Noel Griffin

found this a pretty joyless book. While some deeply moving sections later in the book redemed it somewhat can't say I liked this book. The only message I got from it was stay away from poets. Life is too short.

Loved this coming of age story set during WWII in Belfast. I laughed and came as close to shedding a tear as I have with a book.

Mixed feelings about this one. Will need to return to it again.

I'm not saying this is a bad book just unremarkable. Don't see how they let him make True Detective on the back of it.

Enjoyed this one but felt that it would have been at least a third shorter if they didn't keep talking about why god let it happen/how he will not let it happen. Some sections are really exciting. Have to say that without the idle rich we are all doomed as not sure how they would have managed if they actually had jobs to do at the same time.

Have to say i really liked the characters better than the book itself. the sci-fi themed journey of the soldier in a coma didnt work for me. However, I read this in a day and enjoyed spending time in the company of the characters.

sadly by some premonition I figured out what it was all about half way down the first page and never recovered from that. Was sorry I kept with it by the end.

One of my favourite opening paragraphs from any book I've read.

Their was so much to like about this book but somehow it lost me a number of times and it took far longer to get through than it should have. World building is great. It also feels like a different voice but I don't think I really engaged with any of the characters and the plot didn't really work for me. I will however give the second book a go. A strong 3+star.

One of my favorite books of all time.

DNF (Spoilers).

Short as this work is I just couldn't bring myself to finish it. While I enjoyed the descriptions of Lahore and had i finished I don't think I would have had any issue with the overall criticisms of the USA that seems to have been the authors intent.

I found it hard to empathise with the construct of the protagonist being a poor rich person in Pakistan who finally manages to enter the world of the super wealthy that he feels he should have been born to when he gets a scholarship to Princeton. That being said there are plenty of books about western elites so, other than it not being the sort of theme I connect to, I don't really have any issues with that.

However, the reason I did not finish was because I could not stomach hearing any more of the sentimental retelling of a supposed love story which was in reality nothing short of an abusive relationship where he betrayed her trust and raped her. I don't really understand how Erica can be representative of USA when in the book she is a young woman recovering from the death of her childhood sweetheart who befriends the young Pakistani protagonist and sees in him the possibility of a new relationship but is abused and raped in return. Not only does the protagonist not seem to see much wrong with his actions but mopes about the place feeling sorry for himself. Not only is this deeply disturbing and misogynistic it is a complete failure of the narrative unless the author is trying to make out that ultimately the USA is the wronged party.

Even if it did work, I am pretty tired of stories where the only purpose that women serve is to use their abuse as a lens to tell a wider story.

From the reviews it seems that the author's other works are better so still willing to give one of those a go at a later time.

This was ok. Really think the series would benefit from some resolution to the personal life of the main character. Doesn't need everything sorted but stretching more or less the same issues out over what is now 5 books is getting a bit much to be honest. Also the coincidences of how some of the recurring characters are thrown back together are becoming a bit too thin.

As for the plot of this book, well sort of revealed itself a little too early on and doesn't really surprise at all.

Essential reading. If you're white and don't learn something from this book you're doing it wrong.