kvog's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
missmesmerized's review
4.0
Als Bertholds Mutter stirbt, wirft ihn das nicht nur emotional aus der Bahn: seine Wohnung ist bedroht, denn diese subventionierte Unterkunft war nun einmal an Lily geknüpft. Das Amt muss also überzeugt werden, dass diese doch noch lebt und kurzerhand zieht Inna ein. Was die quirlige und bisweilen verwirrte Ukrainerin alles durcheinanderwirbeln wird, ahnt der erfolgs- und arbeitslose Schauspieler da noch nicht. Bald schon steckt er inmitten größter Scherereien. Auch in der Liebe will es nicht so klappen, aber vielleicht gibt es doch noch Hoffnung.
Einmal mehr ein hochgradig skurriler Roman von Marina Lewycka. Wie auch schon in anderen Romanen besticht dieser durch unbeschreibliche Charaktere, die liebevoll bis ins letzte Detail durchdacht sind und ihre Rollen durchgängig überzeugend ausfüllen. Dies ist eine der ganz großen Stärken des Romans. Daneben bestechen der Wortwitz und insbesondere der Sprachenmix, der immer wieder zu Missverständnissen und herrlichen Dialogen führt, so dass das Lesen eine reine Freude ist. Leider bleibt die Handlung etwas auf der Strecke. Insgesamt passiert wenig, der gesamte Handlungsstrang um Violet war zwar interessant, aber letztlich mit der Haupthandlung nicht in Zusammenhang zu bringen und am Ende fast überflüssig. Auch hatte ich den Eindruck, dass hier unterschwellig zu viele Widererkennungen aus anderen Romanen sind – etwas mehr Innovation wäre gut gewesen.
Für den Roman als solches bleiben für mich nur 3 Sterne, für die unglaubliche Sprachakrobatik leg ich noch einen drauf.
Einmal mehr ein hochgradig skurriler Roman von Marina Lewycka. Wie auch schon in anderen Romanen besticht dieser durch unbeschreibliche Charaktere, die liebevoll bis ins letzte Detail durchdacht sind und ihre Rollen durchgängig überzeugend ausfüllen. Dies ist eine der ganz großen Stärken des Romans. Daneben bestechen der Wortwitz und insbesondere der Sprachenmix, der immer wieder zu Missverständnissen und herrlichen Dialogen führt, so dass das Lesen eine reine Freude ist. Leider bleibt die Handlung etwas auf der Strecke. Insgesamt passiert wenig, der gesamte Handlungsstrang um Violet war zwar interessant, aber letztlich mit der Haupthandlung nicht in Zusammenhang zu bringen und am Ende fast überflüssig. Auch hatte ich den Eindruck, dass hier unterschwellig zu viele Widererkennungen aus anderen Romanen sind – etwas mehr Innovation wäre gut gewesen.
Für den Roman als solches bleiben für mich nur 3 Sterne, für die unglaubliche Sprachakrobatik leg ich noch einen drauf.
megprescott's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
noahee's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
dunneniamh's review
3.0
This novel follows a block of flats in London, occupied by a mishmash of nationalities, from Nigerian to Romanian to Ukranian to Australian. Everyone lives in the building designed by socialist Lubetkin, who may or may not have had an affair with the main character's mother. The plot is centered around the death of the son's mother and his swift adoption of a Ukranian lady in order to retain his hold on the apartment in the Lubetkin building.
Lewycka has a very deliberate style and it just didn't click with me. Though it was interesting at times, and I certainly liked the characters from Eastern Europe the most, I found myself often getting lost within the narrative and not being entirely sure as to what the plot truly was.
I enjoyed this book? Sort of? It was a struggle to get through, but there were little nuggets of goodness.
Lewycka has a very deliberate style and it just didn't click with me. Though it was interesting at times, and I certainly liked the characters from Eastern Europe the most, I found myself often getting lost within the narrative and not being entirely sure as to what the plot truly was.
I enjoyed this book? Sort of? It was a struggle to get through, but there were little nuggets of goodness.
bookforthought's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Actual rating: 3.5/5
It's not often you find a nice, satirical novel dealing with the complexities of modern life. This book provides just that. Ms Lewycka gives us insight on what life in modern London is like when you're just a normal person struggling between unemployment, health issues, an overly-complex love life... and of course, your everyday benefit fraud. When Berthold's mother dies, he is forced to take Inna, a complete stranger met at the hospital, home with him to impersonate his mother until he can transfer the tenancy of the small council house in his name. But Inna, with her eccentricites, Ukranian food and broken English might be just what Berthold needed to jump start his life again.
This book was really interesting in many respects. I enjoyed taking a look at Berthold's life and that of the people who shared his same situation. This book can boast an impressive cast of colourful characters, each more bizarre than the last, and they were truly a joy to read about. Inna in particular was a favourite of mine, with her weird view of the world and her adorably funny way of speaking. And while I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of Berthold's at the beginning (and throughout most of the book), he did kind of grow on me by the end, and I was happy to see him change so radically throughout. I also enjoyed Violet's storyline - the young, Kenyan girl who tries to make it and the big city, but soon has to decide between her integrity and her job. She is a tough character, trying hard to find herself and her path in the midst of chaos and definitely very admirable.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable read. The only thing that disappointed me a little were actually my expectations of it: it was pitched as "hilarious", so I was expecting a lot more humor than I actually found in it. Sure, I smiled through most of it, but I never found it laugh-out-loud funny. Now this may totally be me not getting it, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied exactly because I was expecting a different thing. But if you like a good satire, it's definitely worth a read!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
Actual rating: 3.5/5
It's not often you find a nice, satirical novel dealing with the complexities of modern life. This book provides just that. Ms Lewycka gives us insight on what life in modern London is like when you're just a normal person struggling between unemployment, health issues, an overly-complex love life... and of course, your everyday benefit fraud. When Berthold's mother dies, he is forced to take Inna, a complete stranger met at the hospital, home with him to impersonate his mother until he can transfer the tenancy of the small council house in his name. But Inna, with her eccentricites, Ukranian food and broken English might be just what Berthold needed to jump start his life again.
