The second best of the 4 books and top 5 in books published in 2016 (regardless when i read them of course); this one was more intimate than book 4 which i thought the best book of the tetralogy just because of its epicness...more
compelling and a book hard to put down though somewhat banal by the end, lacking the surprises and twists of the best in the "past happening truth foucompelling and a book hard to put down though somewhat banal by the end, lacking the surprises and twists of the best in the "past happening truth found out today" genre like say K. Morton
a few observations - the few narrators have very similar voices so this not a David Mitchell novel in any fashion, but the more or less unique voice spread across the narrators is compelling
- a typical European view of the USA (very similar to serge Brussolo's view for example) - not sure how it will play here, people may like it (it's naive but fresh) or hate it (shows author unfamiliarity with the USA beyond possibly superficial ones from trips)
- extraordinary promise to start but banal ending
- powerful narrative flow that ultimately makes one turn the pages, so book definitely recommended despite above niggles ...more
a "cold equations" for our times (ie a person in a position of some power must choose if to save the four thousand away or the eight hundred close) wia "cold equations" for our times (ie a person in a position of some power must choose if to save the four thousand away or the eight hundred close) with a little more back story; not really my kind of story and characterization (which this story depends crucially on to make us care) is not the author's strong suit, so a readable but not particularly exciting or memorable story...more
long but fast moving so the page turn by themselves and a book that is a real pleasure to read as well as being how popular history books should be wrlong but fast moving so the page turn by themselves and a book that is a real pleasure to read as well as being how popular history books should be written; not really much new but lots of detail, vignettes and quotes, illustrating clearly both the fallacy of hindsight and the fallacy of the road not taken being necessarily better (for whatever values of better one wants to use as in history those are not always clear); also a very interesting read for today's concerns for obvious reasons;
highly recommended and very curious if the presumed part 2 will keep same "as it happened, not how it should have been in hindsight" approach ...more
even better than My Dear I wanted to Tell You to which is a direct sequel; again the main draws are the author style and the main characters, especialeven better than My Dear I wanted to Tell You to which is a direct sequel; again the main draws are the author style and the main characters, especially Nadine and Riley, though there is a lot of Peter, Julia and Rose too; the blurb tells enough about the story-line so won't go into more detail
while one can talk about themes, serious stuff etc, for me at least the main draws of the novel are its vitality, its affirmation of life and the way the pages flow so smooth and fast and by the end you want to read a few hundred pages more and stay with the main characters and their world for a long time
found it by chance and while WW1 novels generally leave me cold, this one grabbed me from the first page and i couldn't put it down until the end; thefound it by chance and while WW1 novels generally leave me cold, this one grabbed me from the first page and i couldn't put it down until the end; the good news, there are two sequels, though somewhat annoyingly, the 3rd book is UK only for now , so may take a while to get here as I am going fast through book 2
characters and prose make this stand out, as the story-line is fairly predictable (see blurb for details)...more
Another book I've been seeing on bookshelves for a while and keeping an eye on as I liked the author's earlier Weird Sisters book, so finding myself iAnother book I've been seeing on bookshelves for a while and keeping an eye on as I liked the author's earlier Weird Sisters book, so finding myself in the mood for its sub-genre (the usual family past/present interlinked stories - see blurb for more detail), I started it and then couldn't put down; partly the present narrator voice, partly the Paris of the title (from the 1920's mostly), but the book really wouldn't let me go of it until i finished it; a fairly predictable (though still quite good) ending and a recommended read...more
A new Dread empire story was excellent news when announced since i loved that series and would like to see it continued - the ending while closing theA new Dread empire story was excellent news when announced since i loved that series and would like to see it continued - the ending while closing the 3 novel arc left the overall arc in limbo and the follow up novella Investments was a nice side story taking place 3 years after the end of Conventions of war
I actually reread all 3 novels now (1st 4th time, 2nd 3rd time and 3rd second time) and they held up well and I really enjoyed then (I started remembering many details as i went on) so the above is even more accurate as it was not only nostalgia...
