Overrated. I honestly don't understand why this book is so popular. You can get everything you need by reading "A Christmas Carol" by Dickens, any of Sylvia Plath's works, and the actual philosophy works superficially mentioned (Bertrand Russell, Henry David Thoreau, Aristotle, and Albert Camus mainly). I haven't seen it, but I gather watching "It's a wonderful life" would also have the same effect.

The obvious stuff: the story was too long, and the structure was incredibly repetitive. I was frequently bored. It was frustrating that the main character (Nora) had no functional knowledge of each life she was 'trying out' so was painfully clueless a lot of the time. Unfortunately I read this as an audiobook. If I had read it as a physical book, I would have skim read/skipped the vast majority of the middle and end sections. I'm definitely not an expert, but the diction and syntax also felt poor to me. Again, oversimplified and repetitive to the point of frustration.

The less obvious stuff: The author's attempt to incorporate different schools of philosophy, psychology, and physics again borders dangerously on the harmfully superficial. I applaud the effort to try and make these topics (existentialism, multiverse theory, Gestalt theory) accessible to a wider audience. But the oversimplification and lack of exploration of each topic doesn't do any of them justice. Plus, to those of us that have read these sibjects, the book's narrative sometimes contradicts itself when using them which is just disappointing. 

Bottom line, I don't believe that we ever actually get a clear, consistent, message in what the book is trying to say about the nature of the purpose of life or regret. 

I get the feeling that the author wanted to investigate these themes and make it accessible, but got too tangled up in themselves to make anything coherent, and unfortunately as a result, also enjoyable. I give this a generous 2 stars for the attempt, because judging by other reviews, clearly some people are benefitting from it. 

I'm glad I read this via audiobook, because there were a couple of tense moments that were a complete surprise for me which I really enjoyed! I've not seen the film, but I have a guilty pleasure of reading about dispicable posh people pursuing leisure time (think Donna Tart's The Secret History). All of the characters are nicely layered, none so much as the complex protagonist Tom Ripley. You know he's morally corrupt and yet you also find yourself routing for him quite often. He has a nuanced history and personality which didn't feel heavy handed enough to try and morally excuse his actions. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how Highsmith had written about his ambiguous sexuality, (which seems progressive considering the time it was written) managing to stay clear of the harmful depraved honosexual trope. The reason I've not scored the book higher is simply because I felt it dragged a little towards the end, and I found the ending personally unsatisfying - but actually quite fitting for the book and character! I won't be reading the rest of the series, but would definitely recommend this as a stand alone book for poeple who enjoy complex antihero character stories. 

As a general trend, I'm not really a fan of reading memoirs, but I really enjoyed reading this one. Ai Weiwei writes in an clear concise way, so I found myself learning a lot about Chinese history and moving quite quickly through the book. I am a fan of contemporary art, and have a foundational grasp/knowledge of his artwork, but I still found myself gaining further appreciation of his works (in particular, 'Fairytale'). I also enjoyed the addition of illustrations in the edition I read. My more pointed criticisms have already been eloquently written by another user in StoryGraph so I will quote their review below as it mirrors my own views exactly. Despite these critisims, I found the book valuable to read and would encourage others to read it.

User: Sahibooknerd's review

"To be fair, Al Weiwei was constructing his artistic identity in communist China, not the Ivy Towers of the American education system, but his writing contains the same thinly-veiled elitism. Which sucks, because his writing is beautiful. His memoir tracks the parallel events of his father’s life (a famous Chinese poet who was exiled to a labor camp during the Cultural Revolution), and his own clashes with authority, which culminated in his 3-month detention in 2011.  The two different stories are supposed to highlight how the memory of government oppression in China has continued ripple effects across generations. Instead, I found myself comparing the two stories, and found that the story of his father held far more emotion and self-awareness than that of his own. 

Weiwei writes in a detached style, which works when he’s writing about a man who withheld many of his emotions and troubled thoughts from his family, and instead poured them into his devotion to his art and his country. But when talking about his own life, I got the sense that he’s never really examined his personal choices or the impact that he has had on the people around them.  He briefly mentions friends, colleagues, lovers, and then rushes on from them (both figuratively and literally. Both Weiwei and his father seem to have played fast and loose with romantic fidelity). He is so filled with scorn for his fellow country-men and their sheep-like tendencies, but doesn’t question the fact that both he and his father were able to fuel much of their artistic livelihoods through loans from their family and the unwavering financial and domestic support of their wives and international friends. 

