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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Even more fun reading this after I've actually been to the Fringe!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pam's review and my previous Atkinson read made me change my mind on this one.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As well-written and complicated as [b:Case Histories|16243|Case Histories (Jackson Brodie, #1)|Kate Atkinson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166720209s/16243.jpg|18001], but not as satisfying a resolution.
I think I love the way Kate Atkinson writes. She's great at character development, so she totally sucks me in.
This book is sort of a follow-up to Case Histories because there are a couple of the same characters in it, though the story and events are unrelated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait until the next one in the series comes out in paperback.
This book is sort of a follow-up to Case Histories because there are a couple of the same characters in it, though the story and events are unrelated. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait until the next one in the series comes out in paperback.
Goodness, this really is a masterfully crafted book. All the plot lines interweve so well together, and while the matryoshka symbolism is overwrought (and inaccurate, the plot is more like a braid than a nesting doll, as Cloud Atlas is) everything fits so tightly together. Most of it comes about as coincidence, and not detective work, but it's so damn snug, I couldn't care less. Plus, the characters acknowledge how ridiculous it all seems at times, which makes it feel more organic and realistic.
Atkinson drops foreshadowing hints so subtle that you can only find them on re-read. For example She really is a master of the third-person style.
I really liked Martin Canning, penname Alex Blake, the mystery writer, who "had long ago given up hope of being like other people" and often finds himself in the unluckiest situations. Despite seeming like a dishrag, Martin is capable of standing up for himself, and for others, in ways no one else is.
However, all the men, Martin especially, have masculinity issues, and I do believe that someone, at least once, will wonder if every. single. male. character. in this book is gay. Here's a list of quotes that probably isn't even comprehensive:
1. Jackson had nothing against gays, he just wished that sometimes they wouldn't be quite so gay.
2. [Hamish] had a funny way of talking. Archie had worried at first that it was effeminate...
3. "Do you think I'm gay?" Martin asked, surprised.
"There's nothing wrong with that, Martin," Richard said. "Everyone's gay."
4. Martin wanted to say, "We're not gay," but then perhaps Paul Bradley was gay and would find his protestations insulting. (Perhaps the night porter was gay.) Martin thought that if he himself was gay, Paul Bradley would probably be out of his league for a partner, even for a night.
5. [The maid] wondered if the writer was gay. A lot of gay men in Edinburgh.
6. Were they gay? How would [Louise] feel if her son was gay? Actually it would be quite a relief, she wouldn't have to deal with any of that macho bullshit in the future. Someone to go shopping with, that's what they (mothers of gay sons) always said, didn't they? She didn't like to go shopping, so that might be a bit of a problem.
The obsession with homosexuality--and how it is, in the logic of this book, diametrically opposed to "masculinity", is annoying and at times outright offensive--especially since there are no gay male characters in the book, or the previous (or Life After Life, other than speculation). I noticed this in Case Histories too, and it annoys me enough to deduct a star from what would otherwise be a five-star book.
Anyway, Jackson is still a smartass, like when he gives his fake identity as "David Lastingham," which is the name of the man his wife leaves him for in Case Histories. Jackson is painfully lonely in this one, but not overwrought. Kate Atkinson's economy of words is wonderful. "That was it, that was his whole life summed up in two sentences: My name's Jackson Brodie. I used to be a policeman." or "Jackson refrained from saying the obvious "You've got me" in case it provoked more arguments." Although there is a really bizarre moment where he remembers having sex with Julia while she's asleep, likening it to rape and necrophilia, but just doesn't seem all the disturbed by it. Plus, he did it in the first place. That's almost enough to turn me off his character altogether. And despite being so lonely, I still thought the revelation of Maybe he was just delusional by that point.
Memorable quotes:
What must it have felt like to have pinned your colors to the standard of a just war, to have experienced so many noble feelings (yes, a lot of propaganda, but the kernel of it was true), to have been released from the burden of individualism?
What were the true crimes? Capitalism, religion, sex? Murder--usually, but not necessarily. Theft--ditto. But cruelty and indifference were also crimes. As were bad manners and callousness. Worst of all was indifference.
Theater, for Jackson [...] was a good pantomine, preferably attended in the company of an enthusiastic child.
"God forbid we should ever achieve some kind of prelapsarian utopia on earth because then you would have to live your life instead of just complaining about it."
"In Russia I worked in bank," Tatiana said darkly, as if a bank were the most dangerous place in the world to work.
"It was a bit thin," the gruff man said.
"My life has been a bit thin so far," Martin said.
For some reason people thought [writing] was a glamorous profession, but Martin couldn't find anything glamorous about sitting in a room on your own, day after day, trying not to go mad.
