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orangeburrito's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Crisp prose and vivid descriptions all around. Infidelity and some annoying characters leave a bit to be desired. The protagonist's profession is somewhat dubious in the morality department.
mfilak07's review against another edition
2.0
the author has a very pretty way with words but my god was it insufferable
katsel's review against another edition
2.0
A semi-entertaining, slightly witty, overall snooze-fest.
It's like a more clever version of All That Counts which received the first ever 1 star from me. I just don't find narcissistic, self-loathing, evil but oh-so-handsome and well-dressed professionals funny. Why is this even a genre? Who truly thinks that rich, successful assholes make good protagonists? At least make them funny! At least give me some suspense, action, comedy, tragedy!
But no. Somehow authors keep thinking that all their book needs is a sexist, but good-looking young man in a tailored suit to keep me smirking for 300 pages - Yuck!
It's like a more clever version of All That Counts which received the first ever 1 star from me. I just don't find narcissistic, self-loathing, evil but oh-so-handsome and well-dressed professionals funny. Why is this even a genre? Who truly thinks that rich, successful assholes make good protagonists? At least make them funny! At least give me some suspense, action, comedy, tragedy!
But no. Somehow authors keep thinking that all their book needs is a sexist, but good-looking young man in a tailored suit to keep me smirking for 300 pages - Yuck!
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2021/01/armadillo.html
jeannelovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a book of two halves and on balance, probably better that the second half is the more entertaining. A beautifully written novel which, despite the slow pace, develops into a gripping story incorporating a couple of truly laugh-out-loud moments. Possibly only worth 3.5 but as it's Mr Boyd...
smcleish's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in December 2001.
The world of insurance is not really a very exciting one, but Boyd has managed to make it so in his novel about fraud and pretence. It concentrates on the profession which clearly has the greatest propensity for drama within the field, the insurance adjuster (who checks whether big claims that worry insurance companies are valid - leading here to suicides, death threats and assaults).
The central character is Lorimer Black, who starts the novel by discovering the body of a hanged man, driven to suicide by an insurance company's unwillingness to pay, is perhaps the most honest character in the novel, and he has created an entire new background for himself, disassociating himself from his Romanian origins. The plot is very complicated, but not too much so for enjoyment - the novel has made it to TV in a virtually unsimplified form without being impossible to follow.
Armadillo is a very well written, darkly funny novel, hopefully typical of Boyd, who is now going on my list of authors to read more from.
The world of insurance is not really a very exciting one, but Boyd has managed to make it so in his novel about fraud and pretence. It concentrates on the profession which clearly has the greatest propensity for drama within the field, the insurance adjuster (who checks whether big claims that worry insurance companies are valid - leading here to suicides, death threats and assaults).
The central character is Lorimer Black, who starts the novel by discovering the body of a hanged man, driven to suicide by an insurance company's unwillingness to pay, is perhaps the most honest character in the novel, and he has created an entire new background for himself, disassociating himself from his Romanian origins. The plot is very complicated, but not too much so for enjoyment - the novel has made it to TV in a virtually unsimplified form without being impossible to follow.
Armadillo is a very well written, darkly funny novel, hopefully typical of Boyd, who is now going on my list of authors to read more from.