jackthelad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
jtrigger's review against another edition
4.0
The first half of this book left me wanting more. Enough to leave me begrudgingly willing to finish ... and not fully pulling me in either. The second half caught fire and I couldn't put it down. What I had at one point determined could earn only two stars completely reversed course and proved itself worthy of a four-star rating.
halftimelord's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sakisreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
✨ Thrifted ✨
I should have realised this was a Macbeth-esque story, but I haven’t read Shakespeare in so long 🫠 Oops!
Content warnings are below, as usual!
I whizzed through this, not necessarily because it was written well but because there was always some discomfort lurking within (and I suppose Matt Haig’s intention was to write it as a 11 year old boy whose grammar isn’t going to be great) 😳
I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars ✨ Not sure what to read next to be honest 😂 This one put me in a weird place!
I should have realised this was a Macbeth-esque story, but I haven’t read Shakespeare in so long 🫠 Oops!
Content warnings are below, as usual!
I whizzed through this, not necessarily because it was written well but because there was always some discomfort lurking within (and I suppose Matt Haig’s intention was to write it as a 11 year old boy whose grammar isn’t going to be great) 😳
I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars ✨ Not sure what to read next to be honest 😂 This one put me in a weird place!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
sincerelykiwi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Spoiler
I couldn’t get over that the mother married her dead husband’s brother not even 2 months after he died.kricketa's review against another edition
3.0
what a weird little story. kind of based on hamlet, but also not...eleven-year-old philip noble's father has died in a car accident, and his uncle alan is hanging around, comforting philip and his mum, helping to take care of the pub they own.
mr. noble's ghost appears to philip, alleging that uncle alan sabotaged his brakes to steal philip's mum and the noble's pub. he says that philip must now kill uncle alan before mr. noble's next birthday, or he will not be able to rest in peace. philip loved his dad and decides that yeah, he'd better kill uncle alan. but it's hard to commit murder when you're eleven, and also when your mum actually gets engaged to the man you're trying to kill.
the audio version is read by an angelic-voiced british kid, and he does a great job. (although, possibly, someone ought to have taught him the tune to 'suspicious minds' by elvis before asking him to sing it). i also read some smatterings of the print version, which has very interesting punctuation and is almost poetic at points.
all things considered, it is a very gloomy story, but fascinating. like nothing i have ever read before.
mr. noble's ghost appears to philip, alleging that uncle alan sabotaged his brakes to steal philip's mum and the noble's pub. he says that philip must now kill uncle alan before mr. noble's next birthday, or he will not be able to rest in peace. philip loved his dad and decides that yeah, he'd better kill uncle alan. but it's hard to commit murder when you're eleven, and also when your mum actually gets engaged to the man you're trying to kill.
the audio version is read by an angelic-voiced british kid, and he does a great job. (although, possibly, someone ought to have taught him the tune to 'suspicious minds' by elvis before asking him to sing it). i also read some smatterings of the print version, which has very interesting punctuation and is almost poetic at points.
all things considered, it is a very gloomy story, but fascinating. like nothing i have ever read before.
jarichan's review against another edition
2.0
Nachdem ich die "Mitternachtsbibliothek" von Haig so grossartig fand, war ich gespannt auf weitere Werke des Autors. Für eine Challenge hat dieses Buch hier sehr gut gepasst, also habe ich mich umgehend ans Lesen gemacht.
Schade, dass diese Hamlet-Nacherzählung so gar nicht meins war. Auch wenn sie eigentlich eine kreative Idee ist, und auch gut umgesetzt. Aber leider hatte ich meine liebe Mühe mit dem kindlichen Erzähler und der Art, wie er erzählt, die oft schon an den Stream of Consciousness erinnert. Aber eben auf sehr kindlichem Niveau.
Eigentlich eine sehr gute Idee, wie schon gesagt. Man bekommt so die ganze Tragik des Hamlet-Stoffes aus der unschuldigen und oft naiven Kindersicht erzählt.
Aber genau das fand ich auf die Dauer enorm anstrengend. Oft dreht sich die Handlung im Kreis, macht nur mühsam Fortschritte und der Text liest sich zäh und nur widerwillig. Jedenfalls erging es mir bei der Lektüre so.
Dennoch spreche ich Haig sein Können nicht ab und bin deshalb auch von ihm nicht enttäuscht. Gerne werde ich weitere Bücher von ihm lesen und mir noch ein tieferes Bild seines abwechslungsreichen Schreibstils machen.
Schade, dass diese Hamlet-Nacherzählung so gar nicht meins war. Auch wenn sie eigentlich eine kreative Idee ist, und auch gut umgesetzt. Aber leider hatte ich meine liebe Mühe mit dem kindlichen Erzähler und der Art, wie er erzählt, die oft schon an den Stream of Consciousness erinnert. Aber eben auf sehr kindlichem Niveau.
Eigentlich eine sehr gute Idee, wie schon gesagt. Man bekommt so die ganze Tragik des Hamlet-Stoffes aus der unschuldigen und oft naiven Kindersicht erzählt.
Aber genau das fand ich auf die Dauer enorm anstrengend. Oft dreht sich die Handlung im Kreis, macht nur mühsam Fortschritte und der Text liest sich zäh und nur widerwillig. Jedenfalls erging es mir bei der Lektüre so.
Dennoch spreche ich Haig sein Können nicht ab und bin deshalb auch von ihm nicht enttäuscht. Gerne werde ich weitere Bücher von ihm lesen und mir noch ein tieferes Bild seines abwechslungsreichen Schreibstils machen.
tonythep's review against another edition
3.0
modern day Hamlet story told from the point of view of an 11 year old English boy in a fast first person. engaging, quick read with some surprises.
claire_anne2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75