"You're our token man,"' one of them said to him, and he sensed a certain disappointment in the polite laughter of the others, as if the least he could have done as their token man was be a little less like a woman.
Atkinson drops foreshadowing hints so subtle that you can only find them on re-read. For example
Spoiler
"It was the littlest things that often brought big men down," Louise thinks on page 27. She's talking about her husband, Graham. What kills Graham in the end? An air bubble in a syringe administered by an assassin.I really liked Martin Canning, penname Alex Blake, the mystery writer, who "had long ago given up hope of being like other people" and often finds himself in the unluckiest situations. Despite seeming like a dishrag, Martin is capable of standing up for himself, and for others, in ways no one else is.
However, all the men, Martin especially, have masculinity issues, and I do believe that someone, at least once, will wonder if every. single. male. character. in this book is gay. Here's a list of quotes that probably isn't even comprehensive:
1. Jackson had nothing against gays, he just wished that sometimes they wouldn't be quite so gay.
2. [Hamish] had a funny way of talking. Archie had worried at first that it was effeminate...
3. "Do you think I'm gay?" Martin asked, surprised.
"There's nothing wrong with that, Martin," Richard said. "Everyone's gay."
4. Martin wanted to say, "We're not gay," but then perhaps Paul Bradley was gay and would find his protestations insulting. (Perhaps the night porter was gay.) Martin thought that if he himself was gay, Paul Bradley would probably be out of his league for a partner, even for a night.
5. [The maid] wondered if the writer was gay. A lot of gay men in Edinburgh.
6. Were they gay? How would [Louise] feel if her son was gay? Actually it would be quite a relief, she wouldn't have to deal with any of that macho bullshit in the future. Someone to go shopping with, that's what they (mothers of gay sons) always said, didn't they? She didn't like to go shopping, so that might be a bit of a problem.
The obsession with homosexuality--and how it is, in the logic of this book, diametrically opposed to "masculinity", is annoying and at times outright offensive--especially since there are no gay male characters in the book, or the previous (or Life After Life, other than speculation). I noticed this in Case Histories too, and it annoys me enough to deduct a star from what would otherwise be a five-star book.
Anyway, Jackson is still a smartass, like when he gives his fake identity as "David Lastingham," which is the name of the man his wife leaves him for in Case Histories. Jackson is painfully lonely in this one, but not overwrought. Kate Atkinson's economy of words is wonderful. "That was it, that was his whole life summed up in two sentences: My name's Jackson Brodie. I used to be a policeman." or "Jackson refrained from saying the obvious "You've got me" in case it provoked more arguments." Although there is a really bizarre moment where he remembers having sex with Julia while she's asleep, likening it to rape and necrophilia, but just doesn't seem all the disturbed by it. Plus, he did it in the first place. That's almost enough to turn me off his character altogether. And despite being so lonely, I still thought the revelation of
Spoiler
Julia's pregnancy, and his excitement about it, as though a baby would repair their relationship, was just damned ignorant. This man is too smart to believe thatMemorable quotes:
What must it have felt like to have pinned your colors to the standard of a just war, to have experienced so many noble feelings (yes, a lot of propaganda, but the kernel of it was true), to have been released from the burden of individualism?
What were the true crimes? Capitalism, religion, sex? Murder--usually, but not necessarily. Theft--ditto. But cruelty and indifference were also crimes. As were bad manners and callousness. Worst of all was indifference.
Theater, for Jackson [...] was a good pantomine, preferably attended in the company of an enthusiastic child.
"God forbid we should ever achieve some kind of prelapsarian utopia on earth because then you would have to live your life instead of just complaining about it."
"In Russia I worked in bank," Tatiana said darkly, as if a bank were the most dangerous place in the world to work.
"It was a bit thin," the gruff man said.
"My life has been a bit thin so far," Martin said.
For some reason people thought [writing] was a glamorous profession, but Martin couldn't find anything glamorous about sitting in a room on your own, day after day, trying not to go mad.
"You're our token man,"' one of them said to him, and he sensed a certain disappointment in the polite laughter of the others, as if the least he could have done as their token man was be a little less like a woman.
A strangely compelling story that I couldn't put down. The interconnections between the characters seemed unbelievable yet still drew me in. And the ending was awesome!
Jackson Brodie is back, but he's a hot mess. (Even more than in [b:Case Histories|16243|Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1)|Kate Atkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558363159l/16243._SY75_.jpg|18001] and not in a good way.)
