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andrewspink's reviews
537 reviews
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
The protagonist of this book is a very negative character. She uses people, lives by deceit. has no respect, supports dispicable causes and has no conscience. She is probably a bit of a psychopath. Normall,y I don't like books like that. However, in this case, I would make an exception. I would not say that I felt sympathy or empathy for her, but certainly understanding.
The book is nicely written. There is extensive use of metaphores and similies, some quite imaginative. I guess that is what got it onto the Booker shortlist. A high road 'like the spine of an enourmous animal'. Slate tiles ' glistening like fish scales in the sunlight'. There were also some phraes worth thinking about. 'Having a good accent is nothing. It is a consolation prize for people who are not fluent'. That sounds attractive (I have a bad accent in Dutch, but I'm fluent), but is is true? ' Europe is trucking and pallets and nuclear power'. Again, thought-provoking.
But what to make of all the stuff about Neaderthals? How much of that is factual, or at least what scientists currently believe? How does it relate to the book. I didn't really get it. What was I missing?
The book succedes as a page-turning thriller. You definately want to know what will happen next, and you will keep turning pages until you find out.
The book is nicely written. There is extensive use of metaphores and similies, some quite imaginative. I guess that is what got it onto the Booker shortlist. A high road 'like the spine of an enourmous animal'. Slate tiles ' glistening like fish scales in the sunlight'. There were also some phraes worth thinking about. 'Having a good accent is nothing. It is a consolation prize for people who are not fluent'. That sounds attractive (I have a bad accent in Dutch, but I'm fluent), but is is true? ' Europe is trucking and pallets and nuclear power'. Again, thought-provoking.
But what to make of all the stuff about Neaderthals? How much of that is factual, or at least what scientists currently believe? How does it relate to the book. I didn't really get it. What was I missing?
The book succedes as a page-turning thriller. You definately want to know what will happen next, and you will keep turning pages until you find out.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What an amazing book! For a start, this is Dutch writer writing in English, but also in a very Dutch way (in a good sense). And then the astonishing plot. Just when you think you know what it is all about, everything is turned on its head and you discover that the story is actually very different that you thought it was.
Typically Dutch, there is far too much sex. It is functional and it exceptionally well written. But still.
Something that was very well done was that in the dialogues, especially in the beginning, the speakers interrupt each other resulting in unfinished sentences, where it is nevertheless clear what is meant. That is how real dialogue between people goes, and van der Wouden showed some exceptional skill in getting that just right. She did use some odd punctuation, for instance with some quotes in italics for no apparent reason. Despite English not being her first language, it was impeccable, I only spotted one 'mistake' (she wrote finish school instead of finishing school). Considering the level of my Dutch, after decades living here, that is very impressive.
It clearly deserved its place on the Booker shortlist.
Typically Dutch, there is far too much sex. It is functional and it exceptionally well written. But still.
Something that was very well done was that in the dialogues, especially in the beginning, the speakers interrupt each other resulting in unfinished sentences, where it is nevertheless clear what is meant. That is how real dialogue between people goes, and van der Wouden showed some exceptional skill in getting that just right. She did use some odd punctuation, for instance with some quotes in italics for no apparent reason. Despite English not being her first language, it was impeccable, I only spotted one 'mistake' (she wrote finish school instead of finishing school). Considering the level of my Dutch, after decades living here, that is very impressive.
It clearly deserved its place on the Booker shortlist.
Trust by Hernán Díaz
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked the way that the author wove the different stories together. That was very well done, and the order in which they were presented was also effective. However, perhaps because of that, a large part of the ending of the story (I mean that the wife was the mathematical genius behind the business success of the husband ) was very predictable. I also enjoyed the frame that the book put around the writing process and its exploration of unreliable narrators.
I have no interest in high finance and expected that to be a disadvantage of the book, but that was thankfully not the case and the book was easy to read. I read it all on one day, in the course of a long train journey.
I have no interest in high finance and expected that to be a disadvantage of the book, but that was thankfully not the case and the book was easy to read. I read it all on one day, in the course of a long train journey.
A Single Swallow: Following An Epic Journey From South Africa To South Wales by Horatio Clare
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
3.0
I was hoping for more about the swallows, so was a little disappointed.
The book is mostly a travel storey, and as such it is ok, though as is typical of the genre, it remains an outsider's view, lacking in real insights.
At the end the author seems to have something of a mental breakdown. It is very brave of him to reveal that so openly in this book, but perhaps that would have been better off in a separate book since it was so quickly described. The reader is left wondering what on earth is going on. Perhaps that was on purpose, but it was a little dissatisfying.
The book is mostly a travel storey, and as such it is ok, though as is typical of the genre, it remains an outsider's view, lacking in real insights.
At the end the author seems to have something of a mental breakdown. It is very brave of him to reveal that so openly in this book, but perhaps that would have been better off in a separate book since it was so quickly described. The reader is left wondering what on earth is going on. Perhaps that was on purpose, but it was a little dissatisfying.
Rosewood: Endangered Species Conservation and the Rise of Global China by Annah Lake Zhu
informative
slow-paced
4.0
A very interesting book, which I learnt a lot from. I had no idea that rosewood was so important. More to the point, I did not realise how poorly implemented bans on trade in endangered can lead to counterproductive effects (scarcity can make the resource more valuable and fines can be just seen as taxation). The Chinese understanding of conservation (harmony between species, which can include production) was also something new for me, which I'm still getting my head around. The concept of an 'inverted commons' where resources belong to the entire globe, not the people who rely on them most, was also thought-provoking.
Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying by Ram Dass
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The writer is not from the same religious background as mine and also is of a different generation; he is very definitely of the boomer generation that he claims to be older than.
