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joncoutts's review against another edition
4.0
Stranger than I remembered. The first half is full of speeches that now feel archaic if not nonsensical. But the chases, revelations, and laments of the second half are still pretty magical.
zeltzamer's review against another edition
Who controls the British crown? Who keeps the metric system down? We do!
A farcical nightmare that has more in common with a Keystone Cops film or Scooby-Doo (in book form, obviously) than it does the usual mystery-thriller tale. G. K. has a way of turning and twisting a phrase. Not sure what to make of the final few chapters, especially the ending; though I guess it’s the logical extension of a theologian writing about a not-so-secret days-of-the-week agitator cell.
A farcical nightmare that has more in common with a Keystone Cops film or Scooby-Doo (in book form, obviously) than it does the usual mystery-thriller tale. G. K. has a way of turning and twisting a phrase. Not sure what to make of the final few chapters, especially the ending; though I guess it’s the logical extension of a theologian writing about a not-so-secret days-of-the-week agitator cell.
alyssafraley's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
merholley's review against another edition
3.0
This one left me feeling underwhelmed. I listened to it on audio, and the audio production was . . . good. The writing, too, seemed . . . good. I feel indifferent about the political message, but, like, sure. True believers are the more dangerous sort of activists. I’ll ride that train. Overall, though, it just felt like there was not that much going on here.
But, you know, this was pretty good when they made it into that movie, Mission Impossible. Fake disguises and dramatic unmaskings are almost always a good idea. And I’m glad they left off the LSD-inspired Beatles-cartoon ending because that was weird.
I also feel like there is rumored to be some kind of message about God in here? And maybe that was what the LSD ending was about. But, if this guy is supposed to be God, then Chesterton’s God sure is a tricksy fellow! And he has a lot of time on his hands for pointless hijinks. Am I supposed to think that is a deep message about existential anguish??? I don’t know!
It actually felt more to me like watching LOST from start to finish. Like, when that show started I said, “This show is totally going to be pointless. And it is a terrible concept. And they obviously have no idea where they are going with it.” And then I kept watching because, you know, I, like God, have all this time on my hands for pointless hijinks, and there were some genuinely entertaining parts. And then it ended and the whole universe was like WHAAAAA????? And went back to folding its laundry.
That is basically my response to this book as well.
But, you know, this was pretty good when they made it into that movie, Mission Impossible. Fake disguises and dramatic unmaskings are almost always a good idea. And I’m glad they left off the LSD-inspired Beatles-cartoon ending because that was weird.
I also feel like there is rumored to be some kind of message about God in here? And maybe that was what the LSD ending was about. But, if this guy is supposed to be God, then Chesterton’s God sure is a tricksy fellow! And he has a lot of time on his hands for pointless hijinks. Am I supposed to think that is a deep message about existential anguish??? I don’t know!
It actually felt more to me like watching LOST from start to finish. Like, when that show started I said, “This show is totally going to be pointless. And it is a terrible concept. And they obviously have no idea where they are going with it.” And then I kept watching because, you know, I, like God, have all this time on my hands for pointless hijinks, and there were some genuinely entertaining parts. And then it ended and the whole universe was like WHAAAAA????? And went back to folding its laundry.
That is basically my response to this book as well.
testinmd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
"The Importance Of Being Anarchist"
spacetrekgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
varuna77's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this book. The writing, the imagery, the trickery, the dualism, and the ultimate peace found in the nightmare. Excellent.
lizapauterino's review against another edition
2.0
I was not in the right frame of mind. I need to reread it, a long time from now, maybe.
sarahbc93_'s review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know if it’s because I managed to finish this book on the same day as two others, meaning I was a little bit delirious towards the end, but a lot of this did not make much sense to me.
It was a little Sherlock Holmes meets the 39 Steps with a dash of good old jolly hockey sticks thrown in for good measure. Maybe with a side of LSD to make things all the more interesting, I don’t know.
I don’t know. Pretty unremarkable to be honest.
It was a little Sherlock Holmes meets the 39 Steps with a dash of good old jolly hockey sticks thrown in for good measure. Maybe with a side of LSD to make things all the more interesting, I don’t know.
I don’t know. Pretty unremarkable to be honest.