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jesstherese's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
camillewithasea's review against another edition
2.0
Starts of slowly, gets really good, and then the last 1/4 of the book, every character becomes immensely unlikeable to the point of almost wanting to throw the book aside in disgust...you just keep reading hoping for some redemption that never comes.
elizaatracey's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reindeerbandit's review against another edition
1.0
Terrible. Charles was the worst and did not once display any redeeming qualities, which means of course he got the girl and Oxford. There were also several - SEVERAL - passages of unnecessary details regarding his phlegm. Perhaps it was meant to be clever.
joshmcnally's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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? Yes
2.0
ngominh's review against another edition
5.0
Ngông cuồng, nghênh ngang mà cuốn hút; cuốn tiểu thuyết thô vụng đầu tay của Amis thật sự báo hiệu một sự nghiệp sừng sỏ. Hiếm có ai ngang tàn, bạo ngược, hoang dã, bất kham được như chàng Charles Highway, và Amis viết nên tiểu thuyết về giống loại bất kham, về khoảng biên giới mơ hờ giữa 19 20 tuổi khi con người ta bắt đầu chịu trách nhiệm. Nếu Kerouac gò mình dẫu hoang dã nhưng vẫn đẹp đẽ, thì Amis là ông bạn tốt xua tay để rồi bảo rằng cứ bung xõa đi. Tục tĩu, hài hước mà thi vị đến vô tường tận. Thật hay ho.
umakaru's review against another edition
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
gemmaduds's review against another edition
3.0
All in all this book was pretty good. I enjoyed the language and writing style used, and I was also mesmerised by the way that the relationship the narrator had with Rachel changed from meeting her to the very end page. A coming of age novel that I found brutal and cringeworthy in parts, and quite a bit sexist in others. Amis portrays his character very well and I can't help but believe that this book was written based upon personal experiences (bit worrying).
Took me a while to plough through and I still can't make up my mind just what I took from it, but I'm glad I stuck with it and now I will never read it again.
Took me a while to plough through and I still can't make up my mind just what I took from it, but I'm glad I stuck with it and now I will never read it again.
starness's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Often crude and rude but highly entertaining if not easily offended. The main thing I took from this book is Martin Amis has a unique way with words. I also learnt that teenage boys are extremely gross. He does well to capture the selfishness and insecurities of adolescence, if it wasn’t as funny as it was this book would have been so cringeworthy.
zoolmcg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This had been on my radar for a while, and after the recent passing of Amis, I decided to finally crack it open. I wasn't actual aware that this was his debut novel, but I knew while reading it that it was unmistakably his. His themes of sex-obsessed men, of their misogyny and their narcissism, is essentially textbook for him. This book serves as the first of many, and I did find myself enjoying it quite a lot.
In his classic style, so much of his narrator's expressions come through hilariously. He manipulates prose in a hilarious way, reframing things in metaphor and simile like no other writer I've ever seen before - my favourite in this novel was someone holding a newspaper like it was a stingray. It struck me as brilliant.
A criticism I might have of this is its aimlessness, which I do still believe to be the point of it It's quite a true to life story in that not a whole lot happens. Then ending is fitting, and it seems like everything that happen occurred without consequences. Reading an Amis novel is more of an experience, and less of an action packed whiplash inducing bout of twists and turns. It's enjoyable, and even if it can be repetitive, it's all part of the journey.
I'd recommend this to Amis enjoyers, but maybe not as an introduction to his writing. It's a good one to get into if you already know what you're getting into.
In his classic style, so much of his narrator's expressions come through hilariously. He manipulates prose in a hilarious way, reframing things in metaphor and simile like no other writer I've ever seen before - my favourite in this novel was someone holding a newspaper like it was a stingray. It struck me as brilliant.
A criticism I might have of this is its aimlessness, which I do still believe to be the point of it It's quite a true to life story in that not a whole lot happens. Then ending is fitting, and it seems like everything that happen occurred without consequences. Reading an Amis novel is more of an experience, and less of an action packed whiplash inducing bout of twists and turns. It's enjoyable, and even if it can be repetitive, it's all part of the journey.
I'd recommend this to Amis enjoyers, but maybe not as an introduction to his writing. It's a good one to get into if you already know what you're getting into.