verlkonig's review against another edition
4.0
This novel was honestly a lovely surprise. I bought it in a hurry, on a complete misconception that it was about someone who got turned into a dog ([b:Dogsbody|18932|Dogsbody|Diana Wynne Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389339063s/18932.jpg|1106116] was one of my favourite childhood books so I was very excited), only to discover it had a different but equally mad premise.
Our protagonist is an actual alien who is sent to Earth when a British mathematician solves the Riemann hypothesis. According to the aliens of Vonnadoria, this could lead to a sudden and sweeping development in technology that humans are absolutely not mature or responsible enough to handle. So, the Vonnadorians kill Andrew, the mathematician in question, and replace him with one of their own. This unnamed alien's mission is to make certain that all proof of the solved hypothesis is firmly erased.
It's extremely funny in a fish out of water kind of way. The first few chapters especially had me giggling, as did a later chapter wherein the alien discovers football. However, this novel is a lot more than just funny - it also has real heart as our alien protagonist discovers that humans are not entirely brutal, animalistic, violent idiots. He discovers music, poetry, and relationships, and suddenly his mission on Earth becomes a little more complicated.
As my first Matt Haig book, I'm definitely encouraged to read more of his work. This book was a very soothing balm after some horrible days at work, and definitely gave me a little lift that was deeply appreciated.
Our protagonist is an actual alien who is sent to Earth when a British mathematician solves the Riemann hypothesis. According to the aliens of Vonnadoria, this could lead to a sudden and sweeping development in technology that humans are absolutely not mature or responsible enough to handle. So, the Vonnadorians kill Andrew, the mathematician in question, and replace him with one of their own. This unnamed alien's mission is to make certain that all proof of the solved hypothesis is firmly erased.
It's extremely funny in a fish out of water kind of way. The first few chapters especially had me giggling, as did a later chapter wherein the alien discovers football. However, this novel is a lot more than just funny - it also has real heart as our alien protagonist discovers that humans are not entirely brutal, animalistic, violent idiots. He discovers music, poetry, and relationships, and suddenly his mission on Earth becomes a little more complicated.
As my first Matt Haig book, I'm definitely encouraged to read more of his work. This book was a very soothing balm after some horrible days at work, and definitely gave me a little lift that was deeply appreciated.
halfcentreader's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, especially how "Martin" learns how to treat his "new" family. And the insights on the dog were priceless!
littlemissanalog's review against another edition
I liked it but not enough; the alien character narration is curious but also a bit annoying and I could not keep going long enough to get more into the story; may return to it in the future; same author as midnight library (really enjoyed)
corasteffani's review against another edition
4.0
It is a feel-good book about what is meant to be a human (from the viewpoint of an alien in a human body). Or at least I felt joy upon finishing this book.
In this story, you can find love, action,wit, humour, poetry and philosophy.
I had a few issues with the book. Why nudity is supposed to be funny. If the aliens are supposedly so intelligent, why didn't the alien do some research on humans before being sent to earth. Maybe because he was reluctant to take part in this mission. I don't know.
Apart from these, I really enjoyed listening to this book.
In this story, you can find love, action,wit, humour, poetry and philosophy.
I had a few issues with the book. Why nudity is supposed to be funny. If the aliens are supposedly so intelligent, why didn't the alien do some research on humans before being sent to earth. Maybe because he was reluctant to take part in this mission. I don't know.
Apart from these, I really enjoyed listening to this book.
kath61's review against another edition
4.0
Original and thoughtful, also humorous, warm, insightful and a satisfying read. The ending was slightly too drawn out for my taste.
looreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Kinda funny, not as funny as I was told but that's okay. Humor is subjective and depends on personal taste. Personally I did find the whole concept of an alien pretending to be human, and not being good at, pretty funny so I did find some bits amusing. I like some of the observations about humanity that the alien makes but for the most part they were very generic in my opinion. Still enjoyable but not the best.
Kinda funny, not as funny as I was told but that's okay. Humor is subjective and depends on personal taste. Personally I did find the whole concept of an alien pretending to be human, and not being good at, pretty funny so I did find some bits amusing. I like some of the observations about humanity that the alien makes but for the most part they were very generic in my opinion. Still enjoyable but not the best.
mmparker's review against another edition
3.0
I think I would have enjoyed this more earlier in life. It gave me a nice warm feeling and it's got some superb moments, but the concept felt stretched too far. First fifty pages were tough to get through.