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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Didn't love it like a "A Curious Incident..." but enjoyable none-the-less.
Occasionally amusing potboiler filled with lame stereotypes that aims for territory somewhere between a Michael Frayn farce and Four Weddings & a Funeral. As I read it I found myself periodically asking the question, why did he bother to write it?
I enjoyed this one more than "The Curious Incident." A spot-on look at a man in panic.
I read this after reading 'Curious Incident...' and was really disappointed. It lacked the humour I expected from Haddon. The characters were depressing and hopeless.
i picked this up based on my enjoyment of haddon's previous novel, but i'm sad to say that, while not without its moments, a spot of bother doesn't begin to live up to a curious incident...'s imagination or spark.
Meet George Hall: a recent retiree set to devote the rest of his days to life's little pleasures - music, literature, and art. Meet George's family: an adulterous, conflicted wife, a commitment-phobe, homosexual son, and a brash, fiery daughter recently engaged to a man no one in the family can quite get behind.
George's retirement is getting along swimmingly, if a tad predictably, when he notices a lesion on his hip. Convinced it's cancer, he's thrown into panic mode about his own mortality. Not one to air his laundry or inconvenience anyone in any way, George wrestles with his issues on his own. With the rest of his family too busy with their own chaotic circumstances to notice, George Hall quietly and politely begins his descent into madness.
Mark Haddon is the master of dysfunctional families. I absolutely loved the family dynamic in this book. I was completely caught off guard with the humor - you'll find yourself laughing out loud at the way the author handles some of the most delicate and somber situations. A smashing sophmore performance by Mr. Haddon.
George's retirement is getting along swimmingly, if a tad predictably, when he notices a lesion on his hip. Convinced it's cancer, he's thrown into panic mode about his own mortality. Not one to air his laundry or inconvenience anyone in any way, George wrestles with his issues on his own. With the rest of his family too busy with their own chaotic circumstances to notice, George Hall quietly and politely begins his descent into madness.
Mark Haddon is the master of dysfunctional families. I absolutely loved the family dynamic in this book. I was completely caught off guard with the humor - you'll find yourself laughing out loud at the way the author handles some of the most delicate and somber situations. A smashing sophmore performance by Mr. Haddon.
This is one of the best books I've read in a while: each sentence an artifact that reveals whole histories and civilizations, and characters you can't admire and can only love.
I was surprised to like this book as much as I did... it was at times very painful to read and at others, I found myself laughing out loud.
emotional
reflective
tense
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
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced