Reviews

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

blairmahoney's review against another edition

3.0

Catton is very psychologically astute and there is some great dialogue and interactions between characters. I found the plot rather silly, though, and it bored me towards the end (when everything actually happens very rapidly). Not nearly as interesting as The Luminaries.

mchmilburn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

eviej's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jerushae's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars. Took a bit for the story to pick up, and it took some turns a definitely wasn’t expecting. The ending was way darker than I was hoping for. I enjoyed the character development through the internal voices of the characters, so that even the sociopathic American was at least a little relatable. Would read something else by Catton.

undersea's review

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

maddyjmll's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

bunnytim2's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

abi_g_mac's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The audiobook was great with a good narrator.
Slow paced to start but really picks up as the tension builds until you don't want to put it down.
A lot of social commentary on environmentalism, activism, capitalism and the existence of billionaires. From a white middle class western perspective but this is acknowledged and intentional I think. A lot to unpick.

anirbas's review against another edition

2.75

The beginning of the book was really slow. It took a long time to care about any of the characters and the ending is pretty messed up.

rachcatx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75