Nevertheless he had some interesting things to say and I found myself agreeing with more of what he wrote than I had expected to.
The book is aimed at people entering the last year's of their life. Perhaps I am fooling myself, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. It is true that physically I am past my peak (I probably could not cycle the mountain bike marathon that I did about five years ago), but I would like to think that I'm still learning new things and having new experiences.
Nevertheless he had some interesting things to say and I found myself agreeing with more of what he wrote than I had expected to.
The book is aimed at people entering the last year's of their life. Perhaps I am fooling myself, but I don't think I'm quite there yet. It is true that physically I am past my peak (I probably could not cycle the mountain bike marathon that I did about five years ago), but I would like to think that I'm still learning new things and having new experiences.
Dodelijke Wraak by Robert Bryndza
adventurous
tense
fast-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
3.0
Nice relaxing detective story.
De vegetariër by Han Kang
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Three years ago I read "Wij zijn licht" (we are light) by Gerda Blees. In that book, a group of people decide that they don't need to eat, light is enough. So it was with some amazement that I read the words that Kang gives to the main character, "I can do without food. All that I need is sunlight". Given the publication dates and that Blees' book is based on a true story, they cannot have influenced each other, which makes it all the more remarkable.
The Vegetarian is a also a remarkable book in other respects. In particular, the story is told from three different viewpoints, but never from the point of view of the main character. That is extraordinarily effective, both making a point in itself and making the reader wonder about what was going on inside their head.
The opening section, where the attitude of the husband to the protagonist (indifference bordering on contempt) is described, was particularly striking, and actually quite amusing.
It is a short book, which I got though in a couple of days, but so intense that you feel that you have been reading it for longer.
The Vegetarian is a also a remarkable book in other respects. In particular, the story is told from three different viewpoints, but never from the point of view of the main character. That is extraordinarily effective, both making a point in itself and making the reader wonder about what was going on inside their head.
The opening section, where the attitude of the husband to the protagonist (indifference bordering on contempt) is described, was particularly striking, and actually quite amusing.
It is a short book, which I got though in a couple of days, but so intense that you feel that you have been reading it for longer.
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In some ways, this was a book which could have been written for me personally. I did my PhD on river ecology and the institute where it was partly based later became part of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. I also did some research in Aswan, which gets a passing mention. That all gave me a lifelong interest in everything riverine. Having said that, the water analogy is maybe sometimes a little over-used. 'The two of them move in tandem, their shadows blend, like water molecules clinging to each other'. Those sort of metaphors are nice in moderation, but there were a lot of them. I was also not sure what to make of the writing about water memory. What is that all about? It reads like a legitimation of homeopathy, which is rather off-putting.
There is also quite a lot about living as a migrant in a country where you did not grow up, which also applies to me. "He has even taken English seaside holidays - and yet he is, and always will be, a foreigner".
The book is nicely written, rather poetic in parts. It uses a rich vocabulary; coruscating, crepuscular and sibilant, were all interesting words. I very much enjoyed the way that the book wove together three stories separated by time and space. That worked very nicely.
What was more difficult to read were the graphic descriptions of massacres. It is, of course, important to remember these events, but that does mean that I might hesitate to recommend the book to some people.
Near to the end of the book she wrote, "there is no better space than literature, especially the novel... within which to freely explore the most complex issues of our time with nuance, depth, care and empathy". I could not agree more.
There is also quite a lot about living as a migrant in a country where you did not grow up, which also applies to me. "He has even taken English seaside holidays - and yet he is, and always will be, a foreigner".
The book is nicely written, rather poetic in parts. It uses a rich vocabulary; coruscating, crepuscular and sibilant, were all interesting words. I very much enjoyed the way that the book wove together three stories separated by time and space. That worked very nicely.
What was more difficult to read were the graphic descriptions of massacres. It is, of course, important to remember these events, but that does mean that I might hesitate to recommend the book to some people.
Near to the end of the book she wrote, "there is no better space than literature, especially the novel... within which to freely explore the most complex issues of our time with nuance, depth, care and empathy". I could not agree more.
Ik kom hier nog op terug by Rob van Essen
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There is a lot to like about this book. For a start, there is a lot of humour in it, despite the somewhat dark underlying themes, or perhaps precisely because of them. Rob van Essen also uses language very deliberately. Time and again, the characters say something and then deliberate if another word would have been better. Especially as a second language reader that adds an extra dimension.
The plot is odd, as befits a science fiction novel. Odd is good, and mostly it works very well. It starts with a young boy growing up in a strictly religious (reformed) family, and I must admit that my heart sank as I thought it was going to be yet another Dutch novel whose claim to literary fame was a miserable youth. But the author has made a much more well-rounded story than that, and that was all ok.
The only aspect that I was less enthusiastic about is where, almost at the end,all the characters who are living in the French monastery are left sort of hanging in mid-air. I don't have such a problem that for certain things we are given strong hints about what is going on (Ick's motivation, for instance) but it is left open as to if that is really the case. Also, in real life, we are sometimes left guessing.
I was very lucky to get a signed copy of this book as part of the NS publieksprijs campaign. I will definitely be voting for it.
The plot is odd, as befits a science fiction novel. Odd is good, and mostly it works very well. It starts with a young boy growing up in a strictly religious (reformed) family, and I must admit that my heart sank as I thought it was going to be yet another Dutch novel whose claim to literary fame was a miserable youth. But the author has made a much more well-rounded story than that, and that was all ok.
The only aspect that I was less enthusiastic about is where, almost at the end,
I was very lucky to get a signed copy of this book as part of the NS publieksprijs campaign. I will definitely be voting for it.