Alex Norton

Like all of Eco's books this swirls with dead end intellectual red herrings, thoughts and meanderings but if you enjoy (put up with?) these you get recompensed with a rich tapestry and a good story. I know i will re-read this one in the future to try and catch the shitload of stuff I missed fist time round

Just re-read it. Actually I just listened to it in Audible's full cast Author's preferred version and it was so00o good. Strangely enough I remembered the first half but the whole second half had slipped away like a dream... Hmmmm... Really looking forward to the TV adaptation.

I adore Banks, but this one felt a bit over produced, and I can't even put my finger on it. Maybe too many ships and characters with different allegiances and the ship equivalent of “He said” “she said” at every sentence just wore me down. On to the next one

There were so many elements to like in this novel and i know i enjoyed it while reading it. But the scary thing, in thinking back a month after the fact is how little i remember of it. The irony is not lost on me.

I am of an age where The Troubles were a childhood background, where growing up agnostic a religious conflict appeared strange on not really comprehensible. When, later in life, i fell in love with [a:Adrian McKinty 12433 Adrian McKinty https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1584967497p2/12433.jpg] Sean Duffy series of novels set during troubles I immediately bookmarked this book to read when he recommended it.In today's polarized world I am in awe of how NI managed to actually step back from appalling levels of violence to actually give peace a chance. Adams does not come out of this book well but i cannot be impressed with how he managed to thread the needle to bring the Good Friday Agreement as an acceptable option to Northern Irish Republicans 20 years ago and that it still holds, albeit with many ongoing issues.This book is not about the GFA but is a history of the IRA but it is so well written (and from what I understand, researched) it gives the reader the basis to understand the magnitude of strife and thus the achievement of peace.