Scan barcode
emmajane66's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
cassieb89's review against another edition
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Quirky 'Woke' satire, so lovely to see Boyne's funny side.
Usually when I read a Kindle book, I'll have a half dozen paragraphs highlighted as I go along, so I remember favourite quotes when it comes time to write down my thoughts.
This now looks like my GCSE copy of Mockingbird! More highlights than regular text. I chuckled throughout, even snorted a few times, and found this a total tonic.
I see the name 'Boyne' and these days brace for bittersweet pain and family tribulation, tears and toil and epic sagas. So to find myself embroiled in a ridiculous social-media satire, with authorial digs at Woke, at Twitter trolls, at celebrity, at almost all aspects of contemporary digital and consumer life, well, it was an absolute pleasure to relax and just laugh along.
The whole plot centres on one family, the Cleverleys (and you wouldn't believe my laugh when I realised the mum's name of Beverley was quite so amusing). Dad George is a long-standing BBC host, having an affair with a younger woman. Mum Beverley is a 'writer' (well, she comes up with the ideas, her ghosts do the actual writing), having an affair with her younger Strictly partner. Their three adult live-at-home children are various shades of weird-slash-entitled. Nelson is a teacher who likes to dress in uniforms, Elizabeth trolls Twitter personalities and dates the most Woke man in the Universe who 'appreciates' her and helps the homeless for likes. And young Achilles is saving up - by blackmailing older men for money.
They are a toxic bunch, yet they remain family. Boyne has a field day mocking them, mocking those they mock. Just spewing Mockery and Sarcasm on today's world in general, and being very much 'of the moment'. Eldest son Nelson exemplifies this in his therapy session:
"'Remember how we talked about not confusing real life and movies?' said Dr Oristo. 'Yes, but I thought this might be one of the occasions where films were based on true events. Like Titanic or Gandhi or Avengers: Endgame.'"
There is mockery at Republicans, Prince Andrew, Jesus. The young and the old are both shown in equally appalling, self-obsessed lights. We shake our heads at cancel culture and smack our foreheads at the calculation of appropriate Twitter like-to-post ratios.
Loved it all. No one character is completely sympathetic, and every one of them is a product of the modern world we've all fallen into.
One of the funniest books I've read in a while. Lovely to be reminded of Boyne's comic capabilities so strongly. And not to cry for a change!
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
Usually when I read a Kindle book, I'll have a half dozen paragraphs highlighted as I go along, so I remember favourite quotes when it comes time to write down my thoughts.
This now looks like my GCSE copy of Mockingbird! More highlights than regular text. I chuckled throughout, even snorted a few times, and found this a total tonic.
I see the name 'Boyne' and these days brace for bittersweet pain and family tribulation, tears and toil and epic sagas. So to find myself embroiled in a ridiculous social-media satire, with authorial digs at Woke, at Twitter trolls, at celebrity, at almost all aspects of contemporary digital and consumer life, well, it was an absolute pleasure to relax and just laugh along.
The whole plot centres on one family, the Cleverleys (and you wouldn't believe my laugh when I realised the mum's name of Beverley was quite so amusing). Dad George is a long-standing BBC host, having an affair with a younger woman. Mum Beverley is a 'writer' (well, she comes up with the ideas, her ghosts do the actual writing), having an affair with her younger Strictly partner. Their three adult live-at-home children are various shades of weird-slash-entitled. Nelson is a teacher who likes to dress in uniforms, Elizabeth trolls Twitter personalities and dates the most Woke man in the Universe who 'appreciates' her and helps the homeless for likes. And young Achilles is saving up - by blackmailing older men for money.
They are a toxic bunch, yet they remain family. Boyne has a field day mocking them, mocking those they mock. Just spewing Mockery and Sarcasm on today's world in general, and being very much 'of the moment'. Eldest son Nelson exemplifies this in his therapy session:
"'Remember how we talked about not confusing real life and movies?' said Dr Oristo. 'Yes, but I thought this might be one of the occasions where films were based on true events. Like Titanic or Gandhi or Avengers: Endgame.'"
There is mockery at Republicans, Prince Andrew, Jesus. The young and the old are both shown in equally appalling, self-obsessed lights. We shake our heads at cancel culture and smack our foreheads at the calculation of appropriate Twitter like-to-post ratios.
Loved it all. No one character is completely sympathetic, and every one of them is a product of the modern world we've all fallen into.
One of the funniest books I've read in a while. Lovely to be reminded of Boyne's comic capabilities so strongly. And not to cry for a change!
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.
bookwormclare01's review against another edition
dark
funny
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? Yes
4.0
clairesquires's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cahir's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
leannep's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.0
Disappointing. I found this heavy-handed in trying to connect to the social media world. I didn't like any of the main characters. The media presser dad, the dodgy writer wife, their 3 kids...all had few redeeming features.
At least it was quick to read.
At least it was quick to read.
firegirl's review against another edition
I don’t care about rich people behaving badly
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I laughed out loud many times while reading "The Echo Chamber," and it felt so good. The Cleverleys are a pretty awful family but that doesn't mean you won't sympathize with them as they navigate the minefield of wokeness, even when so many of those mines placed by their own arrogance. One of my favorite ongoing jokes is a tortise named after a Ukranian folk hero whose name everyone in the book seems to know.
This novel is so skilled and funny that you'll pick it up again in times of trouble. It's a side of John Boyne I had not enjoyed before.
This novel is so skilled and funny that you'll pick it up again in times of trouble. It's a side of John Boyne I had not enjoyed before.
eefs's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25