Scan barcode
miaslam's review
4.0
Read a very good book after a while! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Look forward to reading more of Dan Rhodes.
nayrieshahenean's review
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
embalukee's review against another edition
2.0
Outo...hyvin outo kirja, mutta niin sanotusti loistava valinta Halloween-kuukausiteemaani!
nikkivrc's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably the most macabre book I have ever read - it talks about cannibalism, necrofilia and suicide extensively - yet for some inexplicable reason it wasn't hard to read at all. Maybe it's because all the gruesomeness is delivered in a very objective, almost deadpan way. Because of that you feel slightly detached and you don't get too caught up in the horror of it all. All that aside though, this was an archetypical 3-star novel - not bad, but not great either.
krisrid's review
1.0
This is a very strange book. The best word I can use to describe it is morbid. Creepy would also work. I can't say I enjoyed it, although it did have a bit of the "can't look away from a train-wreck" feel to it, which is why I continued reading as long as I did, which was about two-thirds of the way through before I was just too disturbed to go all the way to the end.
Basically, the book is about death, specifically suicide, and while I can't give too much explanation about the plot without ruining it for anyone who may want to read it, all the characters are connected to death in various ways. All the characters are also deeply damaged and dysfunctiona in different ways, and they all connect in some way and eventually to the museum described in the back cover of the book.
Some of the blurbs by other readers described this book as "funny" and "brilliant". I would not agree with either of those. I found virtually nothing in this book "funny". On the contrary, I realized eventually that I was depressed and feeling a bit ill by reading it because of what goes on in it, so that is when I stopped.
Possibly, if I had read all the way to the end, I would have disovered what the reviewers found so "brilliant" about it, but it was just too bizarre and creepy for me.
Basically, the book is about death, specifically suicide, and while I can't give too much explanation about the plot without ruining it for anyone who may want to read it, all the characters are connected to death in various ways. All the characters are also deeply damaged and dysfunctiona in different ways, and they all connect in some way and eventually to the museum described in the back cover of the book.
Some of the blurbs by other readers described this book as "funny" and "brilliant". I would not agree with either of those. I found virtually nothing in this book "funny". On the contrary, I realized eventually that I was depressed and feeling a bit ill by reading it because of what goes on in it, so that is when I stopped.
Possibly, if I had read all the way to the end, I would have disovered what the reviewers found so "brilliant" about it, but it was just too bizarre and creepy for me.
litdoes's review
4.0
A wondrously wicked and funny novel, that bears all of Dan Rhodes's signature wit and morbid humour. In a quirky little museum in a German town, an old, clinically reticent caretaker and the locally renowned and respected Doctor Frohlicher share a clandestine alliance that is more sinister than strange.
Meanwhile, in the Portuguese town of Rio Douro, two other characters take centrestage; Mauro and Madalena, village sweethearts whose story would intertwine with the the former mismatched pair's under Rhodes's masterful storytelling strokes. Readers who have read his previous works would be familiar with the succinct and yet impactful way Rhodes make his characters come alive with complete backstories to engage the reader. There is a kind of authenticity that Rhodes endows his characters that make them appear distinctive and fully-formed, no matter the size of their roles in the story.
While there are a few shockingly graphic macabre scenes that almost made me retch, they are neither spun out for cheap thrills nor do they come across as the author's self-gratifying attempts at horror. As unlikely as it sounds, this odd combination of love story/suspense thriller/madcap comedy works to good, if not great, effect.
Meanwhile, in the Portuguese town of Rio Douro, two other characters take centrestage; Mauro and Madalena, village sweethearts whose story would intertwine with the the former mismatched pair's under Rhodes's masterful storytelling strokes. Readers who have read his previous works would be familiar with the succinct and yet impactful way Rhodes make his characters come alive with complete backstories to engage the reader. There is a kind of authenticity that Rhodes endows his characters that make them appear distinctive and fully-formed, no matter the size of their roles in the story.
While there are a few shockingly graphic macabre scenes that almost made me retch, they are neither spun out for cheap thrills nor do they come across as the author's self-gratifying attempts at horror. As unlikely as it sounds, this odd combination of love story/suspense thriller/madcap comedy works to good, if not great, effect.
slammy90's review against another edition
Not my cup of tea
Abbandonato senza rimpianti a pagina 76, non fa proprio per me e mi ha trasmesso una sensazione di malessere e di "No, grazie, magari la prossima volta, eh?".
Se ripenso poi da quanto tempo era nella mia WL.. Piango.
Abbandonato senza rimpianti a pagina 76, non fa proprio per me e mi ha trasmesso una sensazione di malessere e di "No, grazie, magari la prossima volta, eh?".
Se ripenso poi da quanto tempo era nella mia WL.. Piango.
whatsnonfiction's review against another edition
1.0
Disappointed. Too much unrequited love melodrama, cannibalism, necrophilia, and dogs barfing up penises for me.