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kylepotter's review against another edition
2.0
Minimal world building and 2-dimensional characters spouting purple prose made this novel a terrible slog. I quit at the midway point.
makaylariley's review against another edition
2.0
This book was part of the required reading for my class on Historical Fiction.
I thought the premise was interesting: what if King Henry XIII’s older brother had never died and England had, therefore, never parted with the Catholic Church. I also felt a lot of sympathy and compassion for Hubert, the main character.
I did, however have a huge problem with the writing style. I thought it was very stilted and the pacing was poorly done. The hierarchy of the Church was a big deal in this, but was never explained and there were lots of invented terms and situations that were never really explained, making it confusing and sometimes difficult to read. While I really liked the idea and the characters felt like real people, I think the execution left a lot to be desired.
I thought the premise was interesting: what if King Henry XIII’s older brother had never died and England had, therefore, never parted with the Catholic Church. I also felt a lot of sympathy and compassion for Hubert, the main character.
I did, however have a huge problem with the writing style. I thought it was very stilted and the pacing was poorly done. The hierarchy of the Church was a big deal in this, but was never explained and there were lots of invented terms and situations that were never really explained, making it confusing and sometimes difficult to read. While I really liked the idea and the characters felt like real people, I think the execution left a lot to be desired.
mrwcc's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this story. The ending is rough going considering the climactic-nature of latter portion of the story. Thoroughly recommend.
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
Amis does an admirable job of world-building in a scant 200 pages or so.
ipb1's review against another edition
4.0
This doesn't generally seem to be that highly rated, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. A satirical alternative history of a hopelessly stagnating, fiercely xenophobic, Catholic-dominated Britain. Probably even more pointedly resonant and relevant post-Brexit, although I'm not sure if that makes it even funnier or more depressingly apposite.
paul_cloutier's review against another edition
4.0
A great alternate history book that presumes a very different present day in which the Protestant reformation never happened. Pretty entertaining and thought provoking.
gbaty's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lordenglishssbm's review against another edition
3.0
A smart book, but a repetitive one. Amis' ability to articulate ideas on sexuality and religion are impressive, but he runs out of anything unusual to say about halfway through the book, and it was frustrating to see that he wrote a precocious child the same way he wrote his adult characters. It has its ups and downs, but while it is ultimately a solid coming-of-age story, I can't help but think that it needed a bit more focus and structure.