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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fantastic adaptation of Hamlet! Who knew that reading the thoughts of an erudite fetus could be so fun. Cleverly written, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this!
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
This book leads up to the start of Hamlet... from the perspective of an unborn fetus. The protagonist is in a heightened moral dilemma - does he want his mother to face justice for his father's murder, even though he will then be born in jail; or does he want her to get away with it, and give him up for adoption, left to live in a home of squalor? Beyond the moral dilemma he faces, the protagonist has quite the developed personality for a fetus - he has a taste in fine wines, political opinions, and stays atop world news. Truly an enjoyable, unique read. Weird premise, great execution. Typical McEwan style - elegance, superb word choice, natural tempo.
A fresh and enjoying read!
This was the first book I have ever read by Ian McEwan. And I wonder why now because that guy is clearly a genius. The whole story is told by the unborn baby, still in the moter's womb. Has anyone come across this idea? I don't think so, and I think if anyone had told me the premise in advance I would have expected it to be a bit pretentious, an author trying to come up with an ingenious idea not really succeding in the execution of it. I had known of the first few sentences before I started reading the book but back then I had though that the book was more along the lines of McBride's 'A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing', and the child was going to be born soon. So I got into this quite ignorant of the actual plot and this was clearly a good thing. So what I loved about this novel other than the extremely well-executed premise of this book are several elements: First of all, it is clearly just a funny read. The characters are interesting and I had to laugh at their actions and at the narrator's comments quite a bit. While non of them are particularly relatable or nice, I was nevertheless interested in their lives and wanted to know more about them. However, the novel is so much more than just a funny read. It has raised many questions in me about life and the world and the strange people all of us are. It also addresses themes such as motherhood and love. And I guess I loved this so much because it does not directly talk about these themes but rather evoke them and provoke the reader to think about them.
I'll clearly read more by McEwan!
This was the first book I have ever read by Ian McEwan. And I wonder why now because that guy is clearly a genius. The whole story is told by the unborn baby, still in the moter's womb. Has anyone come across this idea? I don't think so, and I think if anyone had told me the premise in advance I would have expected it to be a bit pretentious, an author trying to come up with an ingenious idea not really succeding in the execution of it. I had known of the first few sentences before I started reading the book but back then I had though that the book was more along the lines of McBride's 'A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing', and the child was going to be born soon. So I got into this quite ignorant of the actual plot and this was clearly a good thing. So what I loved about this novel other than the extremely well-executed premise of this book are several elements: First of all, it is clearly just a funny read. The characters are interesting and I had to laugh at their actions and at the narrator's comments quite a bit. While non of them are particularly relatable or nice, I was nevertheless interested in their lives and wanted to know more about them. However, the novel is so much more than just a funny read. It has raised many questions in me about life and the world and the strange people all of us are. It also addresses themes such as motherhood and love. And I guess I loved this so much because it does not directly talk about these themes but rather evoke them and provoke the reader to think about them.
I'll clearly read more by McEwan!
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
who’d have thought a foetus would be such an engaging narrator
There's no getting around that this is the work of a brilliant writer - it is, essentially, Hamlet told in modern times from the perspective of Hamlet...as a fetus.
Yep, that's right.
It's certainly tough to follow, and at times the references he makes are absurd to justify a fetus "knowing" even if we do want to grant said fetus the brainpower author McEwan gives him as a literary device. But, that said, it's a pretty brilliant (and short) novel that is resolutely clever, entertaining and gripping.
Yep, that's right.
It's certainly tough to follow, and at times the references he makes are absurd to justify a fetus "knowing" even if we do want to grant said fetus the brainpower author McEwan gives him as a literary device. But, that said, it's a pretty brilliant (and short) novel that is resolutely clever, entertaining and gripping.
If I could give it 6 stars, I would! This is the kind of writing all writers should aspire to. McEwan's use of words takes one back in time, and it's a very pleasant trip.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
En su género (novela narrada por un feto desde el vientre de su madre) es una novela perfecta. Que el feto sea tan culto que cita a Ulises de memoria, se me hace más gracioso que inverosímil y esa es la magia en la que te envuelve Ian McEwan. Al final la novela te atrapa tanto que no puedes dejar de leerla. Literalmente terminé de leerla a las 4 am porque no podía dormirme sin saber cómo terminaba. Hay que aceptar la premisa, hay que aceptar lo tonto de los implicados y lo paradójico que el feto desde su espacio reducido parece ser el único omnisciente y el único inteligente en un enredo que, como todos los enredos amorosos, es estúpido. Las reminiscencias a Hamlet y el Ulises son claras, pero no es un libro pomposo o erudito. Es como los Simpsons, si entiendes las referencias te ríes, pero si no las entiendes igual te la pasas muy bien leyendo.