Reviews

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories by Hilary Mantel

pkadams's review against another edition

4.0

There is a reason why James Wood, book critic extraordinaire, loves Hillary Mantel. Her writing as described by others is "absolutely penetrating, brilliant, diverse, unpredictable, unexpected, unsparing, acutely brutal, rascally intelligent, and full of a wicked sense of humor that cuts to the core of human experience." I concur. I read her stories for her insights. The plots never compel me nor do her characters fascinate, but her insights are stunning. Favorite quote of the book, "Spent two hours with my neighbor widening the culture gap."

jovotestargaryen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition

3.0

I did not enjoy this book. The reason I gave it 3 stars was because it was really well written, and I actually really enjoyed the last (and title) story. I think I was just not in the mood for these dark and strange stories. Probably not a fault of the book, but a personal preference. I did not understand the point of them (read:there was no point) and I was very glad it was a short book. I dragged myself through it and I'm glad to be finished.

mubeenirfan's review against another edition

3.0

Hilary Mantel is a literary sensation due to her back to back Man booker prizes for historical fiction novels around Thomas Cromwell. But most of the people haven't read anything beyond those books myself included. The assassination of Margaret Thatcher generated buzz when it was published due to the title & I recently got my hands on it. It's a collection of short stories which have different themes around disorders, male chauvinism, class differences, existential crisis and sometimes very mundane. The title story is deeply political though. All the stories have certain British wit to them & feel refreshing. It's a nice collection to read when need to read something light by a great contemporary writer. Overall 3. 5 stars and recommended.

ldv's review against another edition

3.0

Short stories as one expects them to be: unusual anecdotes of weird topics, simple to read but of heavy substance. most are in first person but you never get to know the narrators. Many involve death. I liked The Long QT perhaps because there is a character with my name and because it ends unexpectedly. The latter is true of Winter Break, too.
Where do some of these story ideas originate?

sianh77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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? Yes

1.75

Like all short stories some stuck and some didn’t 

nglofile's review against another edition

3.0

An intriguing mix of stories, selections which span character, setting, tone, and idea. I won't be at all surprised if my assessment rises as I reflect longer on the voice of each.

audiobook note: Jane Carr reads with a sharp liveliness that is perfectly suited to Mantel's writing. There's an intelligence and complexity in her narrative style that both entertains and impresses.

andreaitziar's review against another edition

2.0

El título resultaba tentador pero, en mi opinión, solo hay un par de historias que realmente merezcan la pena. No descarto que sea ya por el cansancio acumulado durante el curso y las lecturas obligatorias en inglés pero es un libro que me ha parecido desagradable y aburrido a partes iguales. En general, no me ha llegado y no lo recomendaría.

aleonak's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

kfrig's review against another edition

3.0

Right off the bat I can say this was far from my favorite Hilary Mantel. More later.