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tsharris's review against another edition
2.0
Pretty disappointing, given the laurels Cohen has received. I just don't get what he was trying to achieve here. Too much artfulness, not enough focus on telling a story clearly. The characters were fairly flat, the story made huge, confusing jumps, and while I think Cohen tried to address big themes, his writing was too dense to offer clear thoughts. Really struggled to finish.
kingtoad's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookonium's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
edgoff's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I liked the book. But, it was really dense for such a small book. It look a lot of focus to follow the characters and try to keep them all straight. The writing was great though. I thought the connection between all of the characters were pretty interesting too. I probably won't read any of his other books.
eralon's review against another edition
3.0
This was really well-written but hyper-masculine and joyless.
k8iedid's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this book so much - I loved the concept of the 2 different scenarios. I found many of Cohen's character descriptions absolutely beautiful, but the plot just didn't keep me engaged as I'd hoped.
robs320's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
w00ster's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is my first Joshua Cohen book, and the style of his prose is right up my alley: Urgent, witty, brash, dynamic. After only a couple of pages, I knew this was one of theses authors I'd want to find out more about.
That said, I enjoyed the first half of this book more than the second, where my interest dwindled a bit and the story seemed to lose it's momentum.
I'd be intrigued to read more by Cohen, but I can't quite bring this up to 4 stars.
That said, I enjoyed the first half of this book more than the second, where my interest dwindled a bit and the story seemed to lose it's momentum.
I'd be intrigued to read more by Cohen, but I can't quite bring this up to 4 stars.