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shane_tiernan's review against another edition
2.0
Another one bites the dust, I think this is 3 in a row now. At least I'm clearing off some of my bookshelves. I told my wife that I feel like we're watching/reading the Gong Show lately. After about 50 pages the cane starts to come out, the book desperately tries to get better, but ultimately fails. This one got to about 85 pages.
It was witty and I can see how library geeks could be more interested in this, but it didn't really seem to be going anywhere. Seeing as I read Kurzweil's other book (and loved it) a LONG time ago, I didn't even get any cool links between the two books (and it was starting to become obvious that there were some).
It was witty and I can see how library geeks could be more interested in this, but it didn't really seem to be going anywhere. Seeing as I read Kurzweil's other book (and loved it) a LONG time ago, I didn't even get any cool links between the two books (and it was starting to become obvious that there were some).
maggie73's review against another edition
2.0
I was bored, to be frank. Didn’t like the characters, thought the plot rambled and found it trying to be just too clever for its own good.
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
If I told you how little time I've spent thinking about the ins-and-outs of librarianship since I left the profession seven years ago, you'd probably be amazed. Large research libraries are like their own little worlds, all-absorbing when you are inside of them and yet easily forgotten the moment you leave the gates. Well, this book brought it all back to me. Although some references seemed a little dated, even for 2001 when this book was published, it was obvious that Kurzweil has spent a lot of time in the back rooms of libraries. He knows all the inside jokes.
I also loved the bibliomystery part of this book. It's hard for an author to concoct a puzzle that's neither too easily guessed nor too confusing to follow. Kurzweil has done an admirable job with this as well.
What I didn't like about this book is the depiction of the narrator's personal relationships. I was especially dissatisfied with Alexander's relationship with his wife. It's entirely believable that he as a character doesn't understand women and how they tick, but I didn't get the feeling that Kurzweil understands them, either. Nic doesn't seem like any woman I've ever met in my life, and I wonder if he made her French in an attempt to mask the woodenness of her character. Alexander's relationships with his male coworkers and his partner in sleuthing were slightly better but still seemed quite shallow and revealed very little about human nature. It seems that Kurzweil understands books a lot better than he does people. This isn't so unusual in a librarian, but it's a regrettable defect in a novelist, and it's what makes this book good instead of great.
I also loved the bibliomystery part of this book. It's hard for an author to concoct a puzzle that's neither too easily guessed nor too confusing to follow. Kurzweil has done an admirable job with this as well.
What I didn't like about this book is the depiction of the narrator's personal relationships. I was especially dissatisfied with Alexander's relationship with his wife. It's entirely believable that he as a character doesn't understand women and how they tick, but I didn't get the feeling that Kurzweil understands them, either. Nic doesn't seem like any woman I've ever met in my life, and I wonder if he made her French in an attempt to mask the woodenness of her character. Alexander's relationships with his male coworkers and his partner in sleuthing were slightly better but still seemed quite shallow and revealed very little about human nature. It seems that Kurzweil understands books a lot better than he does people. This isn't so unusual in a librarian, but it's a regrettable defect in a novelist, and it's what makes this book good instead of great.
bradyemmett's review against another edition
3.0
Clever, but a little dry. Recommended by NPR, so I tried it.
theobacn's review against another edition
3.0
This came very highly reviewed from a book blog I read, and I thought it was pretty good, not great. The jacket promised a 'totally unexpected twist' on page 360, which I thought was very lame indeed (as was much of the ending), but the remainder of the book was fun to read and pretty quick to read at that.
psalmcat's review against another edition
3.0
This is set in NYC, the hero being a librarian and eccentric. He is hired by an even more eccentric patron to research a watch originally dedicated to Marie Antoinette and stolen 20 years ago from the museum that housed it. The search goes along well-enough but then Our Hero discovers he is actually retracing his employer's steps, and then he gets angry. Bizarre, somewhat pleasant, good characterizations of life as a library employee.
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