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nadia's Reviews (587)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I won a Penguin UK giveaway, hence why I was able to read this book pre it's release over here.
The story, whilst intriguing and chilling at times, moved too slowly for my liking. I spent the first one-hundred or so pages wondering where it was going, and even when I did have more of a sense of it, it still felt like the whole thing could do with a quickening of pace. I didn't care for any of the characters; in fact, I found the protagonist rather irritating, especially with how he handled certain things and the conclusions he draws at various points in the book.
In the end, I was left with a rather unsatisfying feeling, but I thought the book was a decent enough read.
The story, whilst intriguing and chilling at times, moved too slowly for my liking. I spent the first one-hundred or so pages wondering where it was going, and even when I did have more of a sense of it, it still felt like the whole thing could do with a quickening of pace. I didn't care for any of the characters; in fact, I found the protagonist rather irritating, especially with how he handled certain things and the conclusions he draws at various points in the book.
In the end, I was left with a rather unsatisfying feeling, but I thought the book was a decent enough read.
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5 stars, tending to 4.
In this book, Seth Godin presents, in his opinion, the only effective way to go about marketing: focusing on building communities around your product via creating a tension, offering a promise to relieve that tension, and then delivering on that promise. It's all about telling your users a story, taking them on a journey, and helping them to attain an ideal version of themselves. Rather than forcibly stealing the attention of potential users, position yourself such that you create a tribe of followers that miss you if you disappear.
I'm conflicted with my rating of this book. On one hand, it was very easy and enjoyable to read, and Seth Godin has a wonderful way of offering unique insights as well as talking about well-known approaches in a novel way. However, he discusses a lot of the material on the surface level, in short tidbits, and I was left hoping for a little bit more depth and practical advice.
Thank you very much for the recommendation, Andrew. I'm very glad I read this book and I'm excited to apply my takeaways to my new product.
In this book, Seth Godin presents, in his opinion, the only effective way to go about marketing: focusing on building communities around your product via creating a tension, offering a promise to relieve that tension, and then delivering on that promise. It's all about telling your users a story, taking them on a journey, and helping them to attain an ideal version of themselves. Rather than forcibly stealing the attention of potential users, position yourself such that you create a tribe of followers that miss you if you disappear.
I'm conflicted with my rating of this book. On one hand, it was very easy and enjoyable to read, and Seth Godin has a wonderful way of offering unique insights as well as talking about well-known approaches in a novel way. However, he discusses a lot of the material on the surface level, in short tidbits, and I was left hoping for a little bit more depth and practical advice.
Thank you very much for the recommendation, Andrew. I'm very glad I read this book and I'm excited to apply my takeaways to my new product.
The ending was rather fitting and satisfying, even though I did struggle at times to have a coherent picture of all of the different concepts at play in my head. Towards the end, I felt that a few parts dragged, but enough of the book moved forward at an exciting pace.
Character development remained strong and I think Sanderson did a decent job of portraying things like what it means to suffer from depression and what it looks like when you have undying faith in something, even when signs in the real world suggest that you shouldn't.
Character development remained strong and I think Sanderson did a decent job of portraying things like what it means to suffer from depression and what it looks like when you have undying faith in something, even when signs in the real world suggest that you shouldn't.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very compulsive read about an ambitious writer who will stop at nothing to be recognised as the greatest.
After the first third, this book was shaping up to be a 5 star read. However, by the end, it got a little predictable — you knew Maurice's game, you had a hunch about the sort of thing he was up to...
Still, I enjoyed it all the way through. I appreciated the three different perspectives. I was a huge fan of the succinct writing style — no superfluous words, and yet still engaging and compelling.
I'll be recommending this book to a lot of people, especially those in a reading slump who want to jump into something of a page-turner, and I'll definitely check out more of John Boyne's work soon. I've heard great things about The Heart's Invisible Furies, so that's probably where I'll go next!
After the first third, this book was shaping up to be a 5 star read. However, by the end, it got a little predictable — you knew Maurice's game, you had a hunch about the sort of thing he was up to...
Still, I enjoyed it all the way through. I appreciated the three different perspectives. I was a huge fan of the succinct writing style — no superfluous words, and yet still engaging and compelling.
I'll be recommending this book to a lot of people, especially those in a reading slump who want to jump into something of a page-turner, and I'll definitely check out more of John Boyne's work soon. I've heard great things about The Heart's Invisible Furies, so that's probably where I'll go next!