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Liked It “An interesting premise for a book. I enjoyed it but didn't find myself running back to the book at the end of the day. Worth a read though.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“An interesting premise for a book. I enjoyed it but didn't find myself running back to the book at the end of the day. Worth a read though.”
Adelle wrote this review Tuesday, May 22, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Jon Campelli, promising attorney, has just heard that his estranged father has died of an apparent heart attack while reading a book in his bookstore. He returns home to bury his father and settle his estate including the bookstore. However, three events occur which alter his plans. First, the bookstore is firebombed for unknown reasons. Second, Jon is unexpectedly fired from his law firm. And, thirdly, he discovers that individuals exist known as Lectors, which included his father, who are able to seduce others and influence their attitudes and opinions while reading. Jon soon discovers that he has inherited the same gift, which is even stronger than his father's abilities. The Lectors have divided between two groups: the Bibliophile Society, which believes in using their gift for benevolent purposes and the Shadow Organization, which is focused on using their gift for personal gain. The Shadow Organization wants Jon who they believe is a conduit to greater power whether he is willing or not. I enjoyed this author's initial novel; however, my enjoyment was tampered some my some serious plot flaws.”
John W wrote this review Thursday, April 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“this is an excellent book. If you liked Shadow in the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, or if you like books about books, you will love this. It's very sinister and a concept I have not come across before - highly original. Still reading it and loving it. ”
SoozBuch wrote this review Sunday, April 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It was kind of hard finishing this one since there were quite some parts where the action slowed down and it was a little hard to follow. All in all, I really enjoyed the idea of a book written about books and their power. Definitely a teen book though, wouldn't recommend it to everyone.
Andreea wrote this review Friday, February 17, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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"Imagineaza-ti ca toti cei din jurul tau ar sta si ar citi nestingheriti. Toate cuvintele si propozitiile ar zbura in vartejuri prin aer, ca fulgii de zapada intr-un viscol..."”
“The first book of the year and I would actually rate it 6 out of 5! It is highly unlikely that I will read a book as amazing as this. I loved it so much I couldn't put it down and read it all in one sitting. It's now on my wishlist to add to my personal library!”
Paula H wrote this review Monday, January 2, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Imagine if some people could change the way you feel, what you think and how you are likely to behave just by reading aloud to you? And what if those people could even kill you just by reading to you and make it look like natural causes?
Kristen R wrote this review Monday, November 7, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This was a thoughtful, intelligent thriller that was also very exciting and had plenty of action. The writing was a bit different than I am accustomed to, but I think that is a factor of the book being translated from its original Danish and it did not take anything away from the entertainment of the story.
The "lectors" and "receivers" the two types of people who can affect how people feel and react by either reading or "enhancing" the effect of the reading on others are two groups who used to be a single organization, but had a split 20 years ago and are now suspicious of each other. The unofficial leader of the Lectors - Luca, is murdered at the start of the story, and the fall-out from that quickly spirals out-of-control, involving his estranged son, Jon, and the other employees of the bookstore Luca owned.
The characters are unique and they all add something different to the evolution of the plot, especially the two main characters, Jon [who suddenly discovers he's a Lector] and Katherina [a Receiver] who start out as ordinary people thrust into an extraordinary situation and have to adapt and very quickly find a way through murder attempts, kidnapping, and international conspiracies that could involve world domination. How they fight back is the basis of the very enjoyable story.
This is definitely a thinking-person's book, but it was a good read. If you are an avid reader or a book-lover, I recommend this to you.”
“Ein tolles Buch mit einer neuen Idee! Spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite, hätte man auch zwei draus machen können!”
helensbooksession wrote this review Wednesday, April 20, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Library of Shadows is an intriguing literary triller. Across the centuries there have been "Lectors". Transmitters or Receivers, they are people for whom books are magic. True magic insofar that the Transmitters' readings truly can influence other people's thoughts and emotions, while the Receivers' amplification of anyone's reading will influence that person powerfully.
Maria Joanne wrote this review Thursday, October 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The Lector concept and its dual nature is very fascinating and very well done. The experiences of a Receiver of "hearing thoughts", the slow discovery of the power to influence others and then of the whole range of emotions when listening to book being read is fascinating and it pulled me inside the novel so to speak. The converse experience, of a Transmitter and the strong immersion when he or she reads a book, the sense of living the book to the full and in extreme case the inability to detach from it, is also vividly explored several times.
The novel is a page turner end to end and the clean, very readable prose made it a very fast and pleasurable read. The characters Jon and Katherina are likeable and the minor characters are very well developed. On the downside, the plot is pretty straightforward and you can work out who are the villians and who are going to be the heroes almost from the start.
That being said the whole book is very fast paced and the concept is wonderful.
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