Reviews

I'm not sure I got it! The title implies that the main character has a gift. Early on it mentions he can turn pictures into reality, but then its never mentioned again, then he talks to his twin brother who died, but that never goes anywhere either. It's a fairly quick read and at times I felt sorry for the boy having parents like those, but it just fell a little flat for me.

maree_k's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

dramatic_moon's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

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3.0

This is an intriguing read (though it could've used about 50 more pages - never thought I'd say that), but I'm not wild about it. Things move too quickly; we see cause or effect but seldom both; everything seems slightly off-kilter. Gabriel reads too young for me, especially if he grew up surrounded by musicians and their groupies. Other characters - and the narrator - kept telling me Gabriel is precocious, but I never saw it.

I was also depressed by the narrowness that surrounded "dreaming big." For Kureishi, you aren't "dreaming big" until you're dreaming of being a famous (not even necessarily good) film director, or a famous musician, or a teacher of famous musicians, or the owner of a restaurant catering to famous musicians and movie stars - the usual starf*cker crap. Kureishi wants to espouse chasing ambitions beyond the ordinary, but he defines worthy ambitions so narrowly for his characters that they end up seeming more trapped than the "losers" they leave behind. If this were a conscious authorial decision, I would think it was great, but it comes off the page as honestly the way the author feels: either you're a big pop or film star, or you're nobody at all. By that definition, he wouldn't even consider himself to be "someone."

roshonline12's review against another edition

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4.0

An excellent book to read if you are down on confidence,its full of positive energy and hope.More or less life a fairy tale where good things happen to good people,yet Kureishi has brought in themes of racism,immigrants,homosexuals and such into the story,which is pretty good.Its full of wonderful passages,one i personally liked:-"Talent might be a gift but it still has to be cultivated.The imagination is like a fire or furnace:it has to be stoked, fed and attended to.One thing sets another ablaze.Keep it going."

cnyreader's review against another edition

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2.0

Gabriel is a teenager whose parents aren't getting along. He's an artist who speaks to his dead twin brother. His dad was a rock star of a little fame. Gabriel doesn't like the au pair his mother has hired to watch over him.

Seems like disjointed facts, right? Yeah. The book kind of clunks along, and stuff happens with a few moments of feeling, but overall, it was just okay. None of the characters was developed enough to feel believable, especially Gabriel. He was inconsistent and it made it difficult for me really get into the story. I wanted more, and was left unsatisfied.

Food: a strawberry Pop Tart. Not actual strawberries, and not enough to be a real meal.

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