Scan barcode
kinosthesia's review against another edition
2.0
This book was given to me by my commuter buddy who found it on the train one evening and thought i might like it. Judging by the inside leaf, it was bought in a charity shop and it will end up there again as its not one i will hang onto.
It did have some nice points to it and observations, but was very farfetched, something that was excused by the weak ending which really was such an old device that i was surprised it was still in use
It did have some nice points to it and observations, but was very farfetched, something that was excused by the weak ending which really was such an old device that i was surprised it was still in use
readacorn's review against another edition
4.0
Englischer Harem von Anthony McCarten
Kurzbeschreibung
Eine junge Frau zu ihren Eltern, untere Mittelschicht im Londoner Vorort: »Ich habe eine gute und eine schlechte Nachricht. Die gute: Ich heirate, die schlechte: Er ist Perser. Und übrigens: Er hat bereits zwei Frauen.« So beginnt ein provozierender Roman über Heimat, Kochen und die Faszination des Fremden … und eine Liebesgeschichte wie keine andere – für diese Zeit.
Kurzmeinung
Die Beschreibung ist nicht ganz korrekt. Der Roman beginnt so nicht, es dauert eine ganze Weile bis es zu dieser Szene kommt.
Ich weiß auch nicht, was ich hier erwartet habe, aber ich habe etwas anderes bekommen. Es hat zwar eine Weile gedauert, bis ich in die Erzählung einfinden konnte, allerdings hat es mich dann auch umso mehr eingenommen. Es werden einige große Fragen und Gesellschafts-Themen von unterschiedlichen Seiten beleuchtet.
Dieses Mal hat mich Anthony McCarten auf eine ganz andere Weise mitgenommen.
Kurzbeschreibung
Eine junge Frau zu ihren Eltern, untere Mittelschicht im Londoner Vorort: »Ich habe eine gute und eine schlechte Nachricht. Die gute: Ich heirate, die schlechte: Er ist Perser. Und übrigens: Er hat bereits zwei Frauen.« So beginnt ein provozierender Roman über Heimat, Kochen und die Faszination des Fremden … und eine Liebesgeschichte wie keine andere – für diese Zeit.
Kurzmeinung
Die Beschreibung ist nicht ganz korrekt. Der Roman beginnt so nicht, es dauert eine ganze Weile bis es zu dieser Szene kommt.
Ich weiß auch nicht, was ich hier erwartet habe, aber ich habe etwas anderes bekommen. Es hat zwar eine Weile gedauert, bis ich in die Erzählung einfinden konnte, allerdings hat es mich dann auch umso mehr eingenommen. Es werden einige große Fragen und Gesellschafts-Themen von unterschiedlichen Seiten beleuchtet.
Dieses Mal hat mich Anthony McCarten auf eine ganz andere Weise mitgenommen.
sherjatt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
taetris's review against another edition
2.0
**spoilers ahead**
Tracy is a cash-till girl who day-dreams while she works. One day she is fired because of this and lands herself another job in a Persion restaurant. She quickly learns that the owner, Sam, has two wives and four children. Later we learn that the four children are not his own; rather, he married his widowed sister-in-law. The second wife is the widow of a man he killed in an accident (not his fault). To provide for her, he makes her his "wife" (common-law only). After a quick love affair, they live as room mates. Tracy falls in love with and marries (common-law only) Sam. Tracys father reports the family to social services, whereupon the children are taken away for a night and can only return when wives 2 and 3 move out. The court case goes their way in the end. Tracys jelous ex-boyfriend Ricky waylays Sam and beats him up. As a result, Sam has an aneurysm in his brain which then becomes uncurable. He dies soon after. Sams younger brother comes home and marries all three "widows". Tracys parents also start a polyamourous relationship with their neighbour, Emily. It is then revealed that Tracy day-dreamed the whole thing.
The idea was a bit weird at first but the writing and dialogue were good, so I stuck with the book and had to know what happens in the end. McCarten knows how to write, but the plot devices and themes where cliché and weird, respectevly. The twenty-year-old girl marrying the middle-aged man was unrealistic enough, but the brother marrying his three widowed sister-in-laws and their all going along with it was to much. The relationship of Tracys parents capped it all.
I really hate the plot device of "and it was all a dream", which was used here in the most cliché way possible, thereby explaining - but not making up for - the extremely unrealistic plot.
Tracy is a cash-till girl who day-dreams while she works. One day she is fired because of this and lands herself another job in a Persion restaurant. She quickly learns that the owner, Sam, has two wives and four children. Later we learn that the four children are not his own; rather, he married his widowed sister-in-law. The second wife is the widow of a man he killed in an accident (not his fault). To provide for her, he makes her his "wife" (common-law only). After a quick love affair, they live as room mates. Tracy falls in love with and marries (common-law only) Sam. Tracys father reports the family to social services, whereupon the children are taken away for a night and can only return when wives 2 and 3 move out. The court case goes their way in the end. Tracys jelous ex-boyfriend Ricky waylays Sam and beats him up. As a result, Sam has an aneurysm in his brain which then becomes uncurable. He dies soon after. Sams younger brother comes home and marries all three "widows". Tracys parents also start a polyamourous relationship with their neighbour, Emily. It is then revealed that Tracy day-dreamed the whole thing.
The idea was a bit weird at first but the writing and dialogue were good, so I stuck with the book and had to know what happens in the end. McCarten knows how to write, but the plot devices and themes where cliché and weird, respectevly. The twenty-year-old girl marrying the middle-aged man was unrealistic enough, but the brother marrying his three widowed sister-in-laws and their all going along with it was to much. The relationship of Tracys parents capped it all.
I really hate the plot device of "and it was all a dream", which was used here in the most cliché way possible, thereby explaining - but not making up for - the extremely unrealistic plot.
eufohi's review against another edition
2.0
ich weiß nicht. es war okay. interessant und am anfang war es lustig und unterhaltsam. aber irgendwie konnte ich mich nicht darauf einlassen. dennoch war es gut geschrieben!