Reviews

Misterija by Barry Unsworth

fijumanka0311's review against another edition

2.0

Žao mi je što je knjiga pisana izvornim a ne modernim eng. jezikom pa je kao takva i prevedena. Prošlo vrijeme "izbodeno" aoristom i imperfektom ubilo mi je volju za čitanjem pa sam prestala pratiti sadržaj a počela brojiti koliko ću puta u rečenici dobiti "bijaše" i sl. inačice dragog nam glagola biti. "Maltretiranje"jezikom ovakvog tipa dozvoljavam samo Bibliji, ovo je bilo pravo mučenje. Šteta, jer knjiga uopće sadržajno nije loša.

Film je popravio dojam (naravno, britanski je) pogotovo moj omiljeni Paul Bettany kojem je dodijeljena uloga svećenika Nicholasa.

Bijaše ovo zaista jedno neponovljivo iskustvo (bar se nadam da se neće ponoviti).

ajraffles's review against another edition

4.0

Cons:

-The punctuation was kind of odd in some places. I felt there ought to be dashes, semicolons, or commas in many places.
-It took awhile to get interested in the book.
-The religious bits got to be a bit much, and I could feel myself glazing over whenever Nicholas (our erstwhile narrator) got revved up into one of his spiels.
-The foreboding was ladled on a little thick. Like, a lot thick. With all of his grim references to premonitions and how such a horrible thing befell them, I legit looked to the end to make sure at least Martin lived (I loved his passion, what can I say?!). But really, everything turned out fine and he had a good ending. They all did, so I didn't see exactly why Nicholas was so shaken unless it was for the root cause of the murders.

Pros:

-Once the story hooked me, it *hooked* me. The suspense just builds and builds as they keep peeling away the layers of what took place in the town, and you kind of want to scream at Martin for leading them all by the nose from the frying pan and into the fire, although you also want to see justice served.
-It's a super quick read; I did it in a couple hours, which was my plan, so...that's great!
-I LOVED the idea of it. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, I've always enjoyed mysteries (since I was a child, even!), I like to watch/read about murder cases, and I ADORE old school theatre troupes/actors in general. So the moment I read the description of this play, I immediately made certain I got it for Christmas.

All in all, I think if you like the same things I like (acting/murder/mysteries/historical fiction), you'll probably like this book. Give it a go!

laneamagya's review against another edition

3.0

I'm normally a big fan of Unsworth. This one fell flat for me. It's a well-researched historical mystery novel, which follows a disgraced monk as he joins a traveling group of players who witness a murder. I was reading this when a lot of sad things were happening, so it may be that my brain just turned against it. But, my head doesn't like the book that much, whatever the reason.

sydneyrp143's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

allie_shu's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25

harryach's review against another edition

informative mysterious reflective medium-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

3.5

teresareads's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, and Child death

joyful808's review against another edition

2.0

One of the most unique books I've ever read.

"Gentles, we have pondered further.
This grim and grievous deed of murder
Which proven seemed to one and all
and pointed clear to woman's fall..." pg. 143

....medieval times were certainly harsh and grim.

jamisenfallot's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

bhrogan's review against another edition

3.0

I love when I am one of five people in a 39 person class to read an assigned book. And then the teacher says "Okay, have this finished by next week. If you had finished the book, we were going to do a scavenger hunt in class, even though scavenger hunts are pointless and pathetic for college students to do. Please keep this list of twenty things in mind while reading. Those of you who have not read the book will be able to find these things as you read. I realize that this is more work for those of you who actually read the book on time, and I don't care. I love screwing people over even when they are prepared for class!"