You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

4.26k reviews for:

Birnams skog

Eleanor Catton

3.91 AVERAGE

dark reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

There was a lot to think about in this book. It was a bit slow and drawn out at times but overall held my interest. 

The in-depth character development unwind over a LONG time, and you might be tempted to give up. Stick with it, and you will finally be rewarded with a page-turner.

Oh my gooooooooooooood
dark reflective tense medium-paced

4. It's a bit of a study in psychology and what motivates people, with a not-so-subtle nod to politics, climate change, and the mind-state of the world. None of the characters are terribly likeable at the start, and you almost find yourself rooting for the antagonist.  Early on, I thought it was big words for the sake of big words, but once you get through it, you realize it was a stylistic choice, and the last third just takes off and...woof. Crazy ending. Not my favorite, but ended up enjoying it. (book)

the gardening inspo I needed??? maybe??
adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
fast-paced

This book was incredibly unhinged in a way I didn’t expect and I had so many issues with it but still found myself enjoying it. All of the characters were almost over the top naive or flat, Robert was just a demon, Tony was a farce who would have not survived in the bush like that, Shelley I was actually rooting for, the rest of the Birnam Wood gang were a bit comical. That all being said there was so much set up and momentum building I was completely caught up at how everyone was going along with everything and waiting for it to crash down. It was appropriately satisfying and also utter chaos.
adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes