bibliotechno

• Rated 3 stars

“Like his historical fiction, Grave's WW1 memoir is packed with incidents and names. The detail about different regiment traditions is only of interest to specialists, but more interesting is Grave's shift to the left (somewhat) after the war, along with countless millions of others at that time. Unusually candid for early 20C autobiography. ”

bibliotechno wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Packed full of murder, lust, betrayal, decadence and madness, this fictional autobiography of one of the least loathsome figures in the Roman imperial family will whet your appetite for more Roman history. Great historical novel.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Tuesday, April 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Very funny satire on the business of fiction. The protagonist is pretty unlikeable, though, which undercuts the book's impact. And, let's face it, we all know that fiction, highbrow and low, is a mug's game (to paraphrase TS Eliot on poetry), but we all play along, hoping for that transcendent phrase or unforgettable image. Really skewers mainstream, Oprah Book Club-type fiction in particular, but no one is really spared.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Wednesday, March 7, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“This is the best kind of historical fiction, illuminating great tragedy and villainy by focussing on individual lives. This fictionalised account of heroic but doomed resistance to Hitler by a small group of leftists makes me want to read Toller's autobiography and the books on the real life Dora, Mathilde, Bert and Hans. But the writing is too fine, and the characterisation too subtly crafted, to be merely dramatised history. This book is historically inspired literary art, with profound things to say about heroism, failure, ageing and love. And, unfortunately, it's scarily relevant; the current capitalist crisis has produced enormous resistance, but it will also, no doubt produce monsters of reaction and despair. What a great book, I can't praise it enough!”

bibliotechno wrote this review Wednesday, February 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Funny and insightful, though rambling, autobiography of the legendary Rolling Stones rhythm guitarist. Keef does a great turn in anecdotes of drugged-out derring-do and is a cheeky and pugnacious reprobate. The long list of those he's worked with and some of the guitar and songwriting techniques he picked up or developed are mostly of interest to those more serious rock scholars. Very funny are his attacks on Jagger when they fell out and his claim that the notoriously misogynistic lyrics of the Stones helped bring about second wave feminism!”

bibliotechno wrote this review Wednesday, January 4, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Sorry to say it, but a little disappointing. Far too long (the three volumes could easily have been edited to one) and far too much recapitulation and repetition. The book has been marketed as a 'mind-bending ode to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four', but it really only touches tangentially on that great work. Moments of Murakami's great weirdness and moments of great poetry, but far too much banality to get through to reach these.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Monday, December 26, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Sorry to say it, but a little disappointing. Far too long (the three volumes could easily have been edited to one) and far too much recapitulation and repetition. The book has been marketed as a 'mind-bending ode to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four', but it really only touches tangentially on that great work. Moments of Murakami's great weirdness and moments of great poetry, but far too much banality to get through to reach these.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Monday, December 26, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Sorry to say it, but a little disappointing. Far too long (the three volumes could easily have been edited to one) and far too much recapitulation and repetition. The book has been marketed as a 'mind-bending ode to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four', but it really only touches tangentially on that great work. Moments of Murakami's great weirdness and moments of great poetry, but far too much banality to get through to reach these.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Monday, December 26, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Spot-on novel of adolescence in the early eighties. As well as meticulous period detail, Mitchell creates a very engaging and believable protagonist in the stuttering thirteen-year-old Jason Taylor, as well as vividly rendered secondary characters. Mitchell fans can also reacquaint themselves with a character from Cloud Atlas. A good book for adults and teens alike.”

bibliotechno wrote this review Sunday, October 30, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Amazing book, or collection of books. Perhaps falls just shy of a masterpiece due to highly derivative science fiction sections, excessive length and some unnecessary cleverness. But Mitchell has created a character that will live on for the ages in the form of composer and scammer, Robert Frobisher. There are many quite magnificent passages that I want to read again, such as Frobisher's suicide note. Great combination of suspenseful thriller with high literature and historical fiction. Read it in flip-back format, which has its pluses and minuses (compact convenience vs pages sticking print bleed-through). This book makes me want to read everything Mitchell has written. ”

bibliotechno wrote this review Sunday, October 2, 2011. ( reply | permalink )