Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - Lessons

When Roland Baines’ wife leaves him with their 7-month-old son, he is forced to reflect on his past life and the decisions he had made, which were influenced by a relationship in his teens with his piano teacher. This is an epic and challenging read, that covers his entire life. There is lots of social and political commentary, which is interesting but it slows the pace.

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sdmlm20's review against another edition

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poppyholmes's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

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zara89's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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kejan's review

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challenging reflective slow-paced

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

2.75

I only got more invested in the story two thirds into the book.
There are no good build ups of suspension. The moments in his life that are supposed to be big, are dealt with in a short sentence. The character himself is not per se loveable or enthralling. His storytelling is constantly focused outward and I missed reflection from the character.
Still the writing is stunning which is the reason I kept reading. The final 150 pages are a real treat.

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bernard_black's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

Loveable characters? No

4.25

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pipnewman's review

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed this read, and stuck with it which is saying something as I don't often read books this long. Told from the perspective of Roland, who grows up in the aftermath of the Second World War, the book is very rooted in the historical context. It was interesting to feel that each character was deeply influenced by the historical and political contexts- arms races, the fall of the Berlin Wall, political movements in Britain, all the way through to the covid lockdowns. However it did feel very male centric- all the male characters were significantly more developed than the female characters and it felt like the genre of 'grandad telling his life story at the dinner table'. Also massive massive content warning for sexual assault / harassment / pedophilia - it jumps in right at chapter 1, threads through the whole novel and is very confronting if you are not expecting it.

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