zak_martell's Reviews (277)

Drummond is the British male role model we need in the world.

I’ll tell you what sold me. On the first page, this paragraph: “Demobilised officer finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate, if possible; but crime, if of a comparatively humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential.”

Drummond, like many soldiers coming home, finds it hard to acclimatise to normal life. He misses the structure, excitement, challenge, and camaraderie of war. But he doesn’t sit broodingly,  he asks for help in the most masculine way possible. By offering it to others.

I could go on, but just read it. Great book.

Fascinating book.
The stories made it enjoyable and readable. The statistics and discussion of studies made it informative and interesting.
It's a book I think is important when trying to understand yourself in a modern world.

I really enjoyed the writers talking about their objects before the stories began.
The stories themselves were hit or miss.

A fairly comprehensive and clear introduction to the subject.
Having read a book about it previously, I found myself anxious to move on from parts. And occasionally, something interesting would be mentioned, but for the sake of brevity, it was skimmed past quicker than I’d have liked.

I’m going to read everything Neil Oliver ever writes.
I felt that some stories resonated with me more than others, but the way the stories were told was enough to keep me interested and searching for deeper meanings throughout.

A good enough end to one storyline and an enticing beginning to the next.
Overall this felt like a bridging volume and not a story in itself.

Simple and straightforward retellings. The best bits are when Stephen Fry discusses his feelings towards the tales.

I didn’t like the more autobiographical elements at first, and perhaps I personally would have preferred a version of the book without them, but I do see why they’re there and find them quite effective.

This book has been inspiring and given me some actionable steps to change my life and better understand the world.
Would recommend.

Worth a listen. On a reread I might up the review to a 4/5.

I'll definitely come back to it, but I'm not in the mood right now.