bengriffin's reviews
2677 reviews

"In your fucking face Gabriel García Márquez, I finally finished Love in the Time of Cholera! Your long-winded, wistful ruminations on life, love and ageing over the course of four goddamn lifetimes are no match for my stubbornness and inability to know when to quit!"

Whilst this statement makes me feel like a massive heathen for not fully appreciating one of the great works of literature, it's exactly how I felt when I finished it. His writing style is absolutely beautiful, but I struggled to keep focus on almost every page and I didn't care for any of the characters, so to endure their company for an actual lifetime was a real challenge. The only part that really moved me was seeing how the world changed around them, and the riverboat captain talking towards the end about the devastation of the river was particularly powerful. I think it may be one of those novels you appreciate more as you get older, but it's hard to tell. At this stage I never want to pick it up again. It feels like such an achievement to have finished it though and that, combined with his obvious writing prowess, are why this ended up at 3 stars. I won't be recommending anyone reads it though that's for sure.

It's hard to imagine and fully appreciate the impact this book would have had when it was first published. Whilst the bleak and oppressive nature of the camp is plainly evident, Solzhenitsyn's beautifully sparse and measured prose never wallows in despair, instead focusing on the tiny victories and comradeship that serve to help a man survive in a sea of endless days. Important, powerful, and highly recommended.

No matter how many accounts you read it never gets any less chilling, unfathomable or horrific.

I'd be interested to hear what children actually make of this, particularly their response to the events of the holocaust, but also how plausible the children in this novel are. As many criticisms of the book state, the children seem either the wrong ages, or labotomized. Bruno's inability to grasp German words, words which he would have heard every day, was especially jarring. That said, it's an easy read on a difficult subject, telling it from the other side of the fence makes it feel a little different, and it's hard not to feel the power of naive innocence contrasted with unspeakable horror. As it's aimed at younger readers, it's ultimately up to them to decide. I can't imagine it being more suitable than a real life account of a child's experience of the holocaust [such as Anne Frank's diary or Elie Wiesel's Night] but despite its flaws, it still packs some punch.

Not quite sure why so many people have such a problem with this. The art work is beautiful and the story is short and brutal. There's action and allegory, and as someone who tends to be put off by heavy political agendas, I found this to strike a good balance. It's not going to change your life, it's not going to provide indepth reflections/commentary on the war, race, gender and whatever else, but it is succinct, thoughtful, different and, ultimately, entertaining.

There are so many beautiful and amazing photographs in this collection, capturing both the quiet moments and the intense performances. There's a great range of subjects too with everyone from John Lee Hooker to Fugazi and Ice-T to Ned's Atomic Dustbin. The only downside is that the words are entirely superfluous and add no additional insight to the images. Whilst the inclusion of a disc of Graham Nash talking is a nice thought, he has nothing of any consequence to say, and the amount of times he says "my friend..." or "Rock N Roll" can be quite off-putting, especially in his strange Blackpool meets America accent. Having said that though, it's not a book about words, it's a book about music and images, and these speak volumes.

I found this whilst cleaning out some stuff at my mums and it brought back a lot of fond memories. Whether it's still relevant to kids today I don't know, but I don't know anyone from my generation that didn't love it. It perfectly captures the primary school experience and manages to engage everyone from the naughty kids through to the teachers, and bits of it still made me chuckle rereading it now. Excellent stuff.

This didn't do much for me. Whether it was because I didn't give it my full attention or because I lack the familiarity with the novels discussed, I don't know. Mostly, it just seemed to be a bit precious and lacking the profound insights I would normally expect from Kundera. Rather than casting new light or opinions on the novel it seemed more like an excuse to wallow in his sophisticated choice of reading material. I definitely appear to be in the minority though, so perhaps I should try reading this again if I ever become more cultured. Maybe then it won't leave me feeling so cold.

An excellent read which manages to be accessible, interesting and informative. It's broken up just right to make it perfect for reading on the bus or at work, and the 400+ pages are compelling and engaging enough to never feel like a chore. The writing style does a fantastic job of making you experience the highs and lows of research, the excitement of new discoveries and the infectious desire for knowledge that has propelled us to this point. There's some interesting eccentrics and fascinating geniuses encountered along the way and it balances the annecdotes and hard science perfectly so it never feels too dense or too airy. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in biology, history, humanity, or how we've got to where we are today.

I couldn't tell at first whether this was going to be good or whether it was going to abuse real world events in the name of sensationalised violence and pumped up action. Thankfully it's the former. The violence is intense but purposeful, and there's a definite passion and depth of knowledge for the setting and story. I'm definitely interested in seeing how this one continues.