension suffered due to a lack of familiarity of 70s politics. However, it was an interesting exploration of race and class at that time (though still suffered from some clumsy misogyny and none of Coe's female characters read like real people).
I think the character work was a real strength with some of the nicher POVs being particularly enjoyable such as Sam Chase's.
The strangest part of the book was the overall structure, I don't think the set up of Lois's daughter telling the story really made any sense - particularly with so many POVs and one section written in first person from Benjamin's POV with no explanation. It sort of didn't matter because that story framing was really totally irrelevant to the story but it still caused me to occasionally be confused about who was telling the story and how on earth they could know everything that they did.
I can see that Coe is still writing and whilst I won't actively seek them out, I would be intrigued to try one of his more modern books.
barney100's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
drianturner's review against another edition
4.0
A three seems harsh; a four seems generous. Oh, for GoodReads to have marks out of ten! A seven.
The characters were likeable; and the period - the 1970s eg the Birmingham Pub Bombings, the Winter of Discontent etc - was well executed. But the failing of the book was not the story: it was the literary style(s) - too indulgent at times for my tastes.
The characters were likeable; and the period - the 1970s eg the Birmingham Pub Bombings, the Winter of Discontent etc - was well executed. But the failing of the book was not the story: it was the literary style(s) - too indulgent at times for my tastes.
lizthescaredycat's review against another edition
I did like this book. I didn’t DNF because it was a bad book, just that it wasn’t my cup of tea. The writing was good, the context was interesting but not quite for me