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andrewspink's reviews
553 reviews
De onbedoelden by Cobi van Baars
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another amazing book from Cobi van Baars. The characters are so believable and the reader can't help but feel for them. The characters carry the plot along rather than the other way around. Often that doesn't work, but here it really does. The plot is not really unexpected and yet you want to keep reading to find out what happens next.
The book is easy to read and yet I had to look up several words (draalden, terdege, amechtig).
In the end, you are also left with a feeling of anger for what the nuns did to people like that in that time. This book might be fiction, but we know that in regions where the Catholic Church had political power, that sort of thing happened with a startling frequency.
The book is easy to read and yet I had to look up several words (draalden, terdege, amechtig).
In the end, you are also left with a feeling of anger for what the nuns did to people like that in that time. This book might be fiction, but we know that in regions where the Catholic Church had political power, that sort of thing happened with a startling frequency.
A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine, Ruth Rendell
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this book up as I felt like a lightweight detective, seeing I was wanting to read something whilst a bit under the weather from the flu. It turned out that this book was much heavier than I had anticipated, but nevertheless extremely readable, and I certainly didn't regret it.
The characters were just brilliant, so complex and changing and engrossing. Especially the central character, Faith, is very interesting, and she is complicated by starting out as a child and ending up as an adult. So the book is a coming-of-age story, a detective and a psychological thriller, all in one. It is also a frame story, because we are told very early on 'whodunnit', and the plot is more about how it happened, and examines the question of how inevitable it was (or not).
As a further bonus, there were some nice nature descriptions. " The well... had very clean-looking weed like streaming hair growing in it.". That must be 'my' Ranunculus! Of course, "weed" is a pity.
I hadn't read any Ruth Rendell for years. Now I am wondering if they are all that good, or was this an exception.
The characters were just brilliant, so complex and changing and engrossing. Especially the central character, Faith, is very interesting, and she is complicated by starting out as a child and ending up as an adult. So the book is a coming-of-age story, a detective and a psychological thriller, all in one. It is also a frame story, because we are told very early on 'whodunnit', and the plot is more about how it happened, and examines the question of how inevitable it was (or not).
As a further bonus, there were some nice nature descriptions. " The well... had very clean-looking weed like streaming hair growing in it.". That must be 'my' Ranunculus! Of course, "weed" is a pity.
I hadn't read any Ruth Rendell for years. Now I am wondering if they are all that good, or was this an exception.
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was not sure how much this was meant to be a parody and how much serious. There were so many stereotyped elements, and certainly some funny bits, but I think that was not always the intention. And that is not a good sign for humour.
The problem was maybe that I read it in translation, and it was, let's say, not of the highest quality. A lot of the text was quite clunky and there were mistakes. Quotes of song (and other) texts were translated literally into Dutch (I guess the translator was too young to recognise Sting, let alone JB Priestley).
I wouldn't mind trying something else by Kate Atkinson, but then please in the original English.
The problem was maybe that I read it in translation, and it was, let's say, not of the highest quality. A lot of the text was quite clunky and there were mistakes. Quotes of song (and other) texts were translated literally into Dutch (I guess the translator was too young to recognise Sting, let alone JB Priestley).
I wouldn't mind trying something else by Kate Atkinson, but then please in the original English.
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A very intense, gripping book with both a strong story line and complex, believable, interesting characters. At over 600 pages long, it is a big read. Halfway through, I had to stop to read another book, and I was quite glad to take a break. Nevertheless, it was so immersive that the length was not really a problem.
I liked the way that the book shifted perspectives, that was very well done. What I didn't like was the lack of punctuation in Imelda's chapters. Although that did give an interesting sort of breathless feel to the narrative, it also meant that my reading was needlessly interrupted as I stopped to work out what was going on.
There was a lot of violence in the book, sexual, psychological and physical. Although some of it was a necessary part of the plot, that did mean that some sections were not so nice to read. Although I understand why the author did that, I would have been happier if it had been a little less realistic and a little more toned-down.
The humour was great, with dry comments like, "[the teenagers] had sometimes experienced this with adults - surprise that information that they had made available to be viewed by anybody at any time had, in fact, been viewed by somebody".
All in all, I'm not surprised that it won lots of prizes and it is a novel well worth reading.
I liked the way that the book shifted perspectives, that was very well done. What I didn't like was the lack of punctuation in Imelda's chapters. Although that did give an interesting sort of breathless feel to the narrative, it also meant that my reading was needlessly interrupted as I stopped to work out what was going on.
There was a lot of violence in the book, sexual, psychological and physical. Although some of it was a necessary part of the plot, that did mean that some sections were not so nice to read. Although I understand why the author did that, I would have been happier if it had been a little less realistic and a little more toned-down.
The humour was great, with dry comments like, "[the teenagers] had sometimes experienced this with adults - surprise that information that they had made available to be viewed by anybody at any time had, in fact, been viewed by somebody".
All in all, I'm not surprised that it won lots of prizes and it is a novel well worth reading.
