Reviews

A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill

kittykhan's review against another edition

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

3.25

ellie_cripps's review against another edition

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3.0

A little slow going, with a lot of 1930s Australian politics, but still an enjoyable mystery and adventure with a genuinely likeable group of main characters. Rowland Sinclair makes for an interesting lead, and he has a great charm in his generosity and artists observations of the world. I'm keen to see where the series goes.

brep23's review against another edition

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

3.75

The good: The characters. I loved the ensemble here and they really carried this book. 

However, the plot just wasn't what I was looking for or expecting...this is billed as a mystery but it's really more historical political intrigue. I also didn't always jive with the writing style; the author tended to over explain some things while under writing other moments. 

I'll pick up the rest of the series regardless. I think this was a debut novel so I imagine they only get better from here. There's enough going right here to stick around! 
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celiapowell's review

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3.0

I knew very little about this period of Australian history (1930s Sydney, local political machinations, etc) so that was very interesting, and I enjoyed the mystery element of the plot. (I had a major deja vu "have I read this book before" moment as the day before I'd read a chapter of a book set in the same period to my son, which included the same scene at the Harbour Bridge opening as this novel.)

zoer03's review against another edition

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1.0

I am sorry to say but this was a hard slog to read. It’s apparently set in 1930’s Australia and has all the hallmarks of being an ode to the golden age of murder mysteries. But I am sorry to say it doesn’t come anywhere close to being good or decent. It’s incredibly dull and boring and bland. The mystery is I have no idea nor do I care about it by the middle I just wanted it to end. The whole plot is basically fascist is wrong and violence is wrong. Also the politics it felt more like a very naive cliched historical novel set in 1930’s Australia with a hint of murder is just waffles on too much and made the whole story tedious. The characters were very cliched and not believable. They all of them came across as bland and 1 dimensional. Will not be reading this series. Has left a bad taste in my mouth.

crusoe's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Strangely enough, despite this being marketed as a murder mystery, the murder only serves as a driver for Rowland to investigate the new guardsmen. But, the focus of the story is much more on the colourful cast of characters and how their political alignment mirrors the wider political developments which is far more interesting. 

I loved the dynamic and banter of Rowly's ragtag group of friends (Edna, Milton and Clyde) which genuinely had me laughing. Same for his relationship with his brother. I would read this story for the fascinating setting and the delightful characters, not the mystery. 

Also, the original title 'a few right-thinking men' is much better than 'a house divided'. 
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tophat8855's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I expected it to be more like a mystery but it was still fun. I haven’t rest any books set in Australia during the Great Depression, so that’s interesting. And man, England really did a number with regards to classism. 

Also, a good classic: fascists vs communists.

amandajeanne's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

questionablechilli's review against another edition

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

3.25

jonathanrobert's review

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0