dreynoldsbook's reviews
112 reviews

The Ministry of Fear: An Entertainment by Graham Greene

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a reread. I read most of Greene’s novels in a short period in the 1990s.

I don’t remember it being quite so dark and unsettling. The portrayal of Rowe is fascinating. The novel is all about him, the espionage plot is quite unlikely and often tenuous. (When and how did beautiful young Anna fall in love with creepy old Rowe?) 

I can’t believe only 18% of reviewers thought the novel was character driven! What would a character driven novel look like then? 🤔

Agent in Berlin by Alex Gerlis

adventurous tense slow-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? No

4.0

Entertaining and tense WWII spy thriller. The way the end links back to the beginning is neat. Occasionally the author’s attempt to lever in historical details are a bit clumsy and unnecessary.

The Man of Feeling by Javier Marías

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I’m very glad authors like Marias exist, who reject the vogue for short snappy sentences and action oriented prose as prescribed by countless how-to-write a novel books and creative writing courses. His meandering sentences sometimes left me confused but I put that down to me being a product of my time, so used to those short snappy sentences.

It’s a short dense novel that will stay with me. 

The Berlin Exchange by Joseph Kanon

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Another tense and nuanced Cold War novel from Kanon. Not his best as it gets a bit corny and cliched.

If a character coughs in a book it means they’re dying, if they go to the loo it means they’re up to something.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

adventurous lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Entertaining and thought provoking stories. As much fantastical as Science Fiction. Think Twilight Zone but more philosophically profound.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I remember watching the film of this book in the 1980s. My main recollection is of the dreamy atmosphere of the picnic. I think that will be my main memory of the novel too. It meandered afterwards following the fate of characters you hardly met. I felt that the author didn’t know where to go with the novel after the picnic.

It’s probably worth reading for the first half though.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

adventurous fast-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

3.25

This is a very male book. Apparently women don’t exist in the galactic empire except to use atomic knifes in their kitchens!

It has its moments. Some of the politicking is fascinating but just as it’s getting interesting it suddenly jumps a century or so forward never really getting deep enough.

I found the whole premise quite silly too. 

Of course you have to see it in context - as a very influential book written around 1950, which is why I give it over 3 stars. But it’s been done better since.

Careless in Red by Elizabeth George

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

My first time reading Elizabeth George and I enjoyed it up to a point. It has a good set up and the writing is enjoyable. I feel it was overlong, though, and some of the character traits were dubious. The motivations of the characters often didn’t ring true. Also, the end wasn’t very satisfying - never a good thing at the end of a long read. The culprit was quite easy to guess.

More problematic as regards the whole series, though, is the landed gentry as a copper thing. I didn’t buy it really.

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.

Library book. Will finish later

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25