This could be a cool book if it were trimmed down and focused in more on the history of China’s oppression of the arts... "

The Communist Manifesto remains an important foundational text. Many of the  arguments and criticisms are relevant today. I would recommend this to all. For socialists and communists, this is essential. Yet this is also essential reading for people with other political ideology who wish to critique communism, for they can only do so effectively by reading and understanding this manifesto.

For new readers of leftist literature, I highly recommend reading next "Feminism for the 99%: A manifesto," by Cinzia Arruzza, Nancy Fraser, and Tithi Bhattacharya. To me this is an essential, modern, updated, version of Marx and Engels' Manifesto. 

The blurb says this is a "darkly comic" short story... Be warned, I was emotionally distressed from start to finish. But maybe because the book was preaching to the choir. One of the reasons I've scored this book so highly is the fact that I think it can speak to people not already converted. That is, I think it's engaging in the right way to reach the people it really needs to - those who aren't aware, or do not care, for our natural environment and its inhabitants.

Fox 8 is an endearing character, and to have him narrate in such a unique way is very clever in my opinion. I hope it conveys the sense of intelligence, sentience, and respect that foxes (and all living things) deserve to those who have not really considered them and our impact upon them before.

The story is short and direct, but honest and endearing. It is also universal; applicable to humans across cultures. think the final question posed by fox 8 in its final lines is absolutely perfect. The book does not shy away from asking us the reader, directly, to self-reflect and answer for the destructive cruelty of humanity. This story invites us to take accountability for our actions. I genuinely want every adult and child to have read this book.

I went into this with only a vague cultural understanding of the story from a Simpson's halloween special episode! I also listened via audiobook, which I believe worked very well with the genre (unsettling) and narrative (first person narrator). In the same instance if I were reading a physical book, my eyes would have skipped ahead during particularly tense parts, but the audiobook forced me to listen at pace, which definitely enhanced the horror aspect.

This book ticked all the right boxes for me. Science fiction, philosophical, ethics, jungles, mild horror and intrigue, a concise pace and 'sticking to the storyline' without huge unnecessary tangents. I completely understand why this is considered a classic. You can see the hallmarks of early genre-defining scifi novels, where the writer takes a subject to the very extreme. Here that subject is vivisection, and we are treated to a visceral and cerebral exploration of that subject. One chapter in particular, "Dr Moreau Explains", is laden with scientific theory and moral philosophy questions. What was nice too, was that the Simpson's hadn't ruined it for me, I couldn't guess the ending at all! Although medical science and vivisection has developed dramatically over the last century, there are still lessons to be learnt from the themes explored in the book. [*Note - for those wondering, anaesthesia had been discovered at the time the story is set and was becoming more widely used, but hadn't been perfected. I specifically looked this up to contextualise the exact nature of cruelty Dr Moreau displays when discussing pain and vivisection. In short, anaesthetic options were available.] 

I won't go into the details of all the questions the book raises for fear of spoilers, but I will highlight key themes and questions. If you're interested in any of these, you will certainly find enjoyment in Dr Moreau's Island. It's a book that I'd love to dissect in a book club (pun intended), and discuss individual themes in great detail. 

Themes: the nature of pain and cruelty, moral responsibility, I'd also argue that it can be read through a feminist lens to examine patriarchal control/power and responsibility, human identity, human interference/control over nature, the nature of religion and its relationship to humanity, the nature of shame. 

This is the first novel I've completed entirely in German! For that reason alone, I'm very excited and proud and I want to rate the book highly to mark my accomplishment.

Taking a more holistic view, the storyline is very simple, but engaging, and moves quickly. I'm sure children would find it fun, and adult German language learners will find that the context of the simple story will fill in any gaps in understanding. The language, despite being written in 1929, is largely applicable to modern German learners. The edition I read (easy readers publishing group) had a helpful glossary in the footnotes which helped translate (in Germa)  some of the older phrases and terms.

I found the level perfect for me at A2/B1, I recognised all of the words and grammar, and easily understood the gist of what was going on, but I still had to work hard to understand exactly what was happening. I definitely sped up as I continued reading, but it still took me much longer to complete than I would have liked. 

Overall, a charming story that has definitely helped me improve my German. I would like to revisit the text to spend longer understanding some of the grammar used (I still don't fully  understand separable verbs) . I'd definitely recommend this to beginner and intermediate German language learners. 

This is a really important book to read. Especially for White British people.