The first novel focused on Jackson, whilst he investigated various cold cases. Here we're presented with four seemingly unrelated main characters whose stories slowly come together: Martin Canning, an author of cozy mysteries; Gloria Hatter, the long-suffering wife of a corrupt real estate developer, Louise Monroe, a single mother recently promoted to police detective, and -- of course -- Jackson) . The cast of characters is large, including two mysterious criminal types whose near-fatal road-rage encounter in the midst of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival sets off a chain of events that eventually connects all the main characters. A washed-up 80s comedian, various Eastern-European immigrants, police officers populate the pages, along with the friends and family of the main characters. That's a lot of people to track and I found myself frequently flipping back to confirm identities and details.
The plot consists of some rather far-fetched events, coincidences, and connections. (Some might call them "wacky hijinks." Not me. Maybe someone like Martin Canning.) There are shady dealings, backstories, and motivations that are left unexplained. (Some people are apparently just psycho/sociopaths.) The characters whose backstories are provided are a sad lot -- more adults dealing with the aftermath of abusive and/or neglectful parenting. (Seriously, was every 1970s UK parent awful?) Quibbles aside, it was never boring. (Okay, maybe a tiny bit boring in Martin's fifteenth fantasy of what his life could have been like...)
Jackson's storyline is my main complaint. [If you haven't read Case Histories, be warned that there are some general spoilers for that first book ahead.] The money he inherited from Binky Rain clearly has not been good for him. It's been two years and Jackson has moved to France, as planned, and he's still involved with Julia, but it's obvious they're not right for each other. Maybe that's the point, that he's lost, drifting, without his career to anchor him. (His daughter, now 10, is also conspicuously absent.) He ends up involving himself in mysterious events with which he has no business. Run-ins with Edinburgh officers ensue. Hopefully, this novel is a turning point for him and he gets his life together. (Obviously, there are more books in the series, apparently also in the mystery genre, so my hopes seem well founded. Maybe I'll reconsider my 3-star rating after the next installment.)
Having watched the BBC adaptation of the first novel, which does not end with Jackson inheriting enough to retire, I'm looking forward to seeing how the screen version of this story goes. It may very well be one of the rare adaptations I prefer to the book. (Being set in Edinburgh & featuring Detective Louise Monroe from the beginning was an interesting production choice, which likely simplified casting, filming, etc., but also may keep the story more consistent.) Watching Jackson Isaacs (sans Lucius Malfoy wig, avec tattoos) for another two hours is pretty appealing, too.
The first novel focused on Jackson, whilst he investigated various cold cases. Here we're presented with four seemingly unrelated main characters whose stories slowly come together: Martin Canning, an author of cozy mysteries; Gloria Hatter, the long-suffering wife of a corrupt real estate developer, Louise Monroe, a single mother recently promoted to police detective, and -- of course -- Jackson) . The cast of characters is large, including two mysterious criminal types whose near-fatal road-rage encounter in the midst of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival sets off a chain of events that eventually connects all the main characters. A washed-up 80s comedian, various Eastern-European immigrants, police officers populate the pages, along with the friends and family of the main characters. That's a lot of people to track and I found myself frequently flipping back to confirm identities and details.
The plot consists of some rather far-fetched events, coincidences, and connections. (Some might call them "wacky hijinks." Not me. Maybe someone like Martin Canning.) There are shady dealings, backstories, and motivations that are left unexplained. (Some people are apparently just psycho/sociopaths.) The characters whose backstories are provided are a sad lot -- more adults dealing with the aftermath of abusive and/or neglectful parenting. (Seriously, was every 1970s UK parent awful?) Quibbles aside, it was never boring. (Okay, maybe a tiny bit boring in Martin's fifteenth fantasy of what his life could have been like...)
Jackson's storyline is my main complaint. [If you haven't read Case Histories, be warned that there are some general spoilers for that first book ahead.] The money he inherited from Binky Rain clearly has not been good for him. It's been two years and Jackson has moved to France, as planned, and he's still involved with Julia, but it's obvious they're not right for each other. Maybe that's the point, that he's lost, drifting, without his career to anchor him. (His daughter, now 10, is also conspicuously absent.) He ends up involving himself in mysterious events with which he has no business. Run-ins with Edinburgh officers ensue. Hopefully, this novel is a turning point for him and he gets his life together. (Obviously, there are more books in the series, apparently also in the mystery genre, so my hopes seem well founded. Maybe I'll reconsider my 3-star rating after the next installment.)
Having watched the BBC adaptation of the first novel, which does not end with Jackson inheriting enough to retire, I'm looking forward to seeing how the screen version of this story goes. It may very well be one of the rare adaptations I prefer to the book. (Being set in Edinburgh & featuring Detective Louise Monroe from the beginning was an interesting production choice, which likely simplified casting, filming, etc., but also may keep the story more consistent.) Watching Jackson Isaacs (sans Lucius Malfoy wig, avec tattoos) for another two hours is pretty appealing, too.