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fionamo 's review for:
Sweet Tooth
by Ian McEwan
I'm a big fan of Ian McEwan's books, and would have read this one anyway, but was very excited to hear that it involved spies and espionage! What really drew me in (and what made me give it 5 stars), was the compelling story. In the early 1970s, in the midst of cold war paranoia, oil shock austerity, IRA troubles and burgeoning ideas of feminism, we are introduced to a young woman, Serena Frome, as she finishes her degree in mathematics at Cambridge and is approached to work for MI5, the internal intelligence agency in the UK. After a lot of typing and filing, she is picked to work on a mission, code-named 'Sweet Tooth'. By the end of this mission, she has lost her job, jeopardised her relationship and caused some very bad press for MI5.
One of the other main characters in this novel is Tom Haley, a young man at the beginning of his career as a writer. It's reasonable to assume that this character is based on McEwan in his own youth, and it's intriguing to read the scathing remarks heaped on this young intellectual, from his tragic 'library' of piratical white shirts, to his seeming never-ending quaffing of Chablis and scoffing of oysters. He describes some early writing, which I understand has strong parallels to McEwan's early published work, and it's fascinating to read about Tom's breakthroughs in his writing style, for example, how he realised how exciting it is as a man to write from a woman's point of view.
Many of the themes were similar to other Ian McEwan books, for example, regret at past actions, deceptions or lies spiralling out of control, characters whose thoughts or actions make them quite unlikable. If you have enjoyed these themes in other McEwan books I think you'll definitely find 'Sweet Tooth' a fascinating read.
One of the other main characters in this novel is Tom Haley, a young man at the beginning of his career as a writer. It's reasonable to assume that this character is based on McEwan in his own youth, and it's intriguing to read the scathing remarks heaped on this young intellectual, from his tragic 'library' of piratical white shirts, to his seeming never-ending quaffing of Chablis and scoffing of oysters. He describes some early writing, which I understand has strong parallels to McEwan's early published work, and it's fascinating to read about Tom's breakthroughs in his writing style, for example, how he realised how exciting it is as a man to write from a woman's point of view.
Many of the themes were similar to other Ian McEwan books, for example, regret at past actions, deceptions or lies spiralling out of control, characters whose thoughts or actions make them quite unlikable. If you have enjoyed these themes in other McEwan books I think you'll definitely find 'Sweet Tooth' a fascinating read.