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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A clever set of nesting dolls. So clever that I was in the dark until the last pages.
Really good. Better carve out a big block of time for this: It's 600 pages, hard to put down, and once you get to the end and learn what's going on, you'll want to go back and re-read it to catch all the details.
Having read [b:An Instance of the Fingerpost|15888|An Instance of the Fingerpost|Iain Pears|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428954928s/15888.jpg|950198] I was really keen to read another by Iain Pears. Although I did not find it as gripping and Fingerpost, it was still a great read with an intriguing story and characters.
I found the first section slow but interesting despite it being about the seemingly dour subject of finance. However, knowing that the book would develop with 'reveals' sure to come later on i wasn't going to stop there.
I particularly liked the final section of the story as it really evoked a feeling of Venice and I felt as I was walking the canals with the characters and of course it brought everything together. After finishing it and all being revealed I felt very satisfied indeed.
I found the first section slow but interesting despite it being about the seemingly dour subject of finance. However, knowing that the book would develop with 'reveals' sure to come later on i wasn't going to stop there.
I particularly liked the final section of the story as it really evoked a feeling of Venice and I felt as I was walking the canals with the characters and of course it brought everything together. After finishing it and all being revealed I felt very satisfied indeed.
Finally made it to the end by sheer force of will. I wish the business dealings and espionage had more of a payoff by the end of the story, however it was likely always to pale to the twist Pears had planned for us. Parts 2 and 3 were more enjoyable as they had more likable narrators but all 3 parts could have used a healthy dose of red pen to cut unnecessary bits of plot and description that do little to serve the larger story. Although an interesting tale, the pace was way too slow for my taste.
A mystery that spans about 100 years. I listened to the audio book and the characters were all intriguing. When I was finished, I wanted to start listening all over again. It's wonderful historical fiction, with strong, interesting characters, and a complicated (but not over-complicated plot). I like David Liss a little better, just for the added humorous bits he throws in, but this is a good book to get lost in.