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wynne_ronareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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
4.0
hthacker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
joydivision4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
3.75
rosiejordansmith's review against another edition
3.0
Very much enjoyed the first book in the series the best, but will defo carry on. I like the writing style :-)
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third and least interesting of the Patrick Melrose novels starting with Never Mind and Bad News which touched on but did not detail the ongoing sexual and verbal abuse he suffered by his awful father until he was eight. This seems to have led during his teens and early 20's to years of addiction, money never being a problem. In Some Hope Patrick is now clean and is invited to a dinner party in the country meeting friends of his father and old lovers. The talk is constant, witty and at times funny with "darlings" here and there. Princess Margaret turns up as a guest giving the party more glam. But the talking can be also spiteful and goes on for too long. There is, however, a glimmer of hope for Patrick at the end when he hears a guest praising his father for helping her at a moment of crisis. He realises he has to get on with his life, get a job and get some enjoyment out of living. On the other hand, these seem to be semi-autobiographical so maybe not. St Aubyn is a simply wonderful writer.
jaymoran's review against another edition
4.0
What could he do but accept the disturbing extent to which memory was fictional and hope that the fiction lay at the service of a truth less richly represented by the original facts?
I've been reading one of these novels a year and have really enjoyed each one thus far, although I would say that the first volume, Never Mind, was my favourite. Patrick shares the stage in this book with a variety of different characters, each of who are attending a large party, and we see each of them interacting with one another. St. Aubyn is a brilliant writer, capable of making you laugh one moment and delivering a shocking, excruciating blow in the next, and I always fly through these books, closing the final page feeling sad that I won't be seeing Patrick again for another year. I think I mentioned in my review of the first book that the reading experience will always be a little dissatisfying with these books if you read them one at a time and regard them as separate, individual works. They have so many gaps when you read them in this way and they read like a segment as opposed to a whole story, so I'm not sure how different my experience would be if I read them all in one go like one big novel.
I've been reading one of these novels a year and have really enjoyed each one thus far, although I would say that the first volume, Never Mind, was my favourite. Patrick shares the stage in this book with a variety of different characters, each of who are attending a large party, and we see each of them interacting with one another. St. Aubyn is a brilliant writer, capable of making you laugh one moment and delivering a shocking, excruciating blow in the next, and I always fly through these books, closing the final page feeling sad that I won't be seeing Patrick again for another year. I think I mentioned in my review of the first book that the reading experience will always be a little dissatisfying with these books if you read them one at a time and regard them as separate, individual works. They have so many gaps when you read them in this way and they read like a segment as opposed to a whole story, so I'm not sure how different my experience would be if I read them all in one go like one big novel.
lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
2.0
I'm done with this series. It gets worse with every instalment.
When reading [b:Bad News|1077554|Bad News|Edward St. Aubyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1180794768l/1077554._SY75_.jpg|2241620] I missed the multiple perspectives of [b:Never Mind|13514899|Never Mind|Edward St. Aubyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1336063799l/13514899._SY75_.jpg|19070801]. I should have been careful what I wished for. This book was chock-full of characters and perspectives. Horrible, uninteresting, irritating characters.
There were good sections such as the NA scene and the scene where Patrick opens up to Johnny about his past. But most of it was insufferable people at a boring party.
I finished the first 3 books as I had them in a single volume but I can't see myself finishing the series.
When reading [b:Bad News|1077554|Bad News|Edward St. Aubyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1180794768l/1077554._SY75_.jpg|2241620] I missed the multiple perspectives of [b:Never Mind|13514899|Never Mind|Edward St. Aubyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1336063799l/13514899._SY75_.jpg|19070801]. I should have been careful what I wished for. This book was chock-full of characters and perspectives. Horrible, uninteresting, irritating characters.
There were good sections such as the NA scene and the scene where Patrick opens up to Johnny about his past. But most of it was insufferable people at a boring party.
I finished the first 3 books as I had them in a single volume but I can't see myself finishing the series.
reggikko's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Wow. There is so much in this short novel. St Aubyn seems again to pay homage to Evelyn Waugh with what I can only describe as sparkling bitchiness. In the end, though, he seems more to draw on Woolf and Joyce for inspiration.
The party in this novel reminds me of both The Dead and Mrs Dalloway, complete with Patrick in an attic room, gazing out of the window and longing for an epiphany a la Clarissa Dalloway or Gabriel Conroy. He even has Sonny, the character whose birthday party it is, say, “Obviously, I’d rather that my birthday was in June instead of gloomy old February,” just in case you weren’t paying attention. Also, the party is attended by Princess Margaret, frequently referred to as P.M. I see what you did there, Mr St Aubyn. The gently falling snow at the end is a nice touch, too. ;-)
Wow. There is so much in this short novel. St Aubyn seems again to pay homage to Evelyn Waugh with what I can only describe as sparkling bitchiness. In the end, though, he seems more to draw on Woolf and Joyce for inspiration.
The party in this novel reminds me of both The Dead and Mrs Dalloway, complete with Patrick in an attic room, gazing out of the window and longing for an epiphany a la Clarissa Dalloway or Gabriel Conroy. He even has Sonny, the character whose birthday party it is, say, “Obviously, I’d rather that my birthday was in June instead of gloomy old February,” just in case you weren’t paying attention. Also, the party is attended by Princess Margaret, frequently referred to as P.M. I see what you did there, Mr St Aubyn. The gently falling snow at the end is a nice touch, too. ;-)