Reviews

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

fiskestreetlittlelibrary's review against another edition

1.0

I had high hopes for Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood, a thriller set in New Zealand and featuring an American billionaire who’s snatched up land for his end of times luxury bunker and a guerrilla gardening collective who views the same property as the ultimate squat for farming.

I struggled with this book. The first half was a slog and focused on the inner ideological monologues of several main characters. The second half of the book saw more action and lots of dialogue.

It just didn’t work for me, sadly.

sameintsma's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Starts off slow but winds up to afast and shocking conclusion. Full of surprises!

l_ise's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

3.0

laura_cat's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

ronbert's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

rosannes's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

daniellemgreen17's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

hjfritz27's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.5

verity_warn's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0