This book was really interesting in many respects. I enjoyed taking a look at Berthold's life and that of the people who shared his same situation. This book can boast an impressive cast of colourful characters, each more bizarre than the last, and they were truly a joy to read about. Inna in particular was a favourite of mine, with her weird view of the world and her adorably funny way of speaking. And while I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of Berthold's at the beginning (and throughout most of the book), he did kind of grow on me by the end, and I was happy to see him change so radically throughout. I also enjoyed Violet's storyline - the young, Kenyan girl who tries to make it and the big city, but soon has to decide between her integrity and her job. She is a tough character, trying hard to find herself and her path in the midst of chaos and definitely very admirable.
On the whole, this was a very enjoyable read. The only thing that disappointed me a little were actually my expectations of it: it was pitched as "hilarious", so I was expecting a lot more humor than I actually found in it. Sure, I smiled through most of it, but I never found it laugh-out-loud funny. Now this may totally be me not getting it, but it still left me slightly dissatisfied exactly because I was expecting a different thing. But if you like a good satire, it's definitely worth a read!
For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
wordsofclover's review
3.0
3.5-4 stars
The Lubetkin Legacy follows Berthold Sidebottom and a young woman called Violet who are both residents in a council flat in London. Their lives become somewhat connected as they mingle with the different types of people found in the apartment block and they both struggle to figure out what they want to do in life - all the while Bert pretends an elderly Ukrainian woman living with him is his recently deceased mother so he won't be kicked out of the spacious flat he's lived in his whole life.
This was a bit of a weird one. It didn't follow a particular plot per se and seemed to go in a different direction every time I felt like I knew where it was heading. But while I saying that, I did enjoy the book. I definitely got what Lewcyka was trying to show us - the absolute diversity that is living in a city like London. The flat had English, Ukranian, Romanaian, African and all sorts of other people, cultures, traditions within it, yet while everyone seemed a bit different on the outside, they were all more or less the same on the inside.
I think I warmed to Bert more than Violet, I felt while Violet grew as a character, there was a bit more life and humor to Bert's story. I did like him but there were times he would think certain things that made him turn into a complete creep and I'd inwardly groan (like calling his penis 'the beast'). He also had a mild obsession with George Clooney. I felt like I didn't quite get enough out of Violet's story, I think I would have liked another chapter or two with her at the end.
The Lubetkin Legacy follows Berthold Sidebottom and a young woman called Violet who are both residents in a council flat in London. Their lives become somewhat connected as they mingle with the different types of people found in the apartment block and they both struggle to figure out what they want to do in life - all the while Bert pretends an elderly Ukrainian woman living with him is his recently deceased mother so he won't be kicked out of the spacious flat he's lived in his whole life.
This was a bit of a weird one. It didn't follow a particular plot per se and seemed to go in a different direction every time I felt like I knew where it was heading. But while I saying that, I did enjoy the book. I definitely got what Lewcyka was trying to show us - the absolute diversity that is living in a city like London. The flat had English, Ukranian, Romanaian, African and all sorts of other people, cultures, traditions within it, yet while everyone seemed a bit different on the outside, they were all more or less the same on the inside.
I think I warmed to Bert more than Violet, I felt while Violet grew as a character, there was a bit more life and humor to Bert's story. I did like him but there were times he would think certain things that made him turn into a complete creep and I'd inwardly groan (like calling his penis 'the beast'). He also had a mild obsession with George Clooney. I felt like I didn't quite get enough out of Violet's story, I think I would have liked another chapter or two with her at the end.
edgwareviabank's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Even though the two main characters (Berthold and Violet) didn't come across to me as particularly likeable, I enjoyed "The Lubetkin Legacy" for the lighthearted, entertaining story it was built to be.
I picked it up hoping for another dose of Marina Lewycka's humour (which I had enjoyed in "Various Pets Alive and Dead") and was not disappointed. I don't agree with every character's way of seeing the world and other people, but when the irony is used to show the flaws and cruelties of the British way of leaving people without means to fend for themselves, it is effective nonetheless.
The plot resolved too quickly for my liking in the final sections: some of the episodes could have unfolded at a slower pace earlier in the book, or not have taken place at all, given there is a plot twist nearly in every single chapter. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it kept me interested and immersed in the crazy, colourful world of Madeley Court, and, eventually, made me root for a happy ending. However, there are good chances a less convoluted series of events could have done the same, without the feeling that some narratives or characters are just left hanging.
I picked it up hoping for another dose of Marina Lewycka's humour (which I had enjoyed in "Various Pets Alive and Dead") and was not disappointed. I don't agree with every character's way of seeing the world and other people, but when the irony is used to show the flaws and cruelties of the British way of leaving people without means to fend for themselves, it is effective nonetheless.
The plot resolved too quickly for my liking in the final sections: some of the episodes could have unfolded at a slower pace earlier in the book, or not have taken place at all, given there is a plot twist nearly in every single chapter. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it kept me interested and immersed in the crazy, colourful world of Madeley Court, and, eventually, made me root for a happy ending. However, there are good chances a less convoluted series of events could have done the same, without the feeling that some narratives or characters are just left hanging.