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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adored this book. It felt like I was watching a comedy akin to MASH instead of reading a book. The characters are slightly exaggerated and larger than life, and the story lines somewhat unbelievable, but the end result was an enjoyable ride through around the world and through history that passed the time with laughter and invoked my curiousity about actual history more than any teacher or parent ever has.
Fiction that draws on history is one on my favorite indulgences in modern literature. We already know the history books can't possibly include it all, so why can't it have happened in a slightly more interesting way?
Pay no attention to how long it took me to finish this book, I was reading it during my lunch break those few times I eschew the company of others (and at one point I lost it in the disaster that some jokingly/disparagingly/honestly refer to as my office).
Fiction that draws on history is one on my favorite indulgences in modern literature. We already know the history books can't possibly include it all, so why can't it have happened in a slightly more interesting way?
Pay no attention to how long it took me to finish this book, I was reading it during my lunch break those few times I eschew the company of others (and at one point I lost it in the disaster that some jokingly/disparagingly/honestly refer to as my office).
My re-readable shelf is a hard place for a book to earn its spot on but this one - with its quirkiness, its relatable characters and its subtle life lessons - most certainly has.
A fun romp through recent history in a wry way. Got a bit repetitive, but I found it unusual and enjoyable, as a light read.
And the title was so promising...
Dumb. Oh so dumb. The humor, if it could be called that, is roughly on par with children's knock knock jokes. And this feeble comedy is hammered on with an incredible relentlessness over 400 pages.
Ha ha...people drink vodka! Ha ha! A man who doesn't like politics meets every important political leader over 5 decades...ha ha! Religion and politics are dumb. Guffaw guffaw.
I actively groaned more times than be counted. I suppose this title will be the darling of book groups comprised of older ladies (centenarians?) but it's a horrid mashup of Big Fish and Forrest Gump. Appalling.
Readers are also expected to be dumb enough to swallow the idea that Sweden does not have access to forensic science in the year of our Lord 2005.
*Very slight spoiler alert below*
I found myself wondering at the "ho-hum" attitude of our "hero" in the face every every major event of his life...who the fuck would want to live 100 years with that kind of blase feeling about everything?! Are we supposed to root for a man who can't even be bothered to care that he spends a large portion of his 100 years behind bars?
Dumb. Oh so dumb. The humor, if it could be called that, is roughly on par with children's knock knock jokes. And this feeble comedy is hammered on with an incredible relentlessness over 400 pages.
Ha ha...people drink vodka! Ha ha! A man who doesn't like politics meets every important political leader over 5 decades...ha ha! Religion and politics are dumb. Guffaw guffaw.
I actively groaned more times than be counted. I suppose this title will be the darling of book groups comprised of older ladies (centenarians?) but it's a horrid mashup of Big Fish and Forrest Gump. Appalling.
Readers are also expected to be dumb enough to swallow the idea that Sweden does not have access to forensic science in the year of our Lord 2005.
*Very slight spoiler alert below*
I found myself wondering at the "ho-hum" attitude of our "hero" in the face every every major event of his life...who the fuck would want to live 100 years with that kind of blase feeling about everything?! Are we supposed to root for a man who can't even be bothered to care that he spends a large portion of his 100 years behind bars?
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The most funny and unhinged book I have ever read.
I loved every bit of it! It’s now on the list of my all-time favorite books!
I loved every bit of it! It’s now on the list of my all-time favorite books!
Prva polovica knihy ma bavila, druha polovica menej. Zaver mi prisiel ako trochu zbuchany narychlo. Niektore exkurzy do minulosti ma vobec nebavili, kazdopadne kniha je prijemna, ale asi si ju neprecitam znova a nijako vaznejsie ma nezasiahla.
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Unexpectedly funny lesson in global politics of the 1940s-1960s