Reviews

The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley

michelle_ltc's review against another edition

3.0

It’s a beautifully written story from a time long past when children were still naive into their teens. It reminded me of the sadness felt when a child learns the truth about the tooth fairy and Santa Claus.

tobsimobsi's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense 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

4.5

milrose_08's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The writing and descriptions were lovely in my opinion and I enjoyed the fact it was written from the perspective of a child, eager to please, who is forced to confront the realities of adult. 
However, the most enticing aspect of this book was the atmosphere. The descriptions of the english countryside, the lives of the upper echelon, illicit affairs and deceit.

At times the novel did drag on, for instance the baseball scene was unnecessarily detailed, and I found myself completely lost when Leo started talking about the Zodiacs. The ending was slightly abrupt in my opinion but nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read. 

louloubelle's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

p1ppak's review against another edition

3.75

I found particularly interesting the understanding, or beginnings of understanding, class from a child’s perspective 

amnesis's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kiwibunnz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

dietrich03's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.5

jminaprisc's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Fairly simple storyline in which it is clear the narrator is traumatised yet did not capture my attention. Attitudes of the characters felt frustrating, with a lot of the intrigue and possible humour left to the reader’s inference (which I don’t dislike, but the distance between the text and a 21st century view is tangible). Characters felt shallow and undeveloped at points. 

gripyfish's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-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