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Reviews

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas

tan7a's review against another edition

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3.0

Some parts were wonderful mind puzzles and very involving. It was like having a philosophical discussion with a friend who knows -a bit- but is very interested in the discussion and not too eager to win.
Some descriptions were way too long and tedious, but it's OK, every 500+ pages book suffers a bit from that (if I'm very in tune with the author I may even enjoy them)...
But the ending... argh... really? after everything we've been through? what a letdown!
I wanted to knock the rating down to two stars but I might be too emotional now, and I don't want to do it out of spite... There's always tomorrow...

swah's review against another edition

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4.0

3.75
This was pretty entertaining to read; it's a really cool idea for a book as well. There are a lot of interesting thoughts about language, consciousness, thought experiments, religion, and simulations. The story itself felt a bit flat, as though the author really just wanted to write down all of her thoughts in the form of fiction but then realized she needed some sort of plot to hold it together. I was not fond of the romance in the book, it felt extremely rushed and unnecessary. Also, it would have been nice if the main character hadn't been so "clever." She makes a lot of good guesses in the book simply because she likes to read pop-sci and philosophy books, which is a bit odd.
Definitely interesting though, and i like that it explores has a unique perspective on the whole simulation theory.

ianl1963's review against another edition

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2.0

For me, rather pretentious pseudo-intellectual novel.

It has it's supporters, so maybe just me.

Not sure whether some of the lines and vocabulary just there to "shock" or just an author's affectation.

That's not even including the giant's ring!

alisonclare93's review against another edition

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4.0

A bit slow at times, very academic - so don't attempt to read when you're tired. But the 'other dimension' sci-fi plot linked in with literature is what really fascinated me. The fact that it's set at my old university thrilled me - all the little references to certain buildings that other readers wouldn't notice was hugely enjoyable!

corami's review against another edition

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5.0

Contrary to the bad reviews, I founded this book really easy to read, it gets you involve, and the actual idea behind it and the experiments is pretty cool. Honestly I don’t think is a bad book, I liked it and enjoyed it a lot. Solid 4 for it.

renjamin88's review against another edition

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3.0

The book posed a lot of interesting philosophical arguments, which is probably what I enjoyed most of the book. For me, the book started out very strong, but progressively got slower. It's as if Thomas got tired and started running out of ideas. I felt like the end was a complete cop-out .

rosalarian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

This is my favorite book in the world. I reread it every other year. I have bought ten copies over the years to loan/gift to friends. It has influenced my view of the meaning of life and the universe.

paperbackmo's review against another edition

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3.0

There were lots of conversations I skimmed through because they turned into huge philosophical debates that went over my head.
Otherwise the story had good flow and kept me fairly engaged

2.5 stars

elaineruss's review against another edition

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Not for me. I persevered for a bit but I fear this just isn't good.

cat_thecatlady's review against another edition

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3.0

I'm a little too dumb for this much philosophy and quantum physics in my literature but nevertheless, I really appreciated the concepts and the effort from the author to diversify the genre of fantasy.