Kevin
I very much enjoyed both the style of the prose and the character building. The pacing was great. The novel didn't follow a direct timeline, jumping about between pre and post-apocalypse to gradually piece the story together and, whilst this is not a style that I normally enjoy, in this instance it was done well and it allowed the story to unwind at a comfortable pace. All in all, there wasn't anything that I particularly disliked about this novel but ultimately it left me slightly underwhelmed. I can see why some people would love it and I certainly wouldn't discourage anybody from reading it but, for me, it's not one that I'll rush back to.
This was the first Ursula K. Le Guin that I ever read and it just blew me away. The world building was immaculate and, although the plot of the story was quite simplistic, the development of the characters and the overlaying of the complex social and political issues added layers of depth. Le Guin explores, among other things, how gender dominates and drives so many aspects of our lives and, without degenerating into a soppy love story, how friendship can transcend huge differences. Throw into the mix a little global warming, prison camps, genetics and space travel and you have such a rich novel that it just begs to be read again and 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.
I just couldn't get on with this novel. There is no doubting that the language is beautiful and the confused plot lines and similar names of the different characters are intended to create a sense of other-worldliness but I just found it too convoluted and ultimately, the lack of a sense of direction meant that I just couldn't get enthused about where it was going. I hate to DNF anything but this came close.
Not a bad book but I didn't find anything ground-breaking either. Everything here has been said before and others have done it better. The difference with this book is the use of profanity throughout which, although I don't object to by any means, does seem to be used more for the shock element than anything else. After all, how many people can say they have sold a book with the work Fuck on its cover?
A bit of a strange one this. The overall plot was simple; what complicated it was the continual messing around with the timeline and the dipping into the two different narratives of the past events which made it difficult at times to keep a line on who was still alive at the time of a particular perspective.
There were some lighter moments when the author seemed to poke fun directly at herself (character writes a novel with a disjointed narrative and worries if people might find this confusing – in a novel with a confusingly disjointed narrative). Mix with this some poorly written side characters (the spotty copper who is willing to spill the beans on the ongoing investigation to a man who clearly should have been a suspect), I can't help wondering if this could have been better if she had gone all out to write it as a comedy farce. Or perhaps she did and I just missed it..?
A real mixed bag. Clearly, Tolkien is one of the best writers who ever lived but this is a collection of his very early work, written long before he had mastered his art. Some clear glimpses of genius but not enough to make it noteworthy. The best bit for me was the essay about fairy tales – the last part of the book which, to be honest I almost skipped. This did give a real insight into Tolkien's way of thinking and of approaching his own masterworks, which made me want to delve into them again and re-capture the sense of awe that Tolkien so lovingly wove into them.
I never had any great expectations before reading this book, having never heard of it or the author. I think I just picked it up somewhere as part of a job lot, so it's been sat on my shelf unread for a while. However, it became an unexpected favourite book of the year for me so far.
Arguably, the outcome was quite predictable but viewed Less of a ‘who dunnit' and more of an examination of how different people deal with different types of trauma and come to terms with their grief. The way it got there was, I felt, beautifully paced. Although I didn't have to agree with how people dealt with the situations, I was able to sympathize.
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.
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.
I didn't like the film which I felt was dark, depressing and nothing really happened. I don't even know why I decided to read the book which I found to be dark, depressing and nothing really happens but, for some reason, I really quite liked it. If anything, the sense of hopelessness is even more overwhelming and this contrasts with the love between the man and his son which burns brighter as a result. You know it's not going to end well but that doesn't really matter. It's about the journey not the destination and with McCarthy's writing, The Road is one hell of a journey.
