David

I’m a big fan of Bob Mortimer’s comedy but it doesn’t translate well to the page for me. The quirkiness soon becomes irritating rather than charming. Gary and Emily’s relationship doesn’t feel at all convincing - the characters generally feel superficial (apart from Grace, perhaps). The plot is thin and stretched out over twice as many pages as it needs to be - there is sooo much padding in the writing, with scenes described in the minutest of trivial detail. On the plus side, it’s such an easy, light read that I rattled through it in no time - otherwise I would have ditched it long before finishing.

I should know better than to read a celebrity novel but was drawn in by it being a 99p special offer. So at least it wasn’t an expensive mistake.

Irritatingly overwritten. There’s a superfluity of detail but no depth. For example:

“Richard, unsure what to say, studied the beige-knotted carpet in Ben’s study with great intensity. His eyes wandered to the kelim rug under Ben’s desk, woven with a repetitive triangular pattern in reds and browns.”

Without losing anything, that could have been written as:

“Richard, unsure what to say, stared at the floor.”

There’s a lot more like that throughout the whole book. It’s flabby and dull. Endless cataloguing of superficial “colour” passing as insight.

Underneath the terrible writing is a moderately engaging story about politics, class war and revenge, but it feels almost like a parody of stuff we’ve read many times before. And none of the characters are at all likeable.

I’ve not read any Elizabeth Day before. Apparently this is a sequel to an earlier novel. I won’t be rushing to read that one.

A remarkable book, and a desperately sad one. George Harvey Bone is a problematic protagonist whose problems are to a great extent of his own making, but you're rooting for him all the way to the inevitable end, hoping that he can drag himself out of the pernicious sphere of influence of the cruel Netta and fascist Peter. I think I enjoyed The Slaves of Solitude more - perhaps because the lead character is more sympathetic, and it's funnier (and less bleak) - but Hangover Square's great strengths are its depiction of London in the period immediately before the start of the Second World War, and Hamilton's beautiful writing that had me captivated from beginning to end. You can really feel the authenticity of Hamilton's experience underpinning the world he portrays.

Marvellous. So very funny, I had a broad smile on my face from beginning to end. Similar to EF Benson in its dissection of middle class foibles - perhaps more serious and definitely more subtle but just as funny. You feel that Barbara Pym can see right through people - men in particular, and their weaknesses.

Having read the sequel before reading this, I already knew what an awful bunch of people the main characters were. I liked this better than One Of Us though. Maybe because of what happens at the party - and that it involves Lucy, the one sympathetic character in the story (who doesn’t appear in the sequel). I didn’t hate the writing as much - it’s just ordinary, not especially bad, a bit verbose but readable enough. The story is well structured enough to be engaging. I can’t tell if it’s quite predictable or if it’s because I’ve read the sequel so knew more or less how it would end. Probably won’t bother seeking out any more by this author.