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catrink's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. This should have been much better than it was. Interesting premise - following the lives of very different people in 2007 London. Sadly the conversations were stilted, the level of detail too high and really only one character seemed to have depth. I did finish it because I dislike not finishing a book.
periklis's review against another edition
3.0
It's a book with a remarkable lack of plot. Even at its end, when all the parallel stories are to find some kind of conclusion, the book fails to reach any remarkable crescendo. The book is divided into seven chapters, one for each day of the week that the story supposedly takes place in. However, the author really uses the book as an opportunity to talk (mumble?) about the heroes' lives, with a vast number of flash-backs which break any sort of cohesion in the narration. I cannot say that I did not enjoy familiarising with the characters and reading many of the thoughts conveyed in the books. However, more often it made me feel as in my working week: looking forward to its end...
susannavs's review against another edition
3.0
There were things I liked, and things I didn't, but overall I'm not bugged by the ending or by the "unfinished" feel of this. Not Faulks' best, but I'm still glad I read this. Despite my 3 stars, I may even put this on my "to buy" list...
tcm_62's review against another edition
4.0
A very thought provoking book. Well developed, complex yet realistic and believable characters, interlinked in subtle and unexpected ways. Ultimately, an optimistic ending, although I'm left with a chillingly sinister impression of the shady world of finance...even worse than I had previously imagined.
An enjoyable read, different from his historical writing.
An enjoyable read, different from his historical writing.
hanjackson's review against another edition
3.0
I was slightly disappointed with this book. I am not sure if, after reading Lion D'or, I put too much anticipation into Faulks, or whether the premise is never quite explored as expected. Either way, there are moments of pure gold, such as with Gabriel and Jenni, that make this worthy of a 3 star rating.
strutty27's review against another edition
3.0
Far from his best book, he tried to cover too many characters and lost track of a few of them. The setting though was strong, as always. The plot was a bit far fetched at times, but the idea of covering a week in London and the lives that change during the time is good and normally well portrayed.
vesper93's review against another edition
Found it very difficult to empathise and therefore care about, any of the characters.
carrieliza's review against another edition
1.0
So disappointed. This book could have been something I really enjoyed--various characters intersecting in weird and fun ways! in a city I love!--but the execution was just off. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and found myself skimming most of the book anyway. All the detail about John Veals made me want to rip my eyes out. I thought the Jenni/Gabriel storyline could be fun, but that turned out to be pretty bland as well.
Booooooo.
Booooooo.
courtneyjx's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Took me forever to finish the book as I didn’t want to pick it back up each time k put it down. It’s well written but just boring af
simonrtaylor's review against another edition
3.0
A Week in December follows the lives of a number of individuals over the course of seven days. It begins with the planning of a dinner party, and ends with that same party taking place.
Ambitious in scope, Faulks attempts to cross-section society with characters that include wealthy hedge fund managers and lawyers, tube drivers, and disillusioned teenagers.
For the most part, he does this very well. Many of the hallmarks of modern culture are there. From Jenni Fortune being more interested in her virtual life on Parallax to Hassan al-Rashid is a young Scottish Muslim drawn to extremism, many contemporary issues are exposed. It doesn’t have the bleakness of Charlie Brooks, or the parody of Elton, but it’s unquestionably a parody of many of the UK’s dearest held, and perhaps most laughable, attitudes.
There are rich back stories for each character that gradually unfold, and the concept of how each person impacts another is always one that fascinates me. Similar in theme but entirely different to execution to 253, Faulks takes a longitudinal view of the interpersonal web that can last a lifetime.
Unfortunately, the continuation of the backstories are less well done. Not very much happens in this particular week in December. Once we have a handle on where the characters have been, there’s an appetite to carry on the tale that isn’t satisfied; instead, more history is regurgitated. In the case of John Veals, so much narrative is wasted on the intricacies of his profession that very little can develop in the plot.
By the second half of the book, you really want to congratulate Faulks on coming up with good characters that capture the modern zeitgeist but ask him to hurry it up a bit. Though there is progression, it’s lost in a myriad of introspection that drags the pace down to a near standstill. A week is a long time in politics, and even longer in this particular December.
Ambitious in scope, Faulks attempts to cross-section society with characters that include wealthy hedge fund managers and lawyers, tube drivers, and disillusioned teenagers.
For the most part, he does this very well. Many of the hallmarks of modern culture are there. From Jenni Fortune being more interested in her virtual life on Parallax to Hassan al-Rashid is a young Scottish Muslim drawn to extremism, many contemporary issues are exposed. It doesn’t have the bleakness of Charlie Brooks, or the parody of Elton, but it’s unquestionably a parody of many of the UK’s dearest held, and perhaps most laughable, attitudes.
There are rich back stories for each character that gradually unfold, and the concept of how each person impacts another is always one that fascinates me. Similar in theme but entirely different to execution to 253, Faulks takes a longitudinal view of the interpersonal web that can last a lifetime.
Unfortunately, the continuation of the backstories are less well done. Not very much happens in this particular week in December. Once we have a handle on where the characters have been, there’s an appetite to carry on the tale that isn’t satisfied; instead, more history is regurgitated. In the case of John Veals, so much narrative is wasted on the intricacies of his profession that very little can develop in the plot.
By the second half of the book, you really want to congratulate Faulks on coming up with good characters that capture the modern zeitgeist but ask him to hurry it up a bit. Though there is progression, it’s lost in a myriad of introspection that drags the pace down to a near standstill. A week is a long time in politics, and even longer in this particular December.