Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Don't know what I would have made of this book if I hadn't read the first two in the trilogy, both of which I deeply admired both as a reader and as a novelist. Gardam is brilliant at developing characters, at weaving their histories together and at making us care about them. All of these have featured before: Veneering, Old Filth himself, Dulcie, Betty. And even though they are mostly dead at the beginning of the book, we dive back into their history and fill out the picture. That said, the references to some are so oblique, so assuming that the reader will remember all about them from the earlier two books that I felt lost much of the time. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody who hadn't read the first two in the trilogy very recently. But I'll go on gobbling up Gardam whenever I can. I especially recommend A LONG WAY FROM VERONA, her first novel set in WWII England.
This is the third novel in the trilogy Old Filth and the Man in the Wooden Hat, and really I read it to be completist, and that isn't a good enough reason. I think I would have preferred to be left with the wonderful memories of the first two novels, because this one felt like a bit of a muddle. We learn a little about Veneering's childhood, and more about a couple of the QCs' old friends. It flits around in time and never really settles to any kind of story that feels worth telling. It also seemed that every character thought and spoke in that clipped upper class English voice that doesn't use full sentences. Gardam's writing still makes reading effortless. I highly recommend the first two books, but don't bother about being a completist like me.
Like real life, random things happen, and people move in and out of each other’s lives. Really well written, and a bit sad.
Beautiful writing, but unnecessary; the trilogy could have stopped after the second book.
I don't think the cover is well suited for this story at all. Otherwise, out was a quick read, gave good insight into the characters' minds and told an interesting story.
Het slotstuk van de Old Filth-trilogie heeft me minder kunnen boeien dan de vorige delen. Het was warriger, onsamenhangender, maar het maakt het plaatje wel mooi af.
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the third book in the trilogy and I have to say it was my least favorite. I thought the story kind of meandered a bit and the characters weren't quite as interesting as in the first two books. Definitely some amusing parts, but overall not quite as good as the first two and didn't add much to the story of Feathers, Betty and Veneering in my opinion.