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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer, Abandonment
Minor: Terminal illness, Transphobia, Dementia
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Roland's life story is written in lovely prose. It sometimes gets a little wordy, for my taste, but I found myself rooting for Roland throughout the novel.
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was very excited to read Ian McEwan's latest novel, Lessons, and even more excited when I saw how long it was (around 500 pages - I love a thick book). Unfortunately, and I say this with a heavy heart, reading Lessons became almost a chore for me, one that I didn't like, and I decided to DNF it at 30% (this is the second book I don't finish in my LIFE, so I really tried).
Roland was sexually abused by a teacher when he was 11. Now adult (in 1986), his wife left him with a baby without an explanation. Pretty interesting so far. Then a sort of stream of consciousness starts, where Roland remembers different parts of his life, when he met his wife, his parents-in-law, all this mixed with European history... On paper this book seems exactly my cup of tea, but in reality I never got to know who Roland was, he always seemed very far away and therefore I quickly lost interest. The writing is beautiful, but also quite heavy and didn't make me connect with the story, sadly. I'm sure this is not a case of bad book, it wasn't simply for me / for me right now. Maybe in the future I'll give Lessons a second chance and change my mind.
Audiobook comment: absolutely loved the voice of the narrator, truly a pleasure to listen to! Unfortunately it was not enough, as I struggled paying attention to the story. That's too bad!
* I'd like to thank the author, Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Roland was sexually abused by a teacher when he was 11. Now adult (in 1986), his wife left him with a baby without an explanation. Pretty interesting so far. Then a sort of stream of consciousness starts, where Roland remembers different parts of his life, when he met his wife, his parents-in-law, all this mixed with European history... On paper this book seems exactly my cup of tea, but in reality I never got to know who Roland was, he always seemed very far away and therefore I quickly lost interest. The writing is beautiful, but also quite heavy and didn't make me connect with the story, sadly. I'm sure this is not a case of bad book, it wasn't simply for me / for me right now. Maybe in the future I'll give Lessons a second chance and change my mind.
Audiobook comment: absolutely loved the voice of the narrator, truly a pleasure to listen to! Unfortunately it was not enough, as I struggled paying attention to the story. That's too bad!
* I'd like to thank the author, Knopf Doubleday and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is probably McEwan's best novel since Atonement, but given some of the weird stuff he's been up to in his last several books (his robot novel, his fetus Hamlet novel, his sort-of spy novel), that's not a super-high bar.
Still, if you were a fan of Atonement, you'll likely enjoy this. It's the story of one man's life and his swim through the currents and ripples of historical events of the second half of the 20th century.
McEwan is a reader's writer -- smooth and engaging (even earnest to the point of near-humorlessness). If you're looking for an on-ramp to find your way back to McEwan's work, this is a good book for that.
Still, if you were a fan of Atonement, you'll likely enjoy this. It's the story of one man's life and his swim through the currents and ripples of historical events of the second half of the 20th century.
McEwan is a reader's writer -- smooth and engaging (even earnest to the point of near-humorlessness). If you're looking for an on-ramp to find your way back to McEwan's work, this is a good book for that.
This is an extraordinary story, in both content and style. It tells the story of a man from childhood on who feels ordinary but to whom some extraordinary things happen.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The book reflects upon life itself without moralizing which I found refreshing. It is a book very much about relations. We follow the main character Roland baines and his relations. Implicitly the book asks questions about what it means to live a lifetime in a specific time and how different choices affect your life. The book is extremely well written which is relieving given the length of the book - it could have been shortened a bit. I personally like how the author - sometimes lenghty - reflects on different topics. I think this reflects how the human brain works when associating.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes