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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
As a novel by John Boyne, I expected the best, considering also the presentation lines on the back of the paperback edition I bought, extremely catching. As any first work though, you perceive greatness but you only get a taste of it. The novel starts with a lot of potential, and very good story-lines, but then all the anticipation doesn't really get fulfilled by the result. I guessed the ending way too early during the reading, but that is not exactly bad: John Boyne is a master of honesty, and you can see that the honest ending of this book was just the one he wrote. The tale of Matthieu's first love wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, at first, but then I sort of understood where John Boyne was going and, even though the start of the novel led you in one direction, it brings you to another one, as good as that one, or even better, talking about the meaning of love, the way it unfolds and the way it affects you. You have a sense of a great start and a not entirely fulfilled ending, but it is a very enjoyable and well-written book that is really worth a read.
John Boyne’s first book. Not his best, but there are hints of what is to follow. This is a yarn. Two parallel stories and a few episodes, short stories in themselves. I couldn’t help but think of Nicholas Monsarrat’s Master Mariner, an earlier book with a similar device.
A good concept and adequately written. I did get a bit bored with the modern parts of the story, at times, and the ending(s) were predictable. Average.
John Boyne é um contador de histórias. Para mim, está entre os melhores. Este livro é a história de Matthieu Zela, um homem de 256 anos com aparência de 50 que simplesmente não morre. Narrado em primeira pessoa, Matthieu nos conta momentos marcantes de sua longa vida, desde sua adolescência e sua saída da França até o momento presente, 1999, Londres. Leitura fácil e prazerosa!
I think 3.5 for this one - a good concept, but something was lacking. And at times I was annoyed that the 'back' story jumped about quite a bit.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Memorable Quotes
"...Dominique Sauvet, my first true love and quite possibly the girl against whom none of my subsequent nineteen wives or nine hundred lovers could ever quite compare."
"One can only stare at her and marvel. She'd be perfect if one could only find a flaw."
"...every so often a natural disaster comes along, an act of God, and it blows all the dust away and when it does people can see that whatever's left underneath ain't so pretty."
"...sometimes those whom we perceive as friends are simply people with whom we spend a lot of time."
"...sometimes one can realise that a person is unworthy of love and love them anyway; one can form an unexplainable attachment that cannot be broken even when the object of one's affection breaks the confidences with which you entrusted them. Sometimes the one you love is blind to your feelings and for all your conversation you cannot find the words to explain it."
Somewhat simply written without pompousness and yet trully enjoyable book! I would def recommend.