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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
I genuinely couldn’t get into this book until around page 350—came very close to DNFing, which I rarely do. It probably didn’t help that I’d just come off reading fantasy, so this felt like a big shift in tone and pace. I struggled to connect with the characters and found it hard to care about what was happening. The ending was somewhat interesting, but not particularly exciting- possibly due to the abrupt change in POV, which left things feeling a bit disjointed. Just didn’t click with me overall.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book that starts very, very slow with a lot of psychologizing of its characters, which admittedly has never been something I'm good at grasping. The pace does pick up later, the plot is impressively intricate and the whole thing ends with a body count that would definitely get a thumbs up from Shakespeare, whose Macbeth is alluded to in the novel's title. It's a very impressive technical tour de force but somehow I doubt it's going to leave a lasting impression on me.
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Really enjoyed reading this.
-0.75 because the ending just didn’t work for me, it felt rushed and unfinished.
-0.75 because the ending just didn’t work for me, it felt rushed and unfinished.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
So much about this book was complex, challenging, fascinating ... I kept being on the fence about how I felt about the characters, the writer's apparent intentions and attitude, etc ... and then all of a sudden it was like someone chopped off the back half of the third act and stuck on a(n) ending. Some books benefit from that kind of sudden, semi-ambiguous stop. This one does not. Very disappointing.
Spoiler
rocks fall, everybody dies style of
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly I didn’t much enjoy this book while I was reading it, because I just disliked all the characters so strongly, but I gained a lot of appreciation for it after discussing it with my book club. I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if I’d approached it with the understanding that it’s a satire filled with intentionally unpleasant characters.
I found this read deeply compelling in theme, but I think it struggled with compelling characterization. Perhaps a skill issue on my part, but many of the characters felt like outlines that needed a bit more fleshing out. It felt like Catton alternated between characterization and moving the plot forward instead of interweaving the two. I did ultimately enjoy this book though, and the ending especially made this worth the time.