Reviews

Double Blind by Edward St Aubyn

madreader_7's review

challenging slow-paced

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

1.5

ncghammo's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective fast-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

lulumoss's review

3.0

I liked it, but ultimately was unsatisfied by it. I found it hard to get started, and almost gave up on it. It's much more literate than the crap I usually read, which then made me feel guilty about the crap I usually read, so I forced myself to keep going. Then when I finally did get interested in the story - it ended. With all of the situations and conflicts left completely unresolved. Is Francis going to sleep with Hope or not? Is Lucy going to die? Is Olivia’s baby going to be a schizophrenic? Will Sebastian ever find out that Olivia is his sister? IS Olivia his sister? Will Happy Helmets work, and be a success? How will the church keep Father Guido down on the farm, now that he's seen Paree? What happens to all of Saul’s dreams of wealth? We are left hanging on all of it. Good book club book though, probably.

mi_chellewong's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

i had such high hopes for this book! it's been on my tbr for a couple years now, and when i finally cracked it open i thought i would really enjoy it. there's a piece of me in every one of the characters, but the book itself could not be propped up on that alone.

the story didn't really go anywhere- right when i thought it would it literally ended.

it is certainly an ambitious novel in the sense that there are many characters, deeply knowledgeable ones that must make known just how intelligent and knowledgeable they are, and they're all connected in some way. however, i felt that the book neglected to actually explore HOW these connections led to major events in their lives, rather than just WHAT the connections were. to be fair, the philosophical and academic ramblings were interesting but only in the context of being philosophical and academic ramblings, not as important drivers of plot or character development.

morrauror's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

chanelchapters's review

I liked the first bit of this when it was about the science facts.
Once it was about the character I got bored.

jmrprice's review

1.0

This novel plodded along like university lectures then I suppose a bell rung somewhere as evidenced by the abrupt endings.

This was my first St Aubyn novel and I think I’ll heed his work as titled by another of his works - Never Mind.

mariarty24601's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad 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

4.0

literarycrushes's review

4.0

Double Blind by Edward St. Aubyn is an ambitious, current issue-driven novel. The novel is relatively slim considering the wide range of topics it managed to cover, from climate change to physical and mental illnesses, to parenthood and the confines of monogamy. The novel is set, as is typical of St. Aubyn’s books, within the delicious world of the British intellectual upper class. In my opinion, St. Aubyn parodies this specific yet widely covered class of people just as well as any of the greatest classical authors. His subtle digs and metaphors are brilliant, and I found myself rereading sentences over and over to capture their full meaning. (One of my favorites: Seeing them was like watching someone you love climb aboard the wrong train and then having to run down the platform trying to warn them of their mistake as the train draws of our the station.)
I could easily see this novel following in the footsteps of his Patrick Melrose series as I felt the book ended rather abruptly and left a lot of loose ends not quite tied up. This book was ambitious as could have easily turned out as a dizzying, fumbled collage of hot button issues in the hands of a less talented writer, while this book left me only wanting more.
**side note, I read the Patrick Melrose novels (4 novels spanning from 1992 - 2006 now collected into one volume, plus a ‘final’ one published separately in 2011) before I had a bookstagram, but it’s easily in my top 10 novels of all time and I highly recommend reading it prior to Double Blind!

gurofl's review against another edition

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