Coming back to Impersonations, the same feeling as with Investments, a nice side story which takes place even sooner after the war than Investments and does a grand tour of series universe Earth and its peculiarities (not to speak that the main event relating with the large picture is conveniently postponed for a few years in the future hence no surprise it was not known in Investments which takes place later than impersonations but earlier than the time frame of said event); there is a mystery, a catastrophe story and adventure as Lady Sula must deal with paid killers who are after her (even the motive is cool-ish, not one what expects, but again not particularly relevant as the big picture goes) so overall a very entertaining story but one that doesn't do much for what really interests me about the series (eg the mysteries of the Shaa, the rumored war to come etc)
Still having a new Dread Empire story out after 10+ years is better than complete abandonment of the series and I hope more people will give the (always entertaining and often superb) novels a chance to make it viable for the author to follow with his announced long term plans for the series which were sadly cut short when it was originally cancelled after just 3 volumes...
overall, highly recommended for series fans (and for readers wanting to try the novels though obviously it will spoil lots of things about those)...more
historical fiction spanning a long period of time and done very well, but still having the inherent weaknesses of books that skip years fast (usually historical fiction spanning a long period of time and done very well, but still having the inherent weaknesses of books that skip years fast (usually people change a lot in time while in such books, they do not change that much, so the passing of time is very little felt)...more
found it by chance and then couldn't put down; while we know how things turned out, the author manages a lot of suspense plus many details one usuallyfound it by chance and then couldn't put down; while we know how things turned out, the author manages a lot of suspense plus many details one usually learns only in specialized books
the current fashion for year books (1945, 1946, now 1956) or short periods with a thematic (outside the usual WW1/WW2/etc ones) seems to have been working very well so far and I am looking forward for similar books written in the same "powerful narrative" like this one
Excellent book about the current state of our understanding the Universe as seen by famed scientist Roger Penrose (of say the awesome Road to Reality Excellent book about the current state of our understanding the Universe as seen by famed scientist Roger Penrose (of say the awesome Road to Reality fame); not an easy read especially if you are not a physicist (the math is glossed over more and the explanations are ok with physical sense of the stuff); for a better full review - which made me aware as well as made me get the book on the spot, check the one below by mathematical physicist P Woit (ot the Not Even Wrong fame)
The book is worth reading just as an antidote to the current hyping of pseudo-scientific theories (multiverses and the like where anything goes as long as it makes a nice story) which may make for fun reading, but are quite dangerous in some ways (as P. Woit keeps reminding on his superb blog, and R. Penrose points out so well in this book in the Fashion part dealing with them - Faith is about Quantum theory and its main unsolved problem of the wave collapse ie the measurement problem, while Faith is about his specialty, relativity and the Universe at large scales)...more
excellent guide to Switzerland and invaluable for my 9 day sejour there - i usually use the Rick Steev guides but the Swiss one was a sketch not coverexcellent guide to Switzerland and invaluable for my 9 day sejour there - i usually use the Rick Steev guides but the Swiss one was a sketch not covering many places while this is comprehensive with everything one needs to know, grouped regionally, great maps, info etc etc; I used lots of ideas from this (most notably to visit Gstaad and Lauterbrunner in addition to Davos, Vaduz and st. Moritz which were on my high priority list) as well as guides to Basel, Zurich, Bern, Luzern, Lausanne and Montreux which were very useful in exploring those cities
One notable miss is the FIFA world cup museum in Zurich near the FIFA headquarters, but that is understandable as the museum opened in February 2016, while the guide is from 2015 - if you are into football, the museum a must as is modern, awesome and I spent 3 hours there with my son not noticing how time flies
Wonderful romantic book about a dual love story, veers a little bit into soap material on occasion, but the writing (and translation to Romanian) is aWonderful romantic book about a dual love story, veers a little bit into soap material on occasion, but the writing (and translation to Romanian) is awesome and the first pages will hook anyone who opens the book...more
As with any first person narration, voice makes or breaks the reading experience and despite the cheesy blurb (and actual story which the blurb reflecAs with any first person narration, voice makes or breaks the reading experience and despite the cheesy blurb (and actual story which the blurb reflects accurately), I got hooked on this novel with the musings/experiences of the narrator who successfully (maybe - as he notes it - due mostly to lack of competition) covers Spanish hotels for a periodical; with his trademark anonymity (he always checks is under his closely guarded real name, so hotel management has no clue he is the fearsome reviewer who can make or break a reputation and he never reviews hotels without sleeping at least a night in), the narrator finally accepts to review a recently refurbished hotel next door to his apartment when the whole "wrong room" stuff happens and obsession ensues...
