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A review by erinlcrane
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
4.0
Yikes, what an ending!
I loved the writing style here. Lots of character dissection from the narrator as well as dry, witty humor.
There’s a slow build, but I just eat up petty drama, and that was how this started. The main thing I struggled with was the believability of Robert, but I’m a little scared he’s all too real.
There are some ideological rambles, but I appreciated how Catton made it feel like the characters said these things. It didn’t feel like they suddenly became mouthpieces before returning to normal speech. It worked for me.
This definitely reads as a literary thriller. The writing quality is wonderful - thoughtful and insightful, not just serviceable. Will be trying out Catton’s other books.
I loved the writing style here. Lots of character dissection from the narrator as well as dry, witty humor.
There’s a slow build, but I just eat up petty drama, and that was how this started. The main thing I struggled with was the believability of Robert, but I’m a little scared he’s all too real.
There are some ideological rambles, but I appreciated how Catton made it feel like the characters said these things. It didn’t feel like they suddenly became mouthpieces before returning to normal speech. It worked for me.
This definitely reads as a literary thriller. The writing quality is wonderful - thoughtful and insightful, not just serviceable. Will be trying out Catton’s other books.