The reason I have only given it 3.5 stars is because I am fortunate enough to have many mixed race friends (not just White-Black), so the experiences recounted are familiar to me from listening to my friends over the years. I found the writing style a little repetitive. And honestly, I wasn't expecting an informal interview and semi-autobiographical approach! I was hoping for a more formal essay inquiry more along the lines of Angela Saini's work. This probably reflects the talents of the respective authors, Saini is a scientist so presents her work as such, Morris is a journalist so has presented her work as such too. My main criticism of the book is the indirect and superficial acknowledgement of heterogeneity of the mixed experience intersecting with class, gender, age, and sexual orientation. I found myself relating to many experiences described through the lens of classism, sexism, and biphobia. 

Morris does of course provide plenty of references as well as personal anecdotes and experiences. And despite being familiar with the issues she raises, I of course have learnt more about racism in Britain and taken new learning points away. One that has stuck with me is her point of not homogenising mixed people by using the terms BAME, POC, and non-White since it refers to white as the norm. The answer she gives to this problem is that self identification and terminology must be inclusive and come from mixed people. I find this frustrating, but I vow to continue to read and learn and become a better comrade by using the improved vocabulary when it arrives. 

I have rated this book purely on my enjoyment of it. I do appreciate why Moby Dick is widely viewed as an important classic and 'great American novel'. I will make sure to touch upon both points in my short review.

It et's get some crucial points out of the way. The book is long. It's written in 1800's American English. It's NOT just a fictional story about sailors on a whaling boat hunting a whale called Moby Dick. There are long descriptive chapters of different aspects of the whaling industry. There is certainly religious Christian symbolism, the story can potentially be read as an allegory. There are passages that modern day readers may find challenging. Such as the moral defence and detailed description of killing whales, and the various descriptions, defences, and (unexpectedly) condemnation, of racism. Moby Dick isn't even mentioned until 42% of the way through the book, and only physically appears in the active narrative at 96%.

The reasons why I liked it:
The diversity (age, race, nationality, arguably sexuality) of the crew makes for interesting reading. It felt like I was given a private, acccurate, window into the lives of men on a whaling ship in the 1800's. Similarly, the informative chapters about whales and whaling, though I found largely boring, and sometimes distressing, I also found them a unique insight into the scientific/academic thinking of the time. This historical lens made me appreciate the pace of progression in various fields! I most enjoyed the traditional fiction narrative. I liked the actual story of the shipmates and the captain, their encounters with other vessels, and ultimately their encounter with Moby Dick. I found captain Ahab, Queequeg, and Daggoo engaging characters.

The reasons why I didn't like it:
It felt long. Sometimes I love reading really long books, this time though it felt like a struggle. I had to make an effort to pick the book up and continue reading. This is mainly because I simply did not enjoy reading about the killing of whales. I kept going because I honestly didn't know the ending of the story and I desperately wanted Moby Dick to exact his revenge on the whalers. I also found it difficult dipping in and out of the different types of writing. I ended up skim reading the informative/descriptive chapters in the middle of the book, desperate to get back to the main plot.

The reasons I still appreciate the work, believe it is rightly classified as a classic, and I am glad that I have read it:
I do believe this paints a perfect portrayal of a snapshot of well rounded American history and the whaling industry. I think the descriptions and discussion of race and racism are still pertinent to today. There was an amazing chapter where the characters' dialogue would not be out of place in 2021. I actually laughed out loud when I read it, it was that spot on! The main plot covers sooo many themes that even if you don't want to sit and think about them all, there will be one that sticks out and resonates with you. For me, this was the monomania of captain Ahab. I found I identified with his struggles and obsession and was invested in reading more about his history, the morality attached to his thinking, and the consequences of his related actions.

Use this review as a guide and fair warning. Moby Dick is worth the read, but it takes commitment and effort.  

I found it difficult to decide upon a rating for this book. I think I enjoyed it predominantly because I like reading about Japanese culture, and I LOVE reading about cats. The story is short and the translation is easy to read - I read it in two sittings. The storyline felt semi-autobiographical and perhaps served the author more than the reader at times. For example, overly detailed descriptions about certain geographies. However, there were certainly poignant commentary on humans' connection to nature (animals, plants, green spaces etc.), the nature of change, and oddly...the housing market. There were also a couple of poignant emotional moments that touched me. Overall I think this story is less about a cat, and more about a reflection of the changes in one's life viewed through the lens of a relationship with a cat. Post Script Note, the edition I read had a handy glossary at the back that explained certain terms but also behaviours; e.g. why an action would be perceived that way in Japanese culture.