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aziult's review against another edition
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
annabeldewit's review
5.0
Kafka on the shore meets Daisy Jones and the six (bij gebrek aan een beter referentiekader). Heel tof!
moxiemills's review against another edition
2.0
dnf at 54%. so clearly by a male author. idgaf about a single character or storyline. the author also tried so hard to use ‘old fashioned’ and ‘british’ language so aggressively that i cannot decipher half of what the dialogue is saying. i wasted 4 days on my life reading this which i will unfortunately never get back. save yourselves.
foxynz's review against another edition
4.0
Mitchell once again stands out as a unique writer, with another story that is never quite what you expect. This one started with an irregular beat, with multiple characters and flashbacks making it a little difficult to get into the story. However it soon hit it's stride and from then on I very much enjoyed it.
It appeared that Mitchell had decided to just write an ordinary, straightforward tale, which was mildly disappointing, but then it twisted just enough to give it that quirky flavour that I've come to expect from him.
Cute cameos from famous singers, songs that I wish were real and some stylish writing makes this a great read, although not one that will appeal to the masses.
It appeared that Mitchell had decided to just write an ordinary, straightforward tale, which was mildly disappointing, but then it twisted just enough to give it that quirky flavour that I've come to expect from him.
Cute cameos from famous singers, songs that I wish were real and some stylish writing makes this a great read, although not one that will appeal to the masses.
ollekepolleke's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
glitterfluff's review against another edition
4.0
I wish there was a half-star option, because although aspects of this book really were 4 star, there were other aspects that were just incredibly irritating.
For a start, is the best way to denote accents really endless 'yer', 'pparantely' and 'fookin'? It ties in with another problem I had with the book, which was how much of it is conversation, and how poorly Mitchell writes those conversations. The 'posh' characters speak the same as the Cockney council-house boy, except thar they say 'you' instead of 'yer'.
Then the famous people, in their walk-on parts, speak in a way they didn't in life - I defy anyone to recognise Marc Bolan or David Bowie in the way they speak in this book.
And why do we have to be given map-like directions on how to get everywhere the characters go? Am I missing something deeply profound about journeys and avenues? Or is it just the curse of the historical novelist - 'I've done my research and I'm gonna use it'?
There were parts of the novel that I truly loved - the de Zoet storyline, Elf's story, the story of the band.
Weirdly, Mitchell writes the women in a far more fleshed-out way than his male characters. In spite of being relatively minor characters, Mecca and Luisa, for instance, feel more real than Dean or Griff ever do. I get the feeling Mitchell just doesn't love Dean and Griff the way he loves his female characters and Jasper.
I know I've whinged a lot, but that's because I was expecting so much more from one of my favourite writers. There is lots that's original, the ending (and the whole 'America' bit really) was perfect, and I did enjoy the cameos by stars from the era. But too much bloat and annoyance to quite be a true 4-star.
For a start, is the best way to denote accents really endless 'yer', 'pparantely' and 'fookin'? It ties in with another problem I had with the book, which was how much of it is conversation, and how poorly Mitchell writes those conversations. The 'posh' characters speak the same as the Cockney council-house boy, except thar they say 'you' instead of 'yer'.
Then the famous people, in their walk-on parts, speak in a way they didn't in life - I defy anyone to recognise Marc Bolan or David Bowie in the way they speak in this book.
And why do we have to be given map-like directions on how to get everywhere the characters go? Am I missing something deeply profound about journeys and avenues? Or is it just the curse of the historical novelist - 'I've done my research and I'm gonna use it'?
There were parts of the novel that I truly loved - the de Zoet storyline, Elf's story, the story of the band.
Weirdly, Mitchell writes the women in a far more fleshed-out way than his male characters. In spite of being relatively minor characters, Mecca and Luisa, for instance, feel more real than Dean or Griff ever do. I get the feeling Mitchell just doesn't love Dean and Griff the way he loves his female characters and Jasper.
I know I've whinged a lot, but that's because I was expecting so much more from one of my favourite writers. There is lots that's original, the ending (and the whole 'America' bit really) was perfect, and I did enjoy the cameos by stars from the era. But too much bloat and annoyance to quite be a true 4-star.
doidaredisturb's review against another edition
5.0
Wow....this book threw me for a loop. It was the perfect balance of a nice bildungsroman about a band/the music industry and the wackiness that's typical of Mitchell. I found myself wishing I could listen to the music of Utopia Avenue....especially their final album which reminded me so much of the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds". I'm now committed to reading more Mitchell novels!
kendragarden's review against another edition
5.0
A great little novel about a rock band in 1960s London with cameos by everyone from Bowie to Hendrix to Jerry Garcia. There’s even a supernatural element to one of the storylines that works like crazy in my opinion. If you love music, I think you’ll love this one.
calexio's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child death
susanhowson's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm. Has Mitchell always been so terrible at writing convincing dialogue? Also this book’s name dropping felt elementary. I got excited at the Cloud Atlas universe stuff and Jasper’s arc was great but a big chunk was zzz and another big chunk was just kinda embarrassing writing about music.