Fritz

Difficult read. The narrative is complex and nonlinear, with bits and pieces coming back or taken from other conversations or lines of thought. Like a washing machine the story tumbles back and forth to finally arrive at the end of the story, after which you need to take the washing out to dry.

That's what I am doing now, still mauling over the story to let it sink in.

Beautiful but complex. This complexity at times also hampered feeling connected to the story.

Lovely collection of short stories essays. Interesting collection of articles and blogs on the events leading upto and after 25th of January on Tahrir square.

This book is a tantalizing ride through many dreams and realities experienced by Eiji Miyake. A 20 year-old looking for his father, who he has never met, in the bustling city of Tokyo. Which is of course a demanding task in a city so big and with all kinds of people distracting one from their initial mission.[a:David Mitchell 4565 David Mitchell http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1347623450p2/4565.jpg] is quite a genius and in my opinion one of the best contemporary writers the Commonwealth has to offer. He should be awarded a Man Booker in stead of just being long and short listed. It is clear he has submerged himself in other cultures (apparently living in Japan for 8 years),moving through different cultures and times as well as places in his novels. If you like intricate webs of stories within stories and different writing styles in one book you'll enjoy this book thoroughly.afterthought:I'm not sure but I think it is an homage to [a:Haruki Murakami 3354 Haruki Murakami http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1350230608p2/3354.jpg]. The book title is a reference to a song by John Lennon and is according to one the protagonist's many dreams a sequel to Norwegian Wood ([b:Norwegian Wood 11297 Norwegian Wood Haruki Murakami http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320451630s/11297.jpg 2956680] is a song by the Beatles and a book by Murakami). But I cannot be sure, as I have never read anything by Murakami (but am sure to do so quickly).

This was a good read. Although I have to say I think I'm not very fond of Victorian novels. So much happens. At one point I thought that I was either reading a flashback or dreamworld.

oh well. tough read but good

This book is far more than a novel. It is a work of art. The book is about a young boy who “maps” everything. He sees himself as a cartographer and an aspiring scientist. He draws schematic drawings of nearly any phenomenon. The maps are a huge added value to the book. Almost every page has a little note or scribble that amplifies the perhaps intangible feeling or explains something that must have happened for it to have quite some impact on this boy.I must add a minor note. This book might not be very original in the sense of it being told from a young boy's perspective (think [b:Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 1618 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882682s/1618.jpg 4259809] - [a:Mark Haddon 1050 Mark Haddon http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1337988298p2/1050.jpg] and [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 4588 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327879967s/4588.jpg 1940137] - [a:Jonathan Safran Foer 2617 Jonathan Safran Foer http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1274633302p2/2617.jpg]). But that does not take away the sheer brilliance of each drawing and the slumbering romantic awakening in you at hearing the boy's adventures.Come borrow it sometime. It is quite something.

This was a very interesting read. I am an Afrikaner by heritage and have been living in the Netherlands for most of lifespan (with some in between periods of a few months). To hear the story of the ANC and Nelson Mandela himself was rather remarkable and at times shocking.

It startled me at times to find out that some of the things I had come to believe about the ANC or Winnie Mandela were mostly propaganda by the Nationalist government (at least according to this book).

Other things that stood out were the parts about the armed struggle. Some of that struggle mentality still comes back in the strikes and violence in South Africa nowadays.

The autobiography is easy to read and well written with detailed accounts of some of the trials and more intermittent reporting on some of the prison life.

What I also hoped to find in the book, but could not was information on the Reconciliation Tribunals. But that was only after the book was published. So yeah for me. Strong moment.

All in all, a book worthy of your attention

A splendid story, revolving around a architectural work of art and the people who inhabit it. From the twenties through the WWII to the fall of the commies, with a wonderful knack for sadness and melancholy.

The only real downside was the sadness and weight of it all, the portrayal of Weltschmerz which really had the potential to sink in deep down, was always quickly followed by a sensual scene which felt out of place.

