alecxia's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
I feel I am being generous giving this book a 2 star rating. The whole is a great big empty plot line with a couple of narcissistic characters. I think it could have been so much more but instead of developing the plot line around Kirstin and Henry there is just one more mention of her before she boards a plane to London. It feels like the author got dragged down in describing Henry, his lifestyle and his ego mania and forgot to develop the narrative completely. As a reader I want a book to define the situation and then take me through into the scenario described. This simply failed to capture my attention in any way. The ending was also absolutely dire
hannahsonia's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dairyofaliterarian's review against another edition
funny
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
2.5
jgwc54e5's review
3.0
This was a quick read and at the end I’m not really sure what to make of it. It’s well written and lots of humorous bits and plenty of interesting observations about celebrity and obsession, and from that some people’s strange relationships with reality.
The main character, Henry Banks is a well known TV actor that is up for a part in a film by a trendy/cool Spanish director. He’s self obsessed and over confident yet at the same time insecure and not very likeable. Kristin is obsessed with him, totally delusional and after accidentally bumping into Henry at an airport thinks they are destined to be together.
The ending, although it’s foreshadowed, is a shock.
So I enjoyed the read but I’m not sure it made any deep impressions.
The main character, Henry Banks is a well known TV actor that is up for a part in a film by a trendy/cool Spanish director. He’s self obsessed and over confident yet at the same time insecure and not very likeable. Kristin is obsessed with him, totally delusional and after accidentally bumping into Henry at an airport thinks they are destined to be together.
The ending, although it’s foreshadowed, is a shock.
So I enjoyed the read but I’m not sure it made any deep impressions.
shano25's review against another edition
3.0
Read because it was longlisted for the Giller Prize.
Every year I read the Giller longlist and every year there is one book on there that gives me a huge surprise, a book I never would have read had it not been for the list and that I absolutely loved and recommend to everyone. As I began this book I thought, this is that book for 2019. Now that I've finished it I'm not so sure. I got stuck in right away and actually ended up reading this book in just two sittings. It's easy to become absorbed in and given the description you want to keep reading to find out what happens between Henry and Kristin. But when it all does, it fell flat for me. It just happened too quick and was rather anti-climactic. What I realize is that the book is more of a character study than about the thriller like plot given on the book jacket and I guess that's why it ended up being a middle of the road read for me.
Every year I read the Giller longlist and every year there is one book on there that gives me a huge surprise, a book I never would have read had it not been for the list and that I absolutely loved and recommend to everyone. As I began this book I thought, this is that book for 2019. Now that I've finished it I'm not so sure. I got stuck in right away and actually ended up reading this book in just two sittings. It's easy to become absorbed in and given the description you want to keep reading to find out what happens between Henry and Kristin. But when it all does, it fell flat for me. It just happened too quick and was rather anti-climactic. What I realize is that the book is more of a character study than about the thriller like plot given on the book jacket and I guess that's why it ended up being a middle of the road read for me.
benmsmith's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
This was a sharp little case study of its two main characters. We have a Benedict Cumberbatch-esque actor (though not BC) who rose to prominence in one of those British costume-y dramas and his attempts to take next steps in his career - a big arty movie with a demanding, auteur-ish director that will push his craft, playing Hamlet at the Barbican (again: totally meant to be Benedict?), and ultimately signing onto some sort of Marvel movie in the end. We get good perspective into his head, but the story isn't about him.
This is about the fan that's imagined herself into a parasocial relationship with him. We walk through her obsessing over him after a frustrating divorce led to a chance airport encounter, see her crazed fan letter accidentally end up in the actor's mail pile from his agent, and then follow her through a trip to London to see him in Hamlet and try to ingratiate herself into his life that you _know_ is doomed from the start. The book does a great job of putting you in her head and seeing her from a sympathetic perspective, and nails how long to spend with each character before moving things forward.
This was a sharp little case study of its two main characters. We have a Benedict Cumberbatch-esque actor (though not BC) who rose to prominence in one of those British costume-y dramas and his attempts to take next steps in his career - a big arty movie with a demanding, auteur-ish director that will push his craft, playing Hamlet at the Barbican (again: totally meant to be Benedict?), and ultimately signing onto some sort of Marvel movie in the end. We get good perspective into his head, but the story isn't about him.
This is about the fan that's imagined herself into a parasocial relationship with him. We walk through her obsessing over him after a frustrating divorce led to a chance airport encounter, see her crazed fan letter accidentally end up in the actor's mail pile from his agent, and then follow her through a trip to London to see him in Hamlet and try to ingratiate herself into his life that you _know_ is doomed from the start. The book does a great job of putting you in her head and seeing her from a sympathetic perspective, and nails how long to spend with each character before moving things forward.
callie_lh's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
scarpuccia's review against another edition
5.0
A recently divorced American woman meets a handsome British TV actor in an airport and is convinced it is fate and the beginning of a new life for her. The actor, outrageously self-centred, is about to audition for a film by one of the world's most esteemed directors. A part that will challenge his capabilities and transform his life.
We quickly learn Kirstin is deluding herself. The life-changing moment in the airport is a meaningless and forgotten moment in Henry's life who absently accepts any compliment from a member of the public as his due. There's a stunning episode in Qatar where he meets Virginia, one of many models hired to line corridors at a film festival like bollards. Meanwhile Kirstin is planning out the next encounter between her and Henry who she writes to twice a week. My only reservation was the ending. With only a few pages to go it could have ended in a variety of nuanced ways. But the ending he chose felt a little forced and overly dramatic. But a very beautifully written novel fizzing with sophisticated humour.
I'm puzzled why this has such a low rating. I can only think it's because lots of readers don't enjoy spending their time with unlikeable people and neither Henry nor Kirstin are people you'd want to sit next to on a plane or get stuck with in a lift. That said Virginia was one of the most likeable and fascinating characters I've met all year. I loved his writing so much I'm now starting another of his novels.
We quickly learn Kirstin is deluding herself. The life-changing moment in the airport is a meaningless and forgotten moment in Henry's life who absently accepts any compliment from a member of the public as his due. There's a stunning episode in Qatar where he meets Virginia, one of many models hired to line corridors at a film festival like bollards. Meanwhile Kirstin is planning out the next encounter between her and Henry who she writes to twice a week. My only reservation was the ending. With only a few pages to go it could have ended in a variety of nuanced ways. But the ending he chose felt a little forced and overly dramatic. But a very beautifully written novel fizzing with sophisticated humour.
I'm puzzled why this has such a low rating. I can only think it's because lots of readers don't enjoy spending their time with unlikeable people and neither Henry nor Kirstin are people you'd want to sit next to on a plane or get stuck with in a lift. That said Virginia was one of the most likeable and fascinating characters I've met all year. I loved his writing so much I'm now starting another of his novels.