Reviews

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

berti123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

elly_sh's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

The most interesting part of the book is the internal thoughts and interpersonal tensions between the 2 women main characters- colleagues and friends at a gorilla gardening org. Then a billionaire tech bro comes into the fray and things get dark. The plot seems like it will be a thriller, but doesn’t quite get to be exciting. I think it’s because I wasn’t emotionally invested in anyone. My biggest complaint is that none of the characters change or grow throughout the book, so it sort of lands with a thud at the end. That said, I plowed through it and wanted to know how it would end. Definitely worth reading. 

alittlenightread's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

nogomu's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

4.25

kennoncs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

satyak's review against another edition

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4.0

Enjoyable but not memorable

bibliocamera's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is so complicated. I loved it!

New Zealand + Government Research + Ecology + Politics + Character study + Mystery = Amazing plot!

The title of the book comes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. So, tragedy is coming. It’s inevitable.
Who? Why? When? How?

This book is like a terrible car crash on a six lane interstate highway. But, before that happens the road has to be built, the cars need to be on the road and we need to know why each car will be there at that moment of the crash.

This is a very slow burn. Patience is key. The payoff is worth it. Amazing writing.

For the majority of the book it’s divided into eight character’s different point of view in each chapter.

Plus there are many other characters mentioned or interacting with these main characters. It’s built around who the characters think they are or who they are trying to convince other people they are. What they stand for. What they want. Idealism vs cynicism. Opportunism vs Denial. With a very sinister plot twist, that had me stunned. Dark and horrific and yet achingly authentic.

“The wrong think to do is often much clearer. Wrong is easier to see than right. The real choices in your life aren’t right vs easy but wrong vs hard.”

cbmac's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-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

4.0

sophajjar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

zoeee_sd's review against another edition

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

4.25