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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I was a tad disappointed with Atkinson's second Jackson Brodie novel. It does have the same great character insight I love her for, but the problem is that I didn't connect with the characters as much this time around. The love interest, Julia, is an interesting character in Case Histories, but here readers encounter a woman who's really just kind of flighty and self-involved. Not very likable but not the sort of antagonist character you love to hate. She's just annoying.
The same goes for Martin. I've loved many cowardly characters, from Neville Longbottom to Samwell Tarly, who all overcome themselves and turn out to kick ass, but Martin is just pathetic and, like Julia, irritating.
There is, of course, mystery here but I only really got interested in one, that of Gloria. Now here is the really interesting character -- is she a love-to-hate-her antagonist or just a woman with too much wit for her generation? We don't really find out until the last chapter, but even then, it's sort of vague. Lots of gray areas, like true humans.
The same goes for Martin. I've loved many cowardly characters, from Neville Longbottom to Samwell Tarly, who all overcome themselves and turn out to kick ass, but Martin is just pathetic and, like Julia, irritating.
There is, of course, mystery here but I only really got interested in one, that of Gloria. Now here is the really interesting character -- is she a love-to-hate-her antagonist or just a woman with too much wit for her generation? We don't really find out until the last chapter, but even then, it's sort of vague. Lots of gray areas, like true humans.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Excellent twists and turns and engaging characters. Would like to read the next in the series, but it breaks my $9.99 Kindle limit!
3.5 stars, if I'm honest. The sheer number of comma splices got on my nerves, and one character's obsessing about cruelty to animals was, while understandable, disturbing and triggering. I do not need a bunch of new stories about cruelty to animals circulating in my brain. (To be fair, this detail is directly related to one character's motives and decisions.)
Another great read. Characters that are interesting with overlaps of stories, incidents recalled from different characters' perspectives.
What a fun read. The revealing of the books characters was like peeling the layers of a very tasty onion.
I'd recommend the first book in the series, which is a page-turner set in Cambridge. I re-read it when we moved to Cambridge, so I thought it was time to read the second one too. It's not as good - very artificial, self-consciously artificial. And, most irksome to me, the only people not quoting poetry and scripture are in a coma or dead. Nobody quotes that much poetry, nobody. I'm also not sure I dig the main character. He's in a crappy relationship with a crappy person, but just seems to waffle between self-pity and berating himself ("bad dog"? yuck) for lusting after every woman he encounters. Oh, and the rape thing. What the hell, Kate? So, not great, but I might give the third one a chance to see if it was a fluke.
"There are no coincidences." Throughout the whole book every character weaves his life into another character. It's a terrifically small world--uh, area of Scotland. The players are each complete personages--ups, downs, highs, lows, goods, bads. It's refreshing and astonishing to read--and sometimes hard to keep up with. Will continue to read Atkinson as long as she's writing.
Although this book has received "lesser light" reviews from Atkinson aficionados, I liked it a lot--as much or more than "Case Histories." The plotting is a bit more subtle, but still intricate, and Jackson Brodie is a wonderful character, even more appealing here than in CH.