The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow's World by Charles C. Mann
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I was glad when I got to the appendices when only about 60% through the book, as then I could stop. That's not a good sign. The book is very long and jumps off into all sorts of random directions.
On the other hand, it is an interesting topic and he does provide a lot of interesting details.
I do think that he exaggerates the role of his two central characters, as well as being overly US-centric.
The dichotomy between the two schools of thought works better in some parts of the book than others. For instance, I didn't find it convincing when applied to solar power as that technology is implemented both in an industrial centralised way and on individual households.
As a small point, the figures about photosynthetic efficiency are wildly out. He states 0.00025% whereas it is actually about 2%.
He writes about how governments for water services provide 'very inefficient services providing very bad service'. This was clearly written before the debacle of privatised water services in the UK.
Another thing that came after the book was published has been the substantial shift to sustainable energy in Europe. That has clearly gone faster and further than he imagined. That has happened not only because of altruism for future generations (it doesn't seem to have occurred to Mann that people care for their children and grandchildren) but due to government policy shaping economics.
Like most writers who mention the relatively short time methane stays in the atmosphere, he neglects to say that it degrades to carbon dioxide, so its effects continue.
I enjoyed the chapter about Wilberforce and Huxley, that had some new insights for me.
In summary, an interesting book, but it would have been better if better edited.
On the other hand, it is an interesting topic and he does provide a lot of interesting details.
I do think that he exaggerates the role of his two central characters, as well as being overly US-centric.
The dichotomy between the two schools of thought works better in some parts of the book than others. For instance, I didn't find it convincing when applied to solar power as that technology is implemented both in an industrial centralised way and on individual households.
As a small point, the figures about photosynthetic efficiency are wildly out. He states 0.00025% whereas it is actually about 2%.
He writes about how governments for water services provide 'very inefficient services providing very bad service'. This was clearly written before the debacle of privatised water services in the UK.
Another thing that came after the book was published has been the substantial shift to sustainable energy in Europe. That has clearly gone faster and further than he imagined. That has happened not only because of altruism for future generations (it doesn't seem to have occurred to Mann that people care for their children and grandchildren) but due to government policy shaping economics.
Like most writers who mention the relatively short time methane stays in the atmosphere, he neglects to say that it degrades to carbon dioxide, so its effects continue.
I enjoyed the chapter about Wilberforce and Huxley, that had some new insights for me.
In summary, an interesting book, but it would have been better if better edited.
Flora van België, het Groothertogdom Luxemburg, Noord-Frankrijk en de aangrenzende gebieden : (Pteridofyten en Spermatofyten) by Filip Verloove, Fabienne van Rossum
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
This is a reference book, not for reading every page.
An excellent flora. I tried several of they keya and they worked fine, mostly with usable characteristics. Nice that it includes surrounding areas like the Eifel, as well as Belgium.
An excellent flora. I tried several of they keya and they worked fine, mostly with usable characteristics. Nice that it includes surrounding areas like the Eifel, as well as Belgium.
The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was in 'Das Kriminalhaus' in Hillersheim (Germany) which has a huge collection of second-hand detectives. They are of course mostly in German, which I can't read, but with a scattering of English books amongst the collection. I was surprised to come across this book as I didn't know that Irus Murdoch had written a detective. An indeed this turns out to be a far from conventional detective; the murder is not what you think, the police are not involved and the plot is subservient to the characters. Nevertheless, unlike some Iris Murdoch books, there is a substantial plot, which carries you along whilst you enjoy the weird set of characters and the language.
It is not always easy to read. She writes paragraphs in Latin and French without even a footnote to explain what they are about. She uses words like "rebarbative" (which means ugly, seeing you ask), which I had to look up. I suppose that is to be expected from a philosophy professor writing in 1968.
There is one odd mistake. There is seaweed growing in the cave completely in the dark. Seaweed can grow in low light intensities, but it is a plant, it needs light. Seeing she happily bands about Latin names of garden plants, I would have thought she would have known that.
Although written in 1968, in some ways it feels much older. People have servants; cooks and cleaners and drivers. All the main characters are upper class, or at last upper-middle class; working people are just the supporting cast. I guess that was her world.
Despite being so dated (which even gave it a certain charm), the book was still an enjoyable read and also the mystery element was quite fun.
It is not always easy to read. She writes paragraphs in Latin and French without even a footnote to explain what they are about. She uses words like "rebarbative" (which means ugly, seeing you ask), which I had to look up. I suppose that is to be expected from a philosophy professor writing in 1968.
There is one odd mistake. There is seaweed growing in the cave completely in the dark. Seaweed can grow in low light intensities, but it is a plant, it needs light. Seeing she happily bands about Latin names of garden plants, I would have thought she would have known that.
Although written in 1968, in some ways it feels much older. People have servants; cooks and cleaners and drivers. All the main characters are upper class, or at last upper-middle class; working people are just the supporting cast. I guess that was her world.
Despite being so dated (which even gave it a certain charm), the book was still an enjoyable read and also the mystery element was quite fun.
