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sarasreads 's review for:
On Chesil Beach
by Ian McEwan
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read Enduring Love by this author many years ago and loved it, so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, it did not hit the mark.
It was one of those books that I felt was probably really clever, especially given the authors way with words, but I just struggled to see the overall brilliance. I felt totally unattached for the majority of the time and it was only during the final 50 pages or so that I was able to get anything significant out of it.
I found it frustrating that often things took about three or four pages to explain when one would have sufficed.
I did enjoy the scenes of dialogue. They were well written, engaging and probably the only thing that kept me reading on. I particularly liked the conversation/argument on the beach as I finally felt like I had been reading it for a reason.
The concept itself was good and the final chapter was quite thought provoking. The reflection on things from the third person perspective certainly helped boost my rating.
Had this book been any longer, it would have been a DNF but thankfully it was only short so I stuck with it.
Overall, a longwinded short book that will shortly belong to the charity shop.
It was one of those books that I felt was probably really clever, especially given the authors way with words, but I just struggled to see the overall brilliance. I felt totally unattached for the majority of the time and it was only during the final 50 pages or so that I was able to get anything significant out of it.
I found it frustrating that often things took about three or four pages to explain when one would have sufficed.
I did enjoy the scenes of dialogue. They were well written, engaging and probably the only thing that kept me reading on. I particularly liked the conversation/argument on the beach as I finally felt like I had been reading it for a reason.
The concept itself was good and the final chapter was quite thought provoking. The reflection on things from the third person perspective certainly helped boost my rating.
Had this book been any longer, it would have been a DNF but thankfully it was only short so I stuck with it.
Overall, a longwinded short book that will shortly belong to the charity shop.