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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
at times it was a well written satire that landed some good one liners and at other times it was just boring.
his style is so exquisite but i found this more depressing than hilarious
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Trigger warning: there is a small section in the book that discusses rape in detail.
This is a fast-paced story, very tightly done. I really liked the chapters in the dictator's POV; the last 10 pages were so satisfying to read! This is a good place to start of you want to acquaint yourself with 80s Pakistan through a worm's eye view in a work of fiction. I also quite enjoyed the crow's storyline; there was a fairytale-like quality to it that you know is headed towards doom, but it's so deftly done that you want to keep reading. In fact, the whole narrative is like that, to think of it.
This book does make you work; some connections and underlying plot points will not be handed to you as is. You need to pay attention to symbolism and passing mentions to be able to grasp the plot in its entirety—I liked that, because it drew me in further, kept me engaged. We all know what is going to happen from the very first page, but it is exciting to find out how all these different threads come together in the end, solidifying into the real-life plan crash. Looking forward to reading more of Hanif's work!
This is a fast-paced story, very tightly done. I really liked the chapters in the dictator's POV; the last 10 pages were so satisfying to read! This is a good place to start of you want to acquaint yourself with 80s Pakistan through a worm's eye view in a work of fiction. I also quite enjoyed the crow's storyline; there was a fairytale-like quality to it that you know is headed towards doom, but it's so deftly done that you want to keep reading. In fact, the whole narrative is like that, to think of it.
This book does make you work; some connections and underlying plot points will not be handed to you as is. You need to pay attention to symbolism and passing mentions to be able to grasp the plot in its entirety—I liked that, because it drew me in further, kept me engaged. We all know what is going to happen from the very first page, but it is exciting to find out how all these different threads come together in the end, solidifying into the real-life plan crash. Looking forward to reading more of Hanif's work!
Entertaining and easy read. Takes you right into the heart of Pakistani political and military organisations, and where they meet. One normally expects such books to be matter-of-fact dark accounts of history (and there are plenty of dark moments too), but the author presents them in such a humorous style that I couldn't help but enjoy the ride.
Halfway through the book, yet to find anything to keep me going. Bleh.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel a bit sheepish applying a 5 star rating to a book that may be run-of-the-mill for the spy/military genre. But I've never read a John Le Carre or Martin Cruz book to know how this compares. I also suspect this is more literary than their works. In fact, it reminded me more than a little of Garcia Marquez's works, at least those with frustrated generals and peasants.
I gave it five stars because despite its being set in Pakistan, a region of the world which has no appeal to me for its escape value in print, and its concerning military dictatorship with its associated torture, media control and inbred mistrust, I couldn't put it down.
Each scene had all the right details. The story built toward an ending that beautifully wove together its themes and initially unconnected threads. By the time the General dies -- a fact we know from the beginning of the book as well as history -- every character is involved in some way.
I gave it five stars because despite its being set in Pakistan, a region of the world which has no appeal to me for its escape value in print, and its concerning military dictatorship with its associated torture, media control and inbred mistrust, I couldn't put it down.
Each scene had all the right details. The story built toward an ending that beautifully wove together its themes and initially unconnected threads. By the time the General dies -- a fact we know from the beginning of the book as well as history -- every character is involved in some way.
It isn't often I read a book that picks up steam at the end instead of losing it. I'm glad I stuck with it. A clever fictional answer to the unsolved mystery of how and why Zia's plane went down.