Wonderfully written, but some bits of it are so wholly unbelievable that the longer they went on the less I was able to suspend my disbelief. If I ignoWonderfully written, but some bits of it are so wholly unbelievable that the longer they went on the less I was able to suspend my disbelief. If I ignore those bits, I'm left with a wonderful friendship, a novel about courage and loyalty, and I liked all of that. I struggled with the fairly slow start, but the plot itself is gripping, and the characters well developed. Unfortunately, I was promised a mind-blowing read, and it just wasn't. (Although, admittedly, I would have absolutely loved this twenty years ago.) I think this is a case of "it's not you, dear book, it's me" and if you typically enjoy YA novels, and like the sound of the premise, you will most likely love this....more
This was a recommendation from a friend, and I have a couple of thoughts, mostly mixed.
Lyrical prose, sure. At times beautiful, at times too purple anThis was a recommendation from a friend, and I have a couple of thoughts, mostly mixed.
Lyrical prose, sure. At times beautiful, at times too purple and overbearing, made worse by the present tense.
Emotional, sure. But child loss is always emotional?
Hamnet is really about Agnes, Hamnet's mother and Shakespeare's wife. Through her, we get a glimpse of the bard's life, but mostly we watch her grow up, lose a mother, fall in love, create a family, protect that family, grieve a son.
A solid read that neither wowed me nor let me down. The fourth star is because it not only kept me reading but also evoked an emotional reaction....more
I've got many gripes with The Quincunx: - Published in 1990 but written in the style of Charles Dickens. - Too long. Too dense. - If I wanted to learn abI've got many gripes with The Quincunx: - Published in 1990 but written in the style of Charles Dickens. - Too long. Too dense. - If I wanted to learn about inheritance law, I wouldn't have picked up a novel. - Unnecessarily complex. (I've never had to study a family tree as often as this one.) - Anything that can go wrong, goes wrong. Repeatedly. And that quickly becomes tedious. - 800 pages to reach an unsatisfactory ending...
There were moments where it drew me in, and some of the chapters were genuinely gripping. Palliser is a skilled writer, and the complexity of the mystery is impressive, but that's where my praise ends....more
This is a quick and easy read despite its length. The prose is straightforward and there's plenty of action.
Unfortunately, to me it feels as though thThis is a quick and easy read despite its length. The prose is straightforward and there's plenty of action.
Unfortunately, to me it feels as though the characters are mostly two-dimensional (at best), and the plot is sort of repetitive in places which resulted in tedious bits. And I never really emotionally connected with the characters or the story.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.
If you're interested in samurais and Japanese culture, definitely give it a try. It’s absolutely worth a read....more
This is the first book in months that I absolutely fell in love with and I even stayed up until midnight to finish it. Despite being on the long side This is the first book in months that I absolutely fell in love with and I even stayed up until midnight to finish it. Despite being on the long side it is engaging. This book is many things. Most of all it is a well researched piece of historical fiction, then there's the time travel and the necessary butterfly effect and Stephen King tops it all off with a love story that brought tears to my eyes. King has always been the only author who managed to scare me. At the age of eight I asked my father for scary books. He brought home a ton of books for children that were supposed to be slightly scary. After reading them I explained to him that I wanted to be truly scared. The next day "IT" was sitting on my plate when I came to eat dinner. I was eight. I love my Dad. Oh boy, was I scared. King was also the only author ever to make me cry with The Green Mile. He is skilled at turning small-town people into real, likeable and flawed people that I fall in love with. I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a King book. This one is no exception....more
No. Sadly this didn't work for me. Not one bit. It wasn't all that bad. I quite liked the story. I was just bothered by how it was narrated. It is tolNo. Sadly this didn't work for me. Not one bit. It wasn't all that bad. I quite liked the story. I was just bothered by how it was narrated. It is told from the point of view of Death (personified, yes.) He keeps spoiling the story. Uhm, all right? Thanks? And it was full of small interjections that were supposed to... actually I have no idea what they were there for. Sometimes it was to explain vocabulary, sometimes it was to reveal the next plot point. It was always grating. So, no, me and this book did not get along. But, I'm glad I now know what the fuss is about....more
I love the way Sarah Waters writes; her prose is stunning. But, somehow I didn't manage to get into this book. I couldn't connect with the characters.I love the way Sarah Waters writes; her prose is stunning. But, somehow I didn't manage to get into this book. I couldn't connect with the characters. I really like the concept. The way Waters plays with the narrator and the ambiguity throughout the story is clever, almost brilliant. But, I found the execution lacking. It wasn't as gripping as her other books and I had the impression a lot of the time nothing happened and I had to force myself to read through it. Her beautiful writing makes up for that though. ...more
I loved Fingersmith and I adore Sarah Waters' writing. In this book as well her writing was gorgeous. A few passages even made me feel awfully tense, I loved Fingersmith and I adore Sarah Waters' writing. In this book as well her writing was gorgeous. A few passages even made me feel awfully tense, almost sick because of the author's description. The writing is the reason for the three stars. My problem with this book is mainly the lack of plot. She tells the story backwards. Four people in London after the war (1947), and during the war (1944, 1941). After the first part she abandons the characters in 1947 in a very open ending. And I honestly wanted to know what happens to them and not how they got there. It's most definitely not a bad book and I did enjoy reading it. She's a gifted writer....more
From the first sentence on it's clear that this author usually writes non fiction. The style is dry and factual and doesn't read like a novel. This boFrom the first sentence on it's clear that this author usually writes non fiction. The style is dry and factual and doesn't read like a novel. This bothered me and made it unable for me to really get into the story. The story is simple: there's a nazi plot to control Europe financially even after they've lost the war. ...more
This broke my heart. Beautiful love story. Wasn't too impressed with the writing in the beginning. Wasn't too impressed with how much the main charactThis broke my heart. Beautiful love story. Wasn't too impressed with the writing in the beginning. Wasn't too impressed with how much the main character seemed to swoon. But after about a quarter it just grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. And in the end it made me fall to pieces. ...more
Gothic literature and written in a way vampires should be written. No sparkling and no glitter, just darkness and fear. I have a few issues with this Gothic literature and written in a way vampires should be written. No sparkling and no glitter, just darkness and fear. I have a few issues with this book. For one it's Lord Byron telling his story to a young woman and half the book just takes up him narrating how he became a vampire. After that the story picks up. Some very morally challenging choices, internal struggle and a gripping character kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly enjoyed this one. ...more
Sarah Waters is an excellent writer and this book is a pearl. One can't say much about the story without spoiling it, so I won't. Just one thing: WheneSarah Waters is an excellent writer and this book is a pearl. One can't say much about the story without spoiling it, so I won't. Just one thing: Whenever you think you have the story figured out you'll be surprised again. ...more
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