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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I got this book in my Boxwalla Books subscription box. It certainly isn't something I would have picked out for myself, but I really enjoyed it.
It's a black comedy with delightfully macabre humor and interesting characters, most of whom I found both unlikeable and endearing. I definitely laughed out loud while reading it. For reference, I'm someone who laughed out loud while reading various parts of A Gentleman in Moscow, and who loves Curb Your Enthusiasm. I recommend this book for those who like quirky or understated humor, and/or British authors.
Trigger warning/SPOILER:
One scene with brief violence (brutal, but it wasn't described in great detail)
It's a black comedy with delightfully macabre humor and interesting characters, most of whom I found both unlikeable and endearing. I definitely laughed out loud while reading it. For reference, I'm someone who laughed out loud while reading various parts of A Gentleman in Moscow, and who loves Curb Your Enthusiasm. I recommend this book for those who like quirky or understated humor, and/or British authors.
Trigger warning/SPOILER:
One scene with brief violence (brutal, but it wasn't described in great detail)
4.5*
A thoroughly enjoyable read, not what I thought it was going to be like at all. I expected suspense but, while the mysterious calls where a main focal point, the intensity was diverted by the characters who were well-rounded, flawed and gave an incredible insight into old age. Very much enjoyed this read.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, not what I thought it was going to be like at all. I expected suspense but, while the mysterious calls where a main focal point, the intensity was diverted by the characters who were well-rounded, flawed and gave an incredible insight into old age. Very much enjoyed this read.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Feminist Book Club (Annie) - March 2022
This was a fun book to read. The characters are so quirky. I have to admit though, I was expecting more drama focused on the phone calls. Instead the book was focused on the histories and entanglements of the characters. It stands as a reminder that the elderly live complex lives and that the drama of life does not end when you are in your 70s or 80s. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
“Mabel Pettigrew thought: I can read him like a book. She had not read a book for over forty years, could never concentrate on reading, but this nevertheless was her thought…”
A brutally funny book where everyone is haunted (literally?) by Death. At times a thriller, a meditation on age, and a comedy of manners, but also never quite any of those things. Every character was unlikable in their own way, each working a different angle and each hiding something from someone else. Their motivations are entirely human and realistic in that they’re thin and contradictory and fueled by spite and pride. Muriel Spark has a delightful way with these characters.
Bottom line: I enjoyed every minute of reading it, laughed most of the way through it, and was entirely satisfied by the “big reveal” at the end.
A brutally funny book where everyone is haunted (literally?) by Death. At times a thriller, a meditation on age, and a comedy of manners, but also never quite any of those things. Every character was unlikable in their own way, each working a different angle and each hiding something from someone else. Their motivations are entirely human and realistic in that they’re thin and contradictory and fueled by spite and pride. Muriel Spark has a delightful way with these characters.
Bottom line: I enjoyed every minute of reading it, laughed most of the way through it, and was entirely satisfied by the “big reveal” at the end.
slow-paced
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
it is really all geriatric characters, and they are terrifically difficult and entertaining.