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Liked It “This book had the misfortune to be the one I had just started reading before traveling this summer. Normally, that would only be a plane journey, so it’s not a big deal. This summer however, I went from home - to Dubai - to Iraq - to Dubai - to Malaysia - to Japan. We actually visited everywhere...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Overall, it has beautiful descriptions, but at times I totally felt as awkward, confused and crazy as the narrator... and I'm not entirely sure if that's a compliment or not! |
Newest Reviews
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“This book had the misfortune to be the one I had just started reading before traveling this summer. Normally, that would only be a plane journey, so it’s not a big deal. This summer however, I went from home - to Dubai - to Iraq - to Dubai - to Malaysia - to Japan. We actually visited everywhere except Malaysia, where we stayed just one day and that was only because we missed our flight.
Laala K wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Anyway, point is, I kept having to read three or four pages and stop, and it wasn’t till I was in Japan that I actually finished it. I hate reading books like that, because you’re unable to let them draw you in completely, which means you don’t really know if they have the power to.
The book is about a man who has been involved in an accident with something “falling out of the sky”. He is severely injured, and receives £8.5 million as a settlement. The man is mentally affected from the accident, and begins a downward spiral of strange behaviour, which begins with attempting to recreate a deja vu completely.
I enjoyed the book, I found it original and touching, the ending ambiguous and intriguing. There seems to be something holding the book back from being genius though, something that reigns it in from being astounding, and I’m not quite sure what that is.”
“An accident pushes an average man to both fortune and madness. An interesting look at what the ravages of time and the complexities of memory can do to a person who isn't balanced from the start.”
Ellie K wrote this review Saturday, March 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Overall, it has beautiful descriptions, but at times I totally felt as awkward, confused and crazy as the narrator... and I'm not entirely sure if that's a compliment or not!
lesliekay wrote this review Saturday, March 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I was definitely looking forward to a different sort of story as the premise of the book is very interesting. But I was also looking for a true ending, where we actually find out what this mysterious accident really was and why he's so obsessed with re-enactments, etc., etc., and McCarthy definitely doesn't give us that.”
“I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The main character receives a huge settlement and can't decide what to do with the money. After investing, his money continues to grow, and grow...
Reojames wrote this review Wednesday, December 10 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
At a party, he has an epiphany while zoning out staring at a crack in the bathroom wall.
He decides to use his money re-creating a memory that he can't place.
It's weird. But it gets weirder as the main character does the same.
One of the best endings I've read in a long time.”
“Truly original and odd.”
babyteeters wrote this review Thursday, September 18 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Pick up this book with no expectations and you will be pleased. The premise is highly intriguing- what would YOU do with all of that money? But McCarthy’s novel falls short of satisfying. It has a great build-up to the first re- enactment, but then seems to fold back on itself. With such thick layering on the characters, it is too bad the story does not keep going and give the reader some closure.”
Chelsea W wrote this review Wednesday, August 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“more drugs”
nerobrown wrote this review Saturday, August 2 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Unlikeable absurdist novel about an unmamed narrator who was in a terrible accident where he almost died and had to relearn how to walk, talk, etc. With the enormous settlement he receives from the accident he sets out to recreate reality in order to feel more authentic. While I am sympathetic to the theme of authenticity, this rendering was tedious. Has been compared to Sarte and Camus, and we know what scintillating novelists they were. Seems dated and adolescent.”
Beverly N wrote this review Wednesday, January 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