This book again grips the readers, with some stunning plot twists and turns. The story that was left unfinished in the first of the series continues.
It bustles through themes of dystopia and coming-of-age. Because let's be fair it's not exactly literature, but it's just very exciting teen fantasy. Nonetheless, a book that is sure for an exciting heart-in-throat-pounding thrill ride.

Also it's one of those books you can easily finish in a matter of day(s). It is an easy and fluent read.

Wow.. that took a long time. I was not really into it.

This is great. MSweeney's compiles the greatest short stories AND thoughtprovoking essays. Must read for any literary enthusiasts.

Similar to JK Rowling Collins grabs the attention with a story in a slightly but not too different a world then we know. The story is quick and the narrative lean. An exciting plot with some nice surprises. The writing however is clearly not British and comes with some extra cheese. But not too much.

I liked it. Will surely read the other two.

The book is an quick and easy read. It's entertaining and has some depth. But a Mann Booker winner? I'm not sure. It was ok.

This book is profusely saturated with sesquipedalian confabulation, narrative and history. The plethora of sumptuous wording can at times feel grandiloquent whilst simultaneously being vastly amusing.

The ephemeral delectation of a story being told lies in the both subtle and encompassing display of the scenery, the characters and the events, without sounding dreary and unimaginative. De Bernieres does not always succeed in steering away from that.

The story that de Bernieres unfolds is one of delight and melancholy with a thorough and disconsolate veritable historical account of WWII on the Greek island Cephallonia.

I gave the book 3 stars, because although it was an entertaining and English vocabulary enriching book the lead up to the end was tedious. It was clear and strong its historical aspects whilst maintaining the storyline. The narrative was not too cheesy and the love story was not too sappy. According to goodreads I then end up with 3 stars. I liked it.

What a splendid read. A portrait of the downfall of aristocracy in France and the victory of democracy in ‘the New World'. I cannot verify its historical accuracy nor am I able to understand in full the references apparently made to Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Still to read Carey's contemporary English with the story of the old America is great fun and of great interest.

In between the stories of both the servant and the master lies the commentary of America as we experience it and its consequences. Very cleverly done. All of it in a Blackadder (III) style master servant relationship.

5 points

On the bus I started reading “On the Road”. And very aptly so. The frenzy and madness of a book which makes you relive travels if you know them and makes you understand them if you haven't, cannot better be read than when you are in a hurry in a crowded and confined space.

The narrative has a rhythm and a flow which made me surge through the book as the hero Dean races from one coastline to the other. A remarkable feeling to drop everything and just go is what it unravels.

The characters at times reminded me of characters in a Hunter S. Thompson novel (e.g. page 129). A lovely read.

Written in a sparse and minimalist prose the book is somewhat reminiscent of Cormack McCarthy's - The Road, although not as apocalyptic. The protagonist, Damon, spends most of its time on the move, looking for rest by the quiet rhythm of the hike. The hikes however became adventures that only brought more restlessness.

The novel is a triptych focusing on 3 journeys that require a very different role from Damon. All closing in a grande finale.

A rich story which finds its strength more in the stillness than an overflow of words.

This is a well written biography. When you read through the sometimes a bit American display of emotions this is really great. Will probably pick up one of the others Walter Isaacson wrote (Benjamin Franklin, or Einstein).

What a surprise I was in for. Stephen Fry is a bit of a dirtbag. But a real pompous British one at that.
Had some good laughs. Excellent vocabulary. Story was kind of a Cluedo story. 3 stars.

This is my first encounter with Hunter S. Thompson's writings. (Of course having seen the crazy interviews and Fear and Loathing, I had to read something).

This book reminded me of a cross between Hemingway's drinking prose rhythm combined with the manic ideas and crazy characters that Heller introduces in Catch-22.

Will make sure to pick another one o Thompson's up soon.

