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katykelly's review
4.0
I've never read any Jonathan Coe before, but was attracted by the unusual cover and the plot, and then thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
It really felt like 1958. Great period detail, could picture the clothes, the Expo, the attitudes.
In a World Fair year, Brussels is playing host to 'Expo 58', a large-scale international fair and show that offers countries chance to demonstrate (and show off in a time of Cold War) their technological and cultural prowess.
Part of Britain's exhibit is a pub, and with little time to finish preparations, lowly copywriter Thomas Foley is drafted in to supervise the pub exhibit, leaving behind his new wife and baby daughter.
The story follows his life in Brussels, as he embraces bachelor life, meets a charming young Expo hostess, manoeuvres his way through possible (Cold War) spy scenarios and tries to decide if his married life is really the life he wants.
I really felt for the wife, Sylvia, left at home 'holding the baby', with no choice but to let her husband leave her to the mundane chores of home, reading his occasional letters and reason between the lines. It felt like a realistic portrait of domestic life of the 1950s housewife.
The office scenes were funny, Thomas's superiors comic creations that pop up with requests that grow increasingly more intrusive and morally unsound.
Thomas is sometimes unsympathetic (especially if you sympathise strongly with Sylvia) but is at heart a good man, and his adventures are great to follow. The Expo is a wonderful setting and one I can almost picture.
A great period piece, and I loved the fact that we see past the Expo into Thomas's later life as he lives with the choices he made. Very moving.
Definitely makes me want to read more by the author - this is witty, full of detail and a great story about choices, responsibility and Salt 'n Shake pub snacks.
It really felt like 1958. Great period detail, could picture the clothes, the Expo, the attitudes.
In a World Fair year, Brussels is playing host to 'Expo 58', a large-scale international fair and show that offers countries chance to demonstrate (and show off in a time of Cold War) their technological and cultural prowess.
Part of Britain's exhibit is a pub, and with little time to finish preparations, lowly copywriter Thomas Foley is drafted in to supervise the pub exhibit, leaving behind his new wife and baby daughter.
The story follows his life in Brussels, as he embraces bachelor life, meets a charming young Expo hostess, manoeuvres his way through possible (Cold War) spy scenarios and tries to decide if his married life is really the life he wants.
I really felt for the wife, Sylvia, left at home 'holding the baby', with no choice but to let her husband leave her to the mundane chores of home, reading his occasional letters and reason between the lines. It felt like a realistic portrait of domestic life of the 1950s housewife.
The office scenes were funny, Thomas's superiors comic creations that pop up with requests that grow increasingly more intrusive and morally unsound.
Thomas is sometimes unsympathetic (especially if you sympathise strongly with Sylvia) but is at heart a good man, and his adventures are great to follow. The Expo is a wonderful setting and one I can almost picture.
A great period piece, and I loved the fact that we see past the Expo into Thomas's later life as he lives with the choices he made. Very moving.
Definitely makes me want to read more by the author - this is witty, full of detail and a great story about choices, responsibility and Salt 'n Shake pub snacks.
thebobsphere's review against another edition
4.0
Expo 58, is another one of Coe’s lighter novels. There are funny moments, there’s a romantic subplot and then there’s the usual Coe commentary on the state of the world.
The main protagonist is Thomas Foley, who had a brief mention in The Rain Before it Falls, who is asked to go to the Belgium expo and supervise a section of the British Pavilion. This leads to a twisty plot involving espionage and a fling of sorts. As the reader digs deeper though, one can see that Expo 58 is a satire about late 50’s British culture, how a nation of people want to give the impression that they are keeping up with the times , and yet scared of change. Again this book was written pre brexit but Expo 58 is also a scarily precise look at British attitudes today (at least the way the media projects 21st century Britain)
One thing about Coe is his ability to take serious situations and make them funny and Expo 58 can be considered one of his funniest.
