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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
it was alright. The characters were too sophisticated to be believable - I was almost halfway through the book before I realized that they were supposed to be some superstitious cave-man like people -( as opposed to - a group of "native" people with a great deal of contemporary assumptions.) So all through the book I had to remind myself that theses were supposed to be people of somewhat limited sophisitication compared to now... it was thousands of years ago - you know... but everytime they entered a hut I could sense someone reaching over and flipping a light switch... there just wasnt any sense that the "time" was real...
The story was inventive... It had a poetically just (if not predictable) ending... but I'd say it was worth a read-through...
So far, I've not been very impressed with this author... just a flavor thing - maybe...
The story was inventive... It had a poetically just (if not predictable) ending... but I'd say it was worth a read-through...
So far, I've not been very impressed with this author... just a flavor thing - maybe...
An imaginative look at the possibility of how stonehenge was built and the lives of the people involved. Absorbing and feels realistic and makes me want to know more about ancient English history.
I should note firstly that this is the first time I have ever read, or should I say listened, to a book as an audiobook. I enjoyed the reader, and I think a lot hinges on a good reader to make an audiobook a pleasant listen – before one even gets into the writing – although I found his attempts at female voices rather strange. On to the actual book.
This was definitely a book of two halves, for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second half. At the book’s opening we’re thrown into the thick of events straight away and the characters and scenery snap vividly to life. As the story progresses, we learn more about the strange, unfamiliar world in which the characters move, full of mysterious but fascinating people and unexpected events. The tension and risk in the first half of the book remains high – bad things happen to good people, no one is safe, and the twists and turns really kept me on my toes, I had no idea what was going to happen next and the surprises were well done and unexpected. I really warmed to the lead character, adolescent youth Saban, who comes across as quirky and interesting, and as something of an underdog you do root for him. I cared about what happened to him, and when misfortune came his way I felt at once sympathetic but also intrigued because those events shook things up considerably. This is a real turning point in the novels’ direction, a shift in the story. Unfortunately, it’s a shift that, for me, marked a downturn.
All the risk and tension goes clean out of the story. One ceases to feel like the protagonist faces any danger or uncertainty. The story suddenly became dull and predictable, in my opinion, and I was no longer surprised by events, and the story started to feel quite uninteresting and grey. Many years pass in a chunk, swept aside with a few lines of narrative, with very little interesting happening apart from the construction of Stonehenge, which, by itself is not enough to hold the story together – history, great, but I need a compelling plot and well-written characters too if I’m to make a story out of it. The ending seemed fairly summary, and was achieved all too easily. It also seemed slightly strange and illogical, though I won't go into that as I don't want to give spoilers.
Cornwell, professional that he is, includes an author’s note at the end, discussing the history behind the story, which is nothing less than I’d expect from any decent historical fiction author. Cornwell clearly demarcates between fact and fiction, which action I appreciate, and muses over the evidence and possible historical interpretations. Cornwell argues that Stonehenge could have been constructed in one man’s lifetime – which occurs in the book – citing as support the human drive to complete great projects, but whilst I agree with Cornwell that it could have been possible to construct Stonehenge in one lifetime I don’t think it is the likeliest scenario. Occasionally Cornwell lets slip an incautious comment – about ancient sailing, for example. However, when discussing Stonehenge itself, Cornwell cites a number of academic publications, for which I give him credit, as it’s always good to know that I can research the topic for myself and find the most authoritative works on the subject.
Ultimately, Stonehenge gets just over half marks from me. A novel of two halves, the first half is interesting, surprising, thrilling and engaging, whilst in the second half all the tension seeps away due to a misjudged characterisation and the story seems predictable and to drag – though the basic language use remains solid and competent throughout.
6 out of 10.
This was definitely a book of two halves, for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second half. At the book’s opening we’re thrown into the thick of events straight away and the characters and scenery snap vividly to life. As the story progresses, we learn more about the strange, unfamiliar world in which the characters move, full of mysterious but fascinating people and unexpected events. The tension and risk in the first half of the book remains high – bad things happen to good people, no one is safe, and the twists and turns really kept me on my toes, I had no idea what was going to happen next and the surprises were well done and unexpected. I really warmed to the lead character, adolescent youth Saban, who comes across as quirky and interesting, and as something of an underdog you do root for him. I cared about what happened to him, and when misfortune came his way I felt at once sympathetic but also intrigued because those events shook things up considerably. This is a real turning point in the novels’ direction, a shift in the story. Unfortunately, it’s a shift that, for me, marked a downturn.
All the risk and tension goes clean out of the story. One ceases to feel like the protagonist faces any danger or uncertainty. The story suddenly became dull and predictable, in my opinion, and I was no longer surprised by events, and the story started to feel quite uninteresting and grey. Many years pass in a chunk, swept aside with a few lines of narrative, with very little interesting happening apart from the construction of Stonehenge, which, by itself is not enough to hold the story together – history, great, but I need a compelling plot and well-written characters too if I’m to make a story out of it. The ending seemed fairly summary, and was achieved all too easily. It also seemed slightly strange and illogical, though I won't go into that as I don't want to give spoilers.
Cornwell, professional that he is, includes an author’s note at the end, discussing the history behind the story, which is nothing less than I’d expect from any decent historical fiction author. Cornwell clearly demarcates between fact and fiction, which action I appreciate, and muses over the evidence and possible historical interpretations. Cornwell argues that Stonehenge could have been constructed in one man’s lifetime – which occurs in the book – citing as support the human drive to complete great projects, but whilst I agree with Cornwell that it could have been possible to construct Stonehenge in one lifetime I don’t think it is the likeliest scenario. Occasionally Cornwell lets slip an incautious comment – about ancient sailing, for example. However, when discussing Stonehenge itself, Cornwell cites a number of academic publications, for which I give him credit, as it’s always good to know that I can research the topic for myself and find the most authoritative works on the subject.
Ultimately, Stonehenge gets just over half marks from me. A novel of two halves, the first half is interesting, surprising, thrilling and engaging, whilst in the second half all the tension seeps away due to a misjudged characterisation and the story seems predictable and to drag – though the basic language use remains solid and competent throughout.
6 out of 10.
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was my first Cornwell, and I look forward to reading more by him. I quite enjoyed the story. Sure, all of the stone moving stuff got kind of tedious by the end... But what do you expect, it's about Stonehenge, a certain amount of stone moving is to be expected. People say it's not Cornwell's best work (I wouldn't know, I haven't read anything else by him), so considering that I liked it enough to give it 4 stars I'm definitely excited to see what else he has to offer.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book, more than I expected. I liked the story and the characters and I liked how not everything always turned out well, a lot of terrible things happened in this book. The only things I didn't like were the constant explanations of how the stones were being moved. That just got a little too boring for me at times. The other little thing was that Saban taught his son how to use a bow three times. Just something I noticed.
I mainly enjoyed this book though, the story was gripping and I liked the time and place it was set in.
I mainly enjoyed this book though, the story was gripping and I liked the time and place it was set in.