A review by madamelacy
A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely gripping story of a man driven by literary ambitions but short on original ideas. Maurice uses his good looks to entrance people with greater story telling talents than him, steals their words then discards them. The denouement is superb. 

Highly recommend this book. This is the first John Boyne I’ve read but won’t be my last. Boyne appeared on radio 4’s Open Book, talking about this book. It’s well worth a listen. 
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