De wateraap by Mariken Heitman
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
What a strange book. The aquatic ape hypothesis is one that only a few people ever too seriously, I think not including any evolutionary biologists, and in recent years (recent decades), interest in it and support for it has died away. But ok, no problem with using an obscure idea that no one believes in as a theme for a novel. It is a book in which little happens externally, but an awful lot is going on inside the protagonist's mind. I must confess that sometimes I found that a bit hard to follow in places.
It is beautifully written with phrases like 'I was ten, the ages when cuddly toys begin to die' and 'all trees in parks are lonely'. Some phrases are incomprehensible, 'feet, toes never grow up, being perhaps the only part of the body that keep their innocence'.
Strangely, she describes Spanish Moss as a moss, and in a conversation between two biologists. Although its common name suggests otherwise, it is not a moss but a bromeliad. Was that mistake on purpose or careless?
The book is worth reading for its style and also its strange ideas are interestingly thought provoking.
It is beautifully written with phrases like 'I was ten, the ages when cuddly toys begin to die' and 'all trees in parks are lonely'. Some phrases are incomprehensible, 'feet, toes never grow up, being perhaps the only part of the body that keep their innocence'.
Strangely, she describes Spanish Moss as a moss, and in a conversation between two biologists. Although its common name suggests otherwise, it is not a moss but a bromeliad. Was that mistake on purpose or careless?
The book is worth reading for its style and also its strange ideas are interestingly thought provoking.
James by Percival Everett
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I hadn't read Huckleberry Finn in over 30 years, so I was a bit concerned if I could follow James without re-reading that first. I needn't have worried, that was no problem. The plot is a bit jerky ('and then something unexpectedly happened out of the blue'), and that clearly came from following Mark Twains's plot, but aside from that it is a real page-turner.
Of course, the big difference is that it is written from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave ('James') and that inevitably means that is all about slavery. Percival Everett vividly and portrays the horrific life of the American slave at the time of the start of the civil war (1860s) and that is what makes the book so special and also so painful to read. I expect that lots of school boards in Texas and Florida will be banning this book, it is full of uncomfortable truths.
One of the difficulties that I remember having with the original book was its use of dialect, which was not easy to read. I thought that what Everett did with that was very clever and not only made it easier for the modern (and not American) reader, but made an interesting point whilst he was doing it.
The book had a special resonance for me as I lived for a couple of years in Illinois, not so far from Hannibal (where the book starts) and spent the majority of my working hours out on the Illinois river (a major tributary of the Mississippi), including when it was in flood. An unexpected bonus was that the protagonist turned out to have detailed knowledge of local mid-Western plants (I worked as a botanist in Illinois).
This book is both a gripping adventure story and a book bringing an important aspect of American history to life.
Of course, the big difference is that it is written from the point of view of Jim, the runaway slave ('James') and that inevitably means that is all about slavery. Percival Everett vividly and portrays the horrific life of the American slave at the time of the start of the civil war (1860s) and that is what makes the book so special and also so painful to read. I expect that lots of school boards in Texas and Florida will be banning this book, it is full of uncomfortable truths.
One of the difficulties that I remember having with the original book was its use of dialect, which was not easy to read. I thought that what Everett did with that was very clever and not only made it easier for the modern (and not American) reader, but made an interesting point whilst he was doing it.
The book had a special resonance for me as I lived for a couple of years in Illinois, not so far from Hannibal (where the book starts) and spent the majority of my working hours out on the Illinois river (a major tributary of the Mississippi), including when it was in flood. An unexpected bonus was that the protagonist turned out to have detailed knowledge of local mid-Western plants (I worked as a botanist in Illinois).
This book is both a gripping adventure story and a book bringing an important aspect of American history to life.
The Narrows by Ann Petry
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
We are reading this book in our book club because it has been recently translated in Duch. When Isaw that it was a book originally written in the 50s, I did wonder if it might not be a little dull and old-fashioned. I could not have been more wrong!
The book is very well written, with interesting, complex characters and a tense plot. The plot is not surprising, it moves with a sort of dreadful inevitability towards its end, but that is done in such a compelling way that the reader is carried along. The book is long, but certainly not too long.
How relevant is it still today? It is clear that America is still gripped by racism, so even if the details are different, that is still a very powerfuil theme. What was also interesting was the central role that the media takes in the story. Although the media landscape is very different today, the book shows every so clearly how presenting certain 'facts' in a particular way can manipulate the way that people think about an issue.
In the end, it is the vividness of the writing, especially describing the characters that makes it so good.
The book is very well written, with interesting, complex characters and a tense plot. The plot is not surprising, it moves with a sort of dreadful inevitability towards its end, but that is done in such a compelling way that the reader is carried along. The book is long, but certainly not too long.
How relevant is it still today? It is clear that America is still gripped by racism, so even if the details are different, that is still a very powerfuil theme. What was also interesting was the central role that the media takes in the story. Although the media landscape is very different today, the book shows every so clearly how presenting certain 'facts' in a particular way can manipulate the way that people think about an issue.
In the end, it is the vividness of the writing, especially describing the characters that makes it so good.