A great book, a bit tough to get through at times but very well written. The story comprises the lives of 6 people in different ages and different places. The concept that is we are all connected in some way, however remote. The funny and hilarious was well balanced with the sad and serious.

The difficulty in the book lies exactly in the brilliance. In every different story a different style is used. Great and ingenious, but a bit of a speedbump as well. Everytime you get into one of the stories, the next one starts. You do get rewarded though after half of the book the stories make sense and interlock nicely.

Will pick up another Mitchell soon. This is a great writer.

This remarkable book explores a fantastical story in which Hitler can be caught. Caught by the arts and theology; where history, politics, psychology and philosophy could not grasp the mystery that is Hitler.

A well written book with references to all kinds of arts and philosophies that are reminiscent of the style in which Chesterton builds an argument. With the same whimsical play of words and idioms that make the reader understand exactly what is being said without having it written explicitly.

Read through in two goes.

To conclude: 1 star for the original idea, 1 star for style, 1 star for references, 1 star for making me think of Chesterton, 1 star for a fantastic finish. 5 stars.

Nice and dark storytelling

What can I say, I was not in fact blown away, as some people have described it to me.

The fun thing to me about the book was, that I did know anything about the story until I started. The post-apocalyptic style thus took me by surprise and was one of the little surprises in the book.

At times I felt that the story was not going anywhere. But then it did it so well, that I kept reading. Then there were a few more gems. The intricacies of the desolate protagonist telling himself and his son that they are the good guys, while in fact they are very similar if not the same as most of the people they meet. The times the slow journey was relieved with supplies and a place to rest.

In conclusion. Nice minimalism in the dialogue and pace in the story.

Oh yeah, and what the f*** was up with the last paragraph. After all this simple minimal train-of-thought kind of dialogues and factual description, the last paragraph all of a sudden is a bit of beautiful deep poetic prose completely out of place.

Misschien was het het feit dat het mij zeer groot werd aangeraden om dit boek te lezen. Wellicht slechts de kwaliteit van het boek. Om kort te gaan, ik was niet omver geblazen. Die verwachting was wel gaan leven door dat het mij werd aangeraden. Altijd jammer.

Het boek betreft een jongeman, Wolf, ten tijde van de verlichting die zijn taak als lijfeigene door weg te vluchten van zijn landgoed na een vervelend voorval. Als soldaat vervolgt hij zijn jonge leven totdat hij een muzikant tegengekomt met de naam Josquin de Pres. De muziek intrigeert Wolf in zulke mate dat hij zich aanmeld om bij deze in de leer te gaan.

Van daaruit komen zij op allerlei plekken in Italie en ontmoeten de wildste karakters (o.a. da Vinci), wat zeer vermakelijk is.

Het begon mij op een gegeven moment een beetje te traag te worden en de ogenschijnlijk willekeurige ontmoetingen met de grootste Meesters uit die tijd begonnen mij tegen te staan. Na halverwege het boek de flaptekst te lezen werd mij ook al duidelijk wat het einde zou worden. Al met al een zwaarder boek dan het had hoeven zijn.

Met de goodreads rating kom ik dan uit op: It was ok - 2 sterren

(gelezen ten tijde van mijn afrondende werk aan mijn thesis, helpt vast ook niet)

A very very funny book. A great critique on the strange intricacies and politics of war. It is a fairly manic and psychotic. It features many, many characters, so much so that it feels a bit Dostoyevskian at times, with a hint of Nick Hornby.
And exactly this is what made it a bit hard to read at times. The chapters always revolve around one of the characters, cycling through the many different characters, so after a while this gets a bit much. Halfway through I put it aside for a while, because I did not see where it was going. Then the hilarity can only get you through for 1 or 2 chapters. Around page 400 or so it I was again submerged in the story. But maybe that's the catch. That when you read it, you want to put it aside. When you're not reading it, you want to pick it up again. It's a mighty Catch, that one.

Awesome. I am excited to read another Heller book as soon as possible, which will be somewhere next year :)