Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked up this book for the cover. It was strange and philosophical.
Great thoughtfulness regarding science, mental health, and love, and left me hopeful.
reflective
tense
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
3/5 feels harsh for a book with such crisp and descriptive prose. the plot felt a little knotted up, and i never got much satisfaction from much of the foreshadowing and allusion. some characters were much more interesting than others (@francis), and i had trouble grasping how some of the ppl/pieces fit together. that said, the discussions about meditation and scientific practice were beautiful and useful as a model for my own writing, as well. glad i picked it up!
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eerste kennismaking met deze schrijver. Wel de verfilming van de Patrick Melrose-romans gezien, met Benedict Cumberbatch in de hoofdrol.
Wat een fijne wereld (nou ja) is er in dit boek. Er zijn veel personages, en het gaat snel en wisselt veel, maar het is intelligent en fijn opgeschreven, met aandacht voor zowel de wereld op grote schaal als het meer intieme leven, en die afwisseling vond ik erg fijn. Enigszins frustrerend dat het allemaal zo open eindigt (maar ja, zo is het leven ook), en het 'grapje' met Guido en de kardinaal vond ik een beetje te veel een schot voor open doel, maar voor mij dus wel een prettige kennismaking. Gelijk op zoek naar die Patrick Melrose-romans.
Wat een fijne wereld (nou ja) is er in dit boek. Er zijn veel personages, en het gaat snel en wisselt veel, maar het is intelligent en fijn opgeschreven, met aandacht voor zowel de wereld op grote schaal als het meer intieme leven, en die afwisseling vond ik erg fijn. Enigszins frustrerend dat het allemaal zo open eindigt (maar ja, zo is het leven ook), en het 'grapje' met Guido en de kardinaal vond ik een beetje te veel een schot voor open doel, maar voor mij dus wel een prettige kennismaking. Gelijk op zoek naar die Patrick Melrose-romans.
Aubyn's powers of observation are incredible. Just take a little thing, like how people drink. There's a moment when a drinker does a fake shudder after downing a shot. Perfect observational detail that makes the vignette so crystal clear and easy to imagine. And there's another moment where a man's uncontrollable laughter causes him to pull his drink away from his lips twice because to drink while laughing like that would mean inhaling the beverage. This book is full of details like that, and it's a delight to just enjoy the ride.
I think the criticisms of the book are valid. There are lots of big topics here, but none are explored deeply enough to retrieve deep, lasting, or shattering emotional truths. There are regular moments where Aubyn seems to uncover a multi-carat nugget with a little scratching at the surface, and that's his genius, but what I don't disagree with critics who wished for more depth.
I think the criticisms of the book are valid. There are lots of big topics here, but none are explored deeply enough to retrieve deep, lasting, or shattering emotional truths. There are regular moments where Aubyn seems to uncover a multi-carat nugget with a little scratching at the surface, and that's his genius, but what I don't disagree with critics who wished for more depth.
The lengthy science observations the character make every other page are kind of a slog to get through. This book reads like the author has lots of thoughts about science, which are actually quite interesting, but I’d rather read them in an essay collection.