Kevin
A couple of interesting ideas but Anthony's writing style made this a real struggle.
The non-linear narrative was just annoying and the summary, where we saw the ‘resolution' from different perspectives, seemed totally unnecessary.
Didn't have any sympathy with the characters. The one who you might have had some sympathy with was Lynda but the revelations about her affair detracted from this. There were also a number of issues that were never explained or resolved.
A basic boy meets girl plot. There's nothing offensive, earth shattering or over-taxing here, just a pleasant window into 19th century rural life. So, pour yourself a mug of cider and settle down to enjoy a light read.
Although there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the prose, I just couldn't get excited about any of the characters and as a result, wasn't particularly interested in what happened to any of them.
Just fantastic. OK, a little dated in parts (should we still say Redskins..?) and certainly more violence than I was expecting but all in all, it's easy to see why this is a true classic and a must read.
I really enjoyed the way in which the story was presented in two different time-frames but was ultimately underwhelmed by the ending. A great read but I felt that it lacked the explosive ending that would have lifted it to being a classic.
I have loved these books ever since I read The Brass Verdict, so went back to the beginning and am working my way through the whole series. This is another that doesn't disappoint.
This would have been a lot shorter if he hadn't kept repeating himself. If you love Labradors you'll read this and probably enjoy it. If you don't love them, you probably won't read it so who cares?
The last in the series, this book brings it to it's well known conclusion. Somehow, the timing didn't flow too well with the last part feeling somewhat rushed. However, if you've read the rest of the series, you will want to read this one.
I really enjoyed parts of this book. There were some excellently descriptive narrative and the setting was intriguing, exploring the Island of Chios and the history of mastic. Unfortunately though, this was not enough to hold the whole novel together. There were too many characters introduced too quickly which meant that it was difficult to get to know them and understand their motivation, leading to a plot that, although not over complicated, was ultimately quite confusing. The last ¼ of the book was clearly just setting up for the sequel and the repetitive use of the short punchy sentences intended to add emphasis very quickly became annoying.
Annoying.
Overall, disappointing.
Rather disappointing. I was hoping for a heroic romp through Rome but what I got was a soft story, over stuffed with pseudo religious clap trap. Too many characters that I cared little or nothing about and unrealistic scenes that just didn't keep the action flowing. This book could have been 200 pages shorter. A real struggle to get to the end.
Another great read in the series. A well constructed plot keeps you guessing throughout whilst there is still time to develop the central characters.
I've never read any Michael Morpurgo before and only picked this one up because the kids are starting to read them at school. I have to admit I was in floods of tears at least twice whilst reading this (even on my morning commute....)
If this is anything to go by I'm going to be reading a lot more of his work, though perhaps not so much in public.
I found the pace of this novel rather pedestrian and overall it was pretty dull. Rather than being inspired to read the rest of the trilogy, I really couldn't care less what happened to any of the characters by the end of this first book.
Although a follow on from the Tattooist of Auschwitz, this can be read in isolation. A story of the horrors of the Post war Gulags. As with the previous novel, I felt that this was an important story to be told but which was let down by the writing style.
wow. Had no preconceptions about this book but absolutely loved it. Excellent characterisation and fantastic plot. Can't wait to get into the next instalment. Only question is do I buy the dvd or the book. ..?
Having received the whole set of books for Xmas I felt I had to start from scratch. Knowing the story made this even better than the first time.
Absolutely amazing. I loved this book. The writing was beautiful, constructing a story against a backdrop of some of the most horrific events in recent history. With numerous characters from different generations, the story is told from different time lines yet never loses direction or pace. Not the usual comedic romp you might expect from Ben Elton, the dignity with which he treats the characters leaves a lump in the back of the throat on more than one occasion. A masterpiece that I will definitely be reading again.
As a lover of dystopian novels, this has been on my list of shame for a while now so I was pleased that it didn't disappoint. A different but no less frightening view of the future than that given in Orwell's 1984, much of the world depicted here is reflected in our current culture. This is definitely a book that still holds great relevance and that deserves its place as a true classic.
Sometimes I really love GRR Martin's work (A song of Ice and Fire) and other times it can be a complete car crash (Armageddon Rag) so I never know what to expect. I wasn't hoping for great things with this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'd not heard of it before and secondly, I'm always dubious when the book has two authors. If Lisa Tuttle is any good, why does she need Martin, or was this an incomplete work that he had previously discarded, given a second lease of life to rake in a few more pennies? Having read it, I think it falls somewhere in the middle. It has enough of Martin's hallmarks to be recognised as genuine but it didn't really shine like his better work. However, what did surprise me was that, after having read it and moved on to another book, my mind kept creeping back to it so I get the feeling that if I were to read it again I might end up rating it higher than I did the first time.
An interesting first novel. The world building was fantastic and there were some interesting characters. The plot was somewhat far-fetched and the conclusion was a little disappointing.
Written from a 5 year old's point of view, this could have been really terrible. However, I think it just about works. What let it down for me was the overall pace. Given that it was told from the young boy's point of view, there was a lack of detail, which felt right for the narrative but as a result, the book seemed over-long. This would have made a great short story. By stretching to a full novel, I felt that it became somewhat diluted and lost some of the powerful punch that it could have wielded.
