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dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, if nothing else, I've realized if I end up having kids, at least I'll be a better mother than Trudy!
An alcoholic embryo tells the story of his messed up parents' lives.
I know a lot of people really like this book and I can see that it is a unique perspective and well written. But it wasn't for me. A wife and her lover are planning on murdering her husband. Only they don't realize they have a witness to their plans, the wife's 8 month old fetus. This soon to be babe is very learned, well spoken and crude. Too crude for me and I am not normally offended. It is a short book, under 200 pages. The first half was a bit of a chore. The last half was fairly page turning.
This is my first Ian McEwan. At the Beginning, I thought it was a five; after three-chapter-reading, started to get bored; finally stopped in the half way and wondered if this could get a two.
McEwan has his talent, but it is not enough to build a novel just with flashy fantasy. The style may serve for a short story, but for something more ambitious, it seems too rough.
McEwan has his talent, but it is not enough to build a novel just with flashy fantasy. The style may serve for a short story, but for something more ambitious, it seems too rough.
I loved the concept. I did not love the execution. I am still thinking about the ingenious premise of telling a story from the perspective of an unborn child, but the writing style muddled it for me and took me out of it all.
What a strange book. Told from the perspective of a an eight month old fetus, the story is about his mother and uncle plotting his father's murder. Yet the author did not let the narrator's age prevent him from having deep and philosophical at times. The balance between humor and gravity made it feel like I was listening to a sarcastic 30-something rather than an unborn baby.
This was my first foray into Ian McEwan’s books, but I am looking forward to reading more of they are written in a similar style.
This was my first foray into Ian McEwan’s books, but I am looking forward to reading more of they are written in a similar style.