dilettee's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best book I’ve read this year. I thought I had it figured out a couple of times but he just kept surprising me. A must read.
em_holborn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
suzanne_tuohy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
qofdnz's review against another edition
3.0
This was a lot of fun to read. Lightweight style and interesting story.
treya's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
harvio's review
3.0
- the plot: a novelist-wanna-be has a room-mate (law student) who dies in a bicycle accident the day after he confesses to also wanting to be a writer. In fact, he shares his just-written book with his roomie the night before the tragedy. The surviving room-mate decides to steal the story and claim it as his own. He makes a mint (print and film rights being sold) and becomes famous (cover of People magazine), but then is blackmailed by the only person who know that he didn't write the book.
- the reviews make many comparisons to Highsmith, and her 'Ripley' series, but Colapinto's writing isn't nearly as seasoned.
- an interesting plot though.
- the reviews make many comparisons to Highsmith, and her 'Ripley' series, but Colapinto's writing isn't nearly as seasoned.
- an interesting plot though.
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
Odd book, written as a memoir of an author-manqué whose roommate listens to his stories and turns them into his (the roomie's) own novel. When he dies in a bike accident, Cal takes on that book as his own work, and even eventually marries the woman his roomie was in love with. But then Cal begins to be blackmailed by a woman he slept with--once--during his nightly one-night-stand phase....
The ending is pretty good, but really there's no one in the book who is very likable. His wife is ok, but I kept thinking she should dump him. Quick!!
The ending is pretty good, but really there's no one in the book who is very likable. His wife is ok, but I kept thinking she should dump him. Quick!!
lynn_pugh's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
mageestarr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
simiavus's review against another edition
3.0
My opinions about this book wavered greatly while reading it. For a while I hated it, since the protagonist is really very unlikable, then I thought maybe it was ok, then I hated it again, and at the end I really almost liked it. I liked the self-referential conclusion. The end of the book read very quickly and kept me involved. But, in the end, I still can't really get over how unlikeable Cal is and I wonder why I should care.