The main protagonist is Thomas Foley, who had a brief mention in The Rain Before it Falls, who is asked to go to the Belgium expo and supervise a section of the British Pavilion. This leads to a twisty plot involving espionage and a fling of sorts. As the reader digs deeper though, one can see that Expo 58 is a satire about late 50’s British culture, how a nation of people want to give the impression that they are keeping up with the times , and yet scared of change. Again this book was written pre brexit but Expo 58 is also a scarily precise look at British attitudes today (at least the way the media projects 21st century Britain)
One thing about Coe is his ability to take serious situations and make them funny and Expo 58 can be considered one of his funniest.
toonitopia's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
pattiillbee11's review
I just couldn't finish this. I didn't find any of the characters interesting enough to keep me reading.
jeffgreen's review
4.0
Funny, entertaining novel set during the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. Mild-mannered British government worker gets inadvertently caught up in Cold War shenanigans between the US and Russia. Kinda like a comic Hitchcock novel (the author cited The Lady Vanishes as the inspiration for the two goofy British agents.) Quick read, kinda informative as it seems that most of this stuff actually happened. And ends up being unexpectedly poignant at the end. Good stuff....but probably best recommended for fans of British humor
cpalisa's review
4.0
I picked this book up from the "new" shelf at the library because it was centered around the Brussels World's Fair in 1958...we visited the site when we were over there and I thought it would be fun to learn more about the event. This was a cute book involving Soviet and British spies that were both portrayed in a humorous way, especially the Brits. There were a few laugh out loud parts and some parts that were pretty predictable. Overall, a fun, short read.
joanna_m's review
3.0
I received a free copy of this through the GoodReads First Reads giveaway, and I really wanted to love. I didn't, but feel a little harsh giving it only 3 stars. For the most part, this was a very interesting book, dealing with the 1958 World Fair in Belgium, something I knew very little about. If one were to read this as a guidebook or memoir, Coe would be commendable for his descriptive prowess, his attention to detail, his easy weaving of facts into a prose passage without interrupting the flow. However, this is not non-fiction, it is a novel, and it really needs to have a stronger plot to work as a book. The characters were for the most part likable, but apart from the protagonist, Thomas, we do not spend enough time getting to know them for them to be satisfying or rounded. The plot whimpers- the description on the cover of it being part Hitchcock thriller, part Ealing comedy, is discernible at a push, but neither these sides is played to its full potential. The epistolary exchange elicits smiles, not laughter, mostly as a facsimile of an antique convention. The 'spy' story is transparently obvious, and seemed to have been written with one joke in mind, that saved for the penultimate chapter. These final few chapters contain a level of profundity and circumspection lacking from the earlier section- perhaps Coe was a little to preoccupied with scene setting to remember his point. But that is true for the whole book- a rich tapestry, but without much depth.
ngoldie's review
4.0
The perfect read in the back garden under the pleasant summer sun. Thomas Foley, all to easily trading his mundane suburban life in London for the fantasy of a Fleming style adventure at the Brussels World Fair. His doting wife, and newborn swept to the back of his mind, by the potential romance of two exotic young women, who of course are more than what they seem. But behind the novelty of trench coats, and code names are conspiracies that Thomas couldn't even start to fathom - it is this naivete that bursts the bubble of his future in a world that he never truly belonged to.
A fun breezy read, though you certainly feel like you are 10 steps ahead of the main character - with a few cliched characters, but some very redeemable ones as well that help draw away from Thomas's ignorance. Though silly at times, and some eye-rolling ego's floating around - the descriptions of the beautiful setting of Brussels and the very neatly tied together character relationships makes it a quite satisfying read. Not one for the the 'Where are they now?' final chapter, but it certainly kept me outside long enough to get some colour. ;)
A fun breezy read, though you certainly feel like you are 10 steps ahead of the main character - with a few cliched characters, but some very redeemable ones as well that help draw away from Thomas's ignorance. Though silly at times, and some eye-rolling ego's floating around - the descriptions of the beautiful setting of Brussels and the very neatly tied together character relationships makes it a quite satisfying read. Not one for the the 'Where are they now?' final chapter, but it certainly kept me outside long enough to get some colour. ;)
opticflow's review against another edition
4.0
Felt true to the 1950s, certainly projected the wonders of science, played with the absurd tension of cold war espionage, and the failure of the nuclear family unit. Sort of quietly brilliant.