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janey's review against another edition
4.0
This was a terrific read, although I thought the ending left a bit to be desired. Still, strongly recommended.
patsmith139's review against another edition
4.0
A very readable & enjoyable book about a wealthy street in London. We see a banker & his unpleasant, high maintenance wife; a widowed pensioner who has lived in her home since before it was worth a million; the Asian family who run, the newsagents; the Polish builder; the Hungarian nanny; the ‘contemporary’ artist who goes under the pseudonym of Smiffy; the traffic warden from Zimbabwe who isn’t quite what she seems and the young African footballer with a wonderful gift. We see the interaction and the adventures of these characters, who are all linked by the mysterious ‘We Want What You Have’ messages that start to drop into the residents’ letterboxes. Events of recent times touch our characters’ lives; the obscene amounts of money in banking and the eventual collapses that followed, terrorism; immigration and the treatment of asylum seekers. And probably an extra character to add to the mix is London herself in all her fabulous diversity.
julie66's review against another edition
3.0
Well written book that kept me engaged..but could have been 30% shorter and been much improved as middle section dragged a bit....
tedgraham's review against another edition
3.0
I expected to like this novel more than I ultimately did. The political backdrop of the novel---the eddy-like forces of money shaping the lives of everyone in London---is extremely well-handled, but I didn't like the author's attempts to tie in every possible aspect of modern life (Islamic extremism, the internet, etc.) as his voice is definitely more convincing in some realms than in others.
There's also something oddly moralistic about the whole book. Bad things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people. Innocence is easily, almost perfunctorily traded away for money or the chance for it.
All said and done, it was well-done, thoughtful but in the final analysis somewhat facile.
There's also something oddly moralistic about the whole book. Bad things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people. Innocence is easily, almost perfunctorily traded away for money or the chance for it.
All said and done, it was well-done, thoughtful but in the final analysis somewhat facile.
marcymurli's review against another edition
2.0
Unimpressive novel. The concept is intriguing - connecting these characters who all live on (not in as per the novelist) the same London street. But he weaves in too many ancillary characters and doesn't pay them enough attention. Also the financial crisis of 2008 should have played a much more prominent role.
dunnadam's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't believe, while I was reading this book, how well the author describes the characters. Muslim, Christian, man, woman, old, young. How does one white guy gain that much empathy? Remarkable.
tombennett72's review against another edition
4.0
A great book - easy to read and fantastic characters. Couldn't put it down, in proper 'page-turner' style.
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
4.0
Read this over Christmas and was gripped by it. Funny and perceptive, a great zeitgeist novel.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I love this sort of book; you know, those gloriously satisfying reads with lots of characters whose lives are explored by a lovely writer. That would be "Capital" indeed, and this novel is.
Like R.F. Delderfield in "The Avenue", John Lanchester takes a London street and focuses on a number of residents of Pepys Road. Unlike Delderfield's post-WWI idyll, Pepys Road has already been transformed by the big money of 2007 and a non-stop frenzy of additions, remodeling, and spending, spending, spending. In the midst of this, residents begin receiving postcards reading "we want what you have."
The characters are appealing, believable, well-drawn, and surprising. "Capital" is a treat and a pleasure all the way around.
by Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
Like R.F. Delderfield in "The Avenue", John Lanchester takes a London street and focuses on a number of residents of Pepys Road. Unlike Delderfield's post-WWI idyll, Pepys Road has already been transformed by the big money of 2007 and a non-stop frenzy of additions, remodeling, and spending, spending, spending. In the midst of this, residents begin receiving postcards reading "we want what you have."
The characters are appealing, believable, well-drawn, and surprising. "Capital" is a treat and a pleasure all the way around.
by Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
gabmc's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book but wonder if there are some deeper layers that I missed. The title kind of hints at it - Capital being the city and capital being property. Basically it's a story about characters who live in the same street. They start receiving mysterious post cards that say "We want what you have". There is a banker and his wife, an old woman, a young soccer player and a family of shop-keepers. There is also a parking inspector, an artist and a builder from Poland.
The story unfolds over 2007-2008, at the time of the global financial crisis. The shop-keepers are originally from Pakistan and are Muslims so there is some suspicion surrounding them.
Some of the characters don't really have resolution and I wonder if that was part of the point?
The story unfolds over 2007-2008, at the time of the global financial crisis. The shop-keepers are originally from Pakistan and are Muslims so there is some suspicion surrounding them.
Some of the characters don't really have resolution and I wonder if that was part of the point?