henry_edwards1's reviews
101 reviews

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is a fascinating exploration of time, life, death and memory, which is written in a very interesting and readable way, and which delves into some very reflective and philosophicalthemes. It is, however, far too long, and very dense. Reading it felt like a slog, no matter how bizarre and intriguing the plot, and that plot often adds to the confusion, with the incomprehensible twists that one should probably expect from magical realism. Further, the repetition of names is very confusing from a practical perspective, though interesting as a plot device. Overall, a good book, a really interesting book, just not one which is particularly easy to read.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

Ghostwritten by David Mitchell

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

As always, Mitchell' nested stories are brilliantly crafted, woven through the book in a fascinating and frankly genius way. The individual parts are unique, and to my mind they stand on their own merit, as well as working in unison to provide a magnificent wider story, evolving and growing more complex as it goes on. I recommend this book to anyone who likes complex, introspective, multifaceted stories. Further, cloud atlas does a similar thing but more soundly and expediently, so give that a look too. Overall, this is a great read, albeit a long one, which I would wholeheartedly commend to fans of the genre.
Trotsky on Lenin by Leon Trotsky

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challenging informative slow-paced

3.5

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

4.5

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

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lighthearted sad medium-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

2.0

This book is interesting. It's clearly intended as satire, so the plot is ridiculous and the characters overexaggerated and unrealistic, but the problem as I experienced it was that the novelty wore off very quickly, and it simply became irritating. The characters aren't likeable and the plot is unsatisfying, with a jarring ending that seems transposed from a completely different book. A weird read overall, and one I wouldn't reccomend - other authors do satire much better and more readably.
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

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

2.0

Interesting mystery let down by poor execution. The characters aren't likeable, the prose is a touch dull and the twist ending fails to satisfactorily close the plot. Most of the figures are two dimensional, given no backstory and very little character development. They play into stereotypes, with Hammet seeming to think that making his villain overweight will atone for the fact that he has no personality whatsoever. Other than the contemptible characters and poor ending, it was fine, but I was glad when it ended.
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood

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emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A stunning depiction of life, love, age and the human condition, told with flawless insight in a fascinating slice-of-life style. The ending is perfect, the characters brilliantly created and subtly conveyed, the storytelling masterful and elegant - for those who don't mind a lack of plot, and who seek a deep and humanistic read, this book is perfect. Certainly I can think of no flaws - it doesn't drag, it begins and ends perfectly, the prose is readable and engaging but still beautiful, and the characters are scintillating. A truly 5 star read.