However after maybe 50-60 pages the book starts running out of steam as it goes nowhere and while the narrator musings are interesting for a while, they become boring at longer length; since the book is short I finished it (though nothing happens until the end) but the last part failed to engage me as noted
Overall, great start due to compelling voice, but then a lesson in how whatever is most important for one can be extremely boring for everyone else if continued at length...more
interesting setup and characters, so-so writing that hits narrative walls frequently ( a common thing for new writers doing several pov's and not beininteresting setup and characters, so-so writing that hits narrative walls frequently ( a common thing for new writers doing several pov's and not being able to transition well between)
plan to read sequel as writing tends to improve (especially the above issue), while setting and characters have lots of potential...more
a weak 5 star - erudition galore and some interesting stuff I didn't know plus showcasing various periods through lives of fairly regular people; maina weak 5 star - erudition galore and some interesting stuff I didn't know plus showcasing various periods through lives of fairly regular people; main negative, the writing style is not as engaging as the one of the previous volume in the series, Pursuit of Glory, so the book was a read some pages when tired/no energy to read something more engaging, put it down, repeat, rather than read long chunks, cannot put down for a while the Glory one was; still quite recommended for the pluses...more
One of the few (and sadly getting fewer) books that I had to get on release even though i was swamped by stuff so had little time to devote to it untiOne of the few (and sadly getting fewer) books that I had to get on release even though i was swamped by stuff so had little time to devote to it until a few days later; as usual the first person narrative of Arimnestos is so absorbing that once you start the book, you cannot put it down; we know how things turned out at Plataea and Mycale (and with Arimnestos as he tells the tale some 18 years later to his daughter and her friends) , but the author still makes it suspenseful, not to speak of highly atmospheric and educational
A great conclusion to the Long war series though of course the adventures are not finished and lots that could follow (India, Africa, back to the tin islands, not to speak of the tale of Arimnestos becoming a minor king in the Bosphorus when he is telling the tale) if things work out
Overall i would say that Long War is Christian Cameron's best series to date, worth rereading from book 1 again and highly recommended...more
A novel I picked up randomly in the bookstore to browse as the blurb seemed interesting and then I couldn't put down and had to read it until the end A novel I picked up randomly in the bookstore to browse as the blurb seemed interesting and then I couldn't put down and had to read it until the end late in the evenings at home.
While it belongs to the "long ago" secrets sub-genre and it splits the action between the present (Rome and the Ligurian coast 1953, where the main characters meet and then go on a movie promotional trip on a yacht, he being an English expatriate, writer, journalist, though with an Italian mother and a brigadier father, war veteran and damaged by said war and its aftermath, she being a Spanish woman, damaged by their earlier war and who found a refuge that is more like a cage with a rich American husband, but also the secondary characters, the talented but scarred and elusive director, the Italian beautiful and seemingly spoiled movie star, The American drunk and famous male lead, the photographer with a secret, the Contessa whose ancestor's tale from a journal dated around Lepanto's time - 1570's - inspired her to make the movie in cause, the rich American financing the movie, who obviously is the husband and not least the 1570's characters whose lives have an echo today) and the past (1937 Spain, the war at sea and its aftermath, Italy under Mussolini, the aftermath of Lepanto 1574 and Genoa of the time), the novel depends more on characters' interaction and on the descriptions of the wonderful scenery of the Ligurian coast than on twists which are generally predictable - for example this novel made me regret not doing the San Fruttuoso hike described so wonderfully here when I visited the Ligurian coast in the spring of 2015 (had limited time true, but still thought of it, though we finally did just the Santa Margherita - Portofino walking trip and took the boat back...)
Given the above, I have to say that the book worked really, really well for me as I enjoyed everything - the prose, the characters, the description - and the ending was excellent (though again I thought it would go that way despite the first pages which start the recollection of the main character a few years later)
Overall, a deeply personal book that worked superbly for me and the only thing I would add is to give it a try and see if it works for you too. ...more
while it is fairly long and being split into subject parts which sometimes bog down into detail so lacking narrative momentum, this book is superb as while it is fairly long and being split into subject parts which sometimes bog down into detail so lacking narrative momentum, this book is superb as a guide to understanding the crucial 1648-1815 period when our modern world came into being - there are tons of examples of where things stood in 1648 (from communications, to trade, to science...) and where in 1815 and how the gulf between such was arguably higher than between 1648 and the classical era of the Greeks and Romans
lots and lots of anecdotes enliven the narrative (there are newspapers excerpts, including some very funny marriage announcements from the 17th and 18th centuries, diaries, pamphlets, political works by famed kings like the Sun King or Frederick the Great etc) and while the political and scientific parts are fairly sketchy (these being the parts I've read a lot about), as mentioned I consider this just a guide to the era
lots of tidbits to put our modern era and its fears into perspective too (as a reasonable estimate, France lost some 15% of its population in the famines of the early 1690's - basically two consecutive poor harvests and two rough winters - the plague killed large fractions of the people wherever it popped up, small pox devastated everyone, commoners and nobility the same, while also as the period progresses, famines started being less prevalent - though still an issue up to the French Revolution, but much less devastating, plague essentially disappeared and smallpox was contained by vaccination, though the initial procedure was much riskier than the safe Jenner one discovered later...)
overall, excellent and highly, highly recommended...more
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