eltunel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
louwine's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wonderfully written, couldn't put down till the last page. Very emotional, unexpected endingš„
brieflygorgeous's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was an interesting book. And I liked the writing well enough that it made me want to finish reading it. But ultimately, looking at the book as a whole, it was a whole lot less impactful than I thought it would be. It started off strong and somewhere in the middle, it lost momentum. It picked up in the end but in the middle, it was such a drag to read honestly. I liked it okayish.Ā
deea_bks's review against another edition
1.0
This was the crappiest and most annoying book I read in the last year. I didn't think Barnes was capable of ever writing such poor quality novels.
trevor_brown's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zsofi_lengyel's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
flomc's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aljosa's review against another edition
3.0
Well... That was, well, not bad, but certainly stupid.
So after a long affair, a college professor leaves his wife and marries his lover. And then he starts to question his new wife's previous relationships to the point of obsession which results in a murder and a suicide? It was unusual topic, but Graham had no reason to be jealous. As for her ongoing affair with his friend Jack, Graham shouldn't have done that. Killing for revenge is stupid.
Unlike other Barnes' novels (this was my fifth) this one feels like a proper story (Just like my favourite "The Sense of an Ending"), but something's missing. It just feels stupid. I'll give Barnes a pass though because this was only his second novel. (Three years later he wrote wonderful "Flaubert's Parrot") He was probably still finding himself as a writer. Some elements are still here (deep analysis of actions, for example)
And there weren't enough memorable quotes. Only two or three I believe whereas in the others I had at least a dozen.
So after a long affair, a college professor leaves his wife and marries his lover. And then he starts to question his new wife's previous relationships to the point of obsession which results in a murder and a suicide? It was unusual topic, but Graham had no reason to be jealous. As for her ongoing affair with his friend Jack, Graham shouldn't have done that. Killing for revenge is stupid.
Unlike other Barnes' novels (this was my fifth) this one feels like a proper story (Just like my favourite "The Sense of an Ending"), but something's missing. It just feels stupid. I'll give Barnes a pass though because this was only his second novel. (Three years later he wrote wonderful "Flaubert's Parrot") He was probably still finding himself as a writer. Some elements are still here (deep analysis of actions, for example)
And there weren't enough memorable quotes. Only two or three I believe whereas in the others I had at least a dozen.