Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars. I wanted to like this book more than I did. The author is a good writer who invokes an interesting premise. But ultimately I thought the book tried too hard to make Gerry Fegan a likable/sympathetic character. Maybe I'm just inherently inclined to be contrary, but the more the book doubled down on his reasons for his revenge campaign, the more I disliked him because it seemed like a cop-out. The ending was especially disappointing. I think one of the main issues is the characters are quite thin, and this would have benefited from more complex characterization for all the characters.
At the end of the day, he still had murdered a dozen people on his own, including innocent civilians, and displacing the blame for it onto other people, even if they were culpable, struck me as morally dishonest and really rubbed me the wrong way. Ultimately, the character I was most invested in was one of his intended targets (a mole embedded by the police, who has his fair share of blood on his own hands but seems to be more honest about his role in the violence.)
I thought about reading the next book in the series because it seems to focus on another character, but from what I have skimmed of it, I don't think I'll enjoy it any better.
At the end of the day, he still had murdered a dozen people on his own, including innocent civilians, and displacing the blame for it onto other people, even if they were culpable, struck me as morally dishonest and really rubbed me the wrong way. Ultimately, the character I was most invested in was one of his intended targets (a mole embedded by the police, who has his fair share of blood on his own hands but seems to be more honest about his role in the violence.)
I thought about reading the next book in the series because it seems to focus on another character, but from what I have skimmed of it, I don't think I'll enjoy it any better.
I know this is supposed to be a masterpiece which is why I read it but it did absolutely nothing for me.
L'Irlande du Nord et moi c'est une grande histoire d'amour. J'aime particulièrement la période des Troubles que je trouve très intéressante. Ce livre nous permet d'avoir le point de vue d'un ex tueur de l'IRA qui regrette ses actions passées et qui va chercher à les expier d'une manière...peu commode. On voit a quel point L'Irlande est toujours marqué par son passé meurtrier et que pour réussir à faire la paix avec celui-ci il faudra du temps.
J'avais deviné en quelque sorte la fin mais elle me déçoit un peu tout de même
J'avais deviné en quelque sorte la fin mais elle me déçoit un peu tout de même
Wow, this was an incredible book. Not for the faint of heart. There were moments of great violence. It also has a main character who is not exactly likable. It still ranks high on my list of favorite debut novels.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s the kind of novel I would love to write. It’s about Northern Ireland, corruption, and ghosts.
This was a horrible book. I was so disappointed. The concept is so intriguing. I really wanted to like it. However, this is a story of non-stop graphic violence. Also I DNFd this book and when I stopped reading, there had not been one female character in it. I don't know if any show up later in the novel but I am not interested in toxic masculinity and graphic violence.
This was a surprisingly well written thriller about a former Norther Ireland Freedom Fighter being haunted (literally) by his past deeds. This is a story about the meaning of redemption, forgiveness and personal responsibility.
Warning: It's really violent and dark. Not for the faint of heart.
Warning: It's really violent and dark. Not for the faint of heart.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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