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normalgirlreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tieganlucy's review against another edition
5.0
4.25 - Wow. What a stunning book. I absolutely loved it and William Boyd’s writing really is as beautiful as Dolly Alderton said it is. However, I’m not giving it 5 stars as there were sections of the book I was not interested in or did not understand. It could’ve been trimmed down in my opinion. But still beautiful nonetheless!
bart_gunn's review against another edition
2.0
I gave up a 1/3 of the way through. It's readable enough, but the characters are not particularly likeable nor interesting, and the diary format isn't particularly enthralling either. Only thoughts of self flagellation for giving up another book kept me going. But that I ended up spending so much thought time considering whether I should persist with this book or not in the end gave me the answer to stop. Life is too short and there are too many books in the world.
burkeester's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Diary of a life spanning the important events of the twentieth century
I have been meaning to read this for years, I remember seeing the adaptation on television quite a while ago. It was only upon seeing it mentioned and recommended in A Diary of a Bookseller that I was prompted to download a library audio copy. This worked very well on audio, being a diary format.
Interspersed among diary entries ranging from student days up to old age, a narrator tells us that this is the life of Logan Mountstuart, and gives us extra information outside of his own timeline.
The voice changes gradually over time from a young man to seasoned writer, all the way to a very old and jaded man worn down by life. I checked when I finished, and listened back to various points in time - very nicely narrated.
Logan is a privileged young man, at a boarding school at the time of great change. He wants to be a writer, he has adolescence to work through, education to survive. Then there is a civil war, a world war, great social changes, as Logan traverses love, countries, careers and plays his role in key events of the period.
He's hard to dislike, though Logan is a philanderer, he runs away from responsibilities. He manages almost to 'stumble' into writing, he stumbles into marriage. His life intersects with important people at important times (Ian Fleming, Picasso). It's social history through the eyes of one man.
There are some very poignant sections, a very dark war for Logan with drastic consequences I haven't seen before, I had a large lump in my throat after this. And I found his old age hugely moving as Logan's fortunes change, he gets caught up in some rather dramatic events and his monetary situation becomes rather alarming.
A life chronicling a century of changes, a bit of an anti-hero in a well-born man whose luck and connections bring reward and heartache. His love life, career and fortunes take varying directions and my sympathies stayed with him. As his end drew inevitably nearer, I felt sad to leave him, to see what his 'end' would be.
A very worthwhile read, a poignant tale of a life, a few insights into major events of the century, and a sad look at ageing and old age.
I have been meaning to read this for years, I remember seeing the adaptation on television quite a while ago. It was only upon seeing it mentioned and recommended in A Diary of a Bookseller that I was prompted to download a library audio copy. This worked very well on audio, being a diary format.
Interspersed among diary entries ranging from student days up to old age, a narrator tells us that this is the life of Logan Mountstuart, and gives us extra information outside of his own timeline.
The voice changes gradually over time from a young man to seasoned writer, all the way to a very old and jaded man worn down by life. I checked when I finished, and listened back to various points in time - very nicely narrated.
Logan is a privileged young man, at a boarding school at the time of great change. He wants to be a writer, he has adolescence to work through, education to survive. Then there is a civil war, a world war, great social changes, as Logan traverses love, countries, careers and plays his role in key events of the period.
He's hard to dislike, though Logan is a philanderer, he runs away from responsibilities. He manages almost to 'stumble' into writing, he stumbles into marriage. His life intersects with important people at important times (Ian Fleming, Picasso). It's social history through the eyes of one man.
There are some very poignant sections, a very dark war for Logan with drastic consequences I haven't seen before, I had a large lump in my throat after this. And I found his old age hugely moving as Logan's fortunes change, he gets caught up in some rather dramatic events and his monetary situation becomes rather alarming.
A life chronicling a century of changes, a bit of an anti-hero in a well-born man whose luck and connections bring reward and heartache. His love life, career and fortunes take varying directions and my sympathies stayed with him. As his end drew inevitably nearer, I felt sad to leave him, to see what his 'end' would be.
A very worthwhile read, a poignant tale of a life, a few insights into major events of the century, and a sad look at ageing and old age.
hayley_nz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
A complex and deep book. So much to unpack, would definitely love to read again - but at times, I found the multitude of characters extremely difficult to wrap my head around and remember their impact. I do love this type of story as a change - follows a journal approach and it is very rare you experience the narrator’s life from school-age to old-age.
m_welham_64's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of the book - but once I did it was an entertaining read.
mattm1004's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kyouwa_today's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow! A very interesting read - loved how it took us through the 20th century, as well as the journal format. Logan takes a while to grow on you but by the end I loved him.
kdmr's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75