afox98's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. I read about 40% and just couldn't get into it. Hard for me to pick back up. Charley Sutherland has a gift he was born with - the ability to "read out" characters from books. Mostly harmless, his ability pops up at odd times and exasperates his brother Rob, who keeps hoping the power will go away. When Charley reads out Uriah Heep from Charles Dickens's David Copperfield, things start to go a bit more awry than usual during one of these episodes. With the help of Uriah and some other literary characters, Charley and Rob discover a town where the characters live, and the town is under duress.
I think this book would probably be better for big Dickens fans, but I hadn't read the couple of Dickens books being constantly referenced. Also, the plot becomes significantly repetitive and somewhat boring around the 30% mark. There wasn't enough action or disparate literary characters to hold my interest.
I think this book would probably be better for big Dickens fans, but I hadn't read the couple of Dickens books being constantly referenced. Also, the plot becomes significantly repetitive and somewhat boring around the 30% mark. There wasn't enough action or disparate literary characters to hold my interest.
glenfleskie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a book about siblings, and it’s a book about stories. Really really well done. I cried.
really_rachel's review against another edition
4.0
I'm surprised that I haven't heard of this book through more channels. It was a lot of fun! For this book lover it was ridiculous in all the right places.
reyes_sf's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this!
When I read the blurb for this book I thought something along the lines of "OMG YESSS" and although it was not a bad book by any means, I'm sorry to say that it didn't meet my expectations either. The idea is absolutely fabulous, the research job is excellent and the writing is good, but it was also completely emotionless. Here I am, reading about the very complicated relationship between two brothers who both love and resent each other, and I'm feeling nothing... Maybe for another reader this is not so bad, but the lack of connection kind of ruined the book for me.
Rob as a narrator was pretty unlikeable. He's petty and clearly resents his brother for his ability, which is totally understandable (who wouldn't??), but it was not fun to be in his head. I tried not to judge him too harshly for his decisions as it obviously was not easy to have a brother like Charley, but I really think he is just a crappy brother (and boyfriend). At first Charley was pretty adorable in that head-in-the-clouds, lives-in-his-own-world way, but I got tired of that quickly too. As for the other characters, Millie was cool, Uriah was creepy, Dorian was the most interesting of the lot and the jokes about the many Darcys were priceless.
The mystery is well managed, although the resolution was not exactly surprising. I saw everything coming from miles away, and there were a couple of twists towards the very end that in my opinion dragged the book rather than making it more interesting, as they didn't add anything to the story. To be honest, I thought the ending was rather predictable and a bit underwhelming.
I would recommend this to anyone who would like to give it a go because the idea really is great, and the experience is obviously different for every person, but for me this was a bit of a disappointment :(
When I read the blurb for this book I thought something along the lines of "OMG YESSS" and although it was not a bad book by any means, I'm sorry to say that it didn't meet my expectations either. The idea is absolutely fabulous, the research job is excellent and the writing is good, but it was also completely emotionless. Here I am, reading about the very complicated relationship between two brothers who both love and resent each other, and I'm feeling nothing... Maybe for another reader this is not so bad, but the lack of connection kind of ruined the book for me.
Rob as a narrator was pretty unlikeable. He's petty and clearly resents his brother for his ability, which is totally understandable (who wouldn't??), but it was not fun to be in his head. I tried not to judge him too harshly for his decisions as it obviously was not easy to have a brother like Charley, but I really think he is just a crappy brother (and boyfriend). At first Charley was pretty adorable in that head-in-the-clouds, lives-in-his-own-world way, but I got tired of that quickly too. As for the other characters, Millie was cool, Uriah was creepy, Dorian was the most interesting of the lot and the jokes about the many Darcys were priceless.
The mystery is well managed, although the resolution was not exactly surprising. I saw everything coming from miles away, and there were a couple of twists towards the very end that in my opinion dragged the book rather than making it more interesting, as they didn't add anything to the story. To be honest, I thought the ending was rather predictable and a bit underwhelming.
I would recommend this to anyone who would like to give it a go because the idea really is great, and the experience is obviously different for every person, but for me this was a bit of a disappointment :(
kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wonderfully complex, unique book for all of those literary nerds out there who, like me, would dearly love to see some of their favorite literary characters come to life. I left this book wanting to revisit my favorite Dickens novels and more. This was a big swing for a debut novel and, for me, it was a rousing success. What a love story to the power of the written word and the important role literature can play in shaping our lives. It reminded me of two other series I loved -- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.
its_literature's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
a book that absolutely came to me at the right time—post thesis brain is shrieking unendingly and i’m thinking so much about what reading /means/. love all the s/o to classics too
bookishwendy's review against another edition
5.0
Charley is a book summoner--a rare reader with the power to read characters out of their books, though it's much more difficult to put them back, as it turns out. Throughout history, even regular readers might form a magical connection with a certain character, bringing them to life our world, often without knowing it. Maui, Scheherezade, Heathcliffe, Matilda, the White Witch (who rides a motorcycle) all make appearances. Mr. Darcy is a reader favorite, understandably--there are five known versions, all a bit different according to the interpretation and era in which the reader lived!) But being fictional doesn't make them benign. When Charley accidentally summons the knife-wielding Dickensian villain Uriah Heep, he has to call his older brother Rob for backup. Uriah has a message for them: there's another summoner in the world, reading characters to life for a dark purpose...
There's some wonderful metafictional romping in this book, and I enjoyed how literary analysis is used to inform the story. I especially loved the central relationship between Charley and Rob. Rob provides the narrative voice for much of the book, which is especially fun because as a lawyer he's an outsider in the academic and literati circles of his Oxford-grad little brother. Their relationship is quite a complex one, rooted in childhood jealousies and insecurities, and while they clearly care deeply for one another, they clearly drive each other up the wall. No matter how crazy the plot might get, their relationship always remains grounded and real. My favorite part might be when Charley and his brother stumble across a magical Victorian street populated by classic characters in their hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. They each have reactions that perfectly match their dispositions, and that section had me laughing. If you're looking for a fun read with a magical, classic lit touch, might I suggest this one?
Thanks to Netgalley and RedHook Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book.
There's some wonderful metafictional romping in this book, and I enjoyed how literary analysis is used to inform the story. I especially loved the central relationship between Charley and Rob. Rob provides the narrative voice for much of the book, which is especially fun because as a lawyer he's an outsider in the academic and literati circles of his Oxford-grad little brother. Their relationship is quite a complex one, rooted in childhood jealousies and insecurities, and while they clearly care deeply for one another, they clearly drive each other up the wall. No matter how crazy the plot might get, their relationship always remains grounded and real. My favorite part might be when Charley and his brother stumble across a magical Victorian street populated by classic characters in their hometown of Wellington, New Zealand. They each have reactions that perfectly match their dispositions, and that section had me laughing. If you're looking for a fun read with a magical, classic lit touch, might I suggest this one?
Thanks to Netgalley and RedHook Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book.
iceman76's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5