Reviews

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller

thesamesky's review

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challenging mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

john_raine's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the first book I have read by this author and the first I have heard of him. It's a little hard for me to review to say what I liked about it so much, but I appreciated the slow build where you learn more and more about the character as you go along. Many novels introduce you to the main character and then slowly flesh them out over the course, but in this book the first thing that you know is that he was involved in a wartime atrocity, but not exactly how.

The setting of the book was beautiful and I think the historical framework worked well. I will definitely pick up other books by the author.

eowyns_helmet's review against another edition

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5.0

There's a reason Hilary Mantel recommended this story. Miller's writing has some of the same qualities as Mantel's: gorgeous prose, closely observed, deliberate and often shockingly perceptive. It's not fast and does wind up rather abruptly. But overall, a great and immersive read.

theinvisiblewoman's review against another edition

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5.0

Golly this was a slow burner, but so worth it. I wasn't sure at about a quarter of the way through but then I found myself thinking about the protagonist and then wanting to go back and find out what happens. It's extremely realistic, so numerous slow boat journeys, days of travelling and recovery from illness detailed over days, but builds into a really exciting denouement that I hustled through so fast I might have to go back and read it again. It's not a spoiler if I say that the part where Emily points at the end is so good. And the final line is lovely.

florih's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sanrodsara's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

inspirationalley's review against another edition

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5.0

John Lacroix returns from war a shell of the person he once was. Nursed back to health by his housekeeper, he is tracked down by an old colleague with the news that he is expected to return to service. Not yet ready to face his demons, John sets off on a trip to the Hebrides hoping to heal his psychological wounds. He is pursued by two men, Medina and Calley. Once in the Hebrides John is offered safe haven by the Fender sisters and finds love.

I requested this book from netgalley as something that would take me out if my comfort zone. It did this perfectly, I loved the prose, Andrew Miller's descriptive writing drawing evocative pictures in my mind of the characters, landscapes and atrocities. This book was not the easy comfortable read I usually gravitate towards. It was a book about war, about dishonesty, about suffering, but it is also a book about triumph, kindness and human devotion. Ultimately, it is a novel about guilt, love and redemption. All in all, a powerfully written novel which will stay in my mind for a long time.

I had a free copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

newishpuritan's review against another edition

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3.0

I've read several books by Andrew Miller. I particularly admire his first, Ingenious Pain, but I've enjoyed all of them. This one is also well written, with many vivid details and shrewd character observations, and a satisfying plot structured as a pursuit/chase. But there is something slightly dispiriting about the way it so perfectly embodies a particular notion of literary fiction. There's some debate as to whether literary fiction constitutes a genre, and certainly there's nothing here so crass as the hard-drinking detective who doesn't play by the rules, or whatever other box-ticking trope you care to come up for work that does sit firmly within a specific generic tradition, but the adjective that comes to mind is 'tasteful'. Another way of putting that is that it feels like it's taking no risks.

amelia_shakes's review

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sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

juup's review

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adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0