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lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
1.0
This book was nuts in a bad way. Maybe the metaphors were over my head? The first 65% of the book was rambling nonsense. The only redeeming quality was the interesting piece of the writer entering the book as a character to describe why he wrote the book.
hollyenglish's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Loved the prose. Especially the dialogue, especially especially the dialogue between John and Cornelius. But the story really wasn't for me in the end. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second.
alexcurtisnb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
Weird and enjoyable book. I like Barry's writing and his style. I didn't read the about the book before borrowing from the library, and didn't think about the title. Not sure why, but I didn't. So, I was a bit loopy at first. Overall I am not sure that a lot happens here, but the writing is interesting and the flow is creative.
thebobsphere's review against another edition
4.0
For the past five minutes I have been deleting and re-writing sentences for this review. Sure I can say that this book is great, especially if you are a fan of The Beatles and experimental literature but somehow that does not cut it.
Beatlebone's appeal is by many things. For starters the language used is poetic. Think of short sentences stuffed with puns and Beatles references. Then there's a the plot. John Lennon is visiting one of the islands (in reality he did have an island of his own) he owned in order to get his creative juices running and to escape society. ). The rest of the book is divided into certain set pieces. There's a part in a hotel, another in a pub and the main theme that emerges is that age can change you - in a good or bad way. Throughout the book we get snippets of Lennon's life and need for solitude thus tying up the island as a metaphor thread nicely.
The centrepiece of the book though, is when author Kevin Barry has a section, where he talks about the inspiration behind Beatlebone and his attempt to recreate John Lennon's visits to his private island. Is this meaning that author and character are the same thing but shouldn't be? This is the only part of the book which is written
In all Beatlebone is a brilliant book. DOes it help to be a Beatles fan? yes but don't let it be a detraction.
Beatlebone's appeal is by many things. For starters the language used is poetic. Think of short sentences stuffed with puns and Beatles references. Then there's a the plot. John Lennon is visiting one of the islands (in reality he did have an island of his own) he owned in order to get his creative juices running and to escape society. ). The rest of the book is divided into certain set pieces. There's a part in a hotel, another in a pub and the main theme that emerges is that age can change you - in a good or bad way. Throughout the book we get snippets of Lennon's life and need for solitude thus tying up the island as a metaphor thread nicely.
The centrepiece of the book though, is when author Kevin Barry has a section, where he talks about the inspiration behind Beatlebone and his attempt to recreate John Lennon's visits to his private island. Is this meaning that author and character are the same thing but shouldn't be? This is the only part of the book which is written
In all Beatlebone is a brilliant book. DOes it help to be a Beatles fan? yes but don't let it be a detraction.
rebekah_l's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
krobart's review against another edition
2.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/02/23/review-1620-beatlebone/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/02/23/review-1620-beatlebone/
dexterdoolittle's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Complexities of the human condition, ghosts turly do exist in the sense of our past lives lived and forgotten to the luminous sea where she calls out your name in the deepest and darkest of nights.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
3.0
A strange and hallucinatory trip of a novel in the company of John for most of the novel (there is a section where the author (?) injects himself in to the story, but I did actually find that pretty helpful) as he heads towards an island in west Ireland. It's really interesting and different, and rather funny at various points. I think the fandom went over my head at points, but I enjoyed reading the prose nonetheless even if it was a strange trip.