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ellen1966's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
taylajane's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
orbitingpluto's review
5.0
A beautifully written book, about the beliefs of your adolescence, and how life tends to stifle them. It has been a couple of days and I still cannot completely figure out what this book is trying to say. Or if it is actively trying to say anything. Philip Hensher tells his story, and leaves you to figure out the truths it tells yourself. An absolutely incredible book, I loved it!
lo2zaay's review
4.0
This was really interesting.
I have a soft spot for any fictional novel set in the GDR. This book very much revolves around the politics and the ideology of the characters (and how those opinions progressed/ceased to exist in later life).
A small revolution in Germany is cleverly split into three parts. The first part, mostly focused on the teenage years of Spike and his friends. I couldn’t quite get my head around because there was so much jumping around, into the future, back into the present (with no chapters or divisions for time period - we just went where the brain of the protagonist went).
The second part goes through the events that take place when Spike goes to the GDR with his old pal Percy Ogden in the late 1980s (it’s pretty eventful).
And the third part is spilt between the joining of stories together, what happened at university and what is currently happening in the present day (Spike and his boyfriend’s most recent holiday to the now unified Germany).
By the end, I had figured out the way the story was being told and I enjoyed it, I found the memories and storytelling a great way of bringing all the loose ends together.
The dialogue was full of character and Spike often goes off on these rambling monologues, which I found pretty funny.
Toward the end, Spike and Joaquin are discussing how so many opportunities for change have occurred in their lifetime, but everything truly has remained the same. That really resonates with today, I believe 2020 could be a turning point for us as humans, and we should not let it pass us by without action.
I have a soft spot for any fictional novel set in the GDR. This book very much revolves around the politics and the ideology of the characters (and how those opinions progressed/ceased to exist in later life).
A small revolution in Germany is cleverly split into three parts. The first part, mostly focused on the teenage years of Spike and his friends. I couldn’t quite get my head around because there was so much jumping around, into the future, back into the present (with no chapters or divisions for time period - we just went where the brain of the protagonist went).
The second part goes through the events that take place when Spike goes to the GDR with his old pal Percy Ogden in the late 1980s (it’s pretty eventful).
And the third part is spilt between the joining of stories together, what happened at university and what is currently happening in the present day (Spike and his boyfriend’s most recent holiday to the now unified Germany).
By the end, I had figured out the way the story was being told and I enjoyed it, I found the memories and storytelling a great way of bringing all the loose ends together.
The dialogue was full of character and Spike often goes off on these rambling monologues, which I found pretty funny.
Toward the end, Spike and Joaquin are discussing how so many opportunities for change have occurred in their lifetime, but everything truly has remained the same. That really resonates with today, I believe 2020 could be a turning point for us as humans, and we should not let it pass us by without action.
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