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avialia's review
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
It is just so unique and amazing that it really can not deserve anything less
__emma__'s review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
3.0
This is a really hard book to rate and review.
There were so many bits I really didn’t enjoy, but so many bits I did too — so much I found impressive, yet so much I found almost too difficult and disgusting to even bring myself to read, and everything in between.
I think there was something about the structure of the story — the build-up vs conclusion — that just didn’t quite work for me. The book as a whole felt like a great big swing and a (for me) sort-of miss, and don’t get me wrong, the sheer size of that swing is to be admired and was well worthwhile as a reading experience.
I never write reviews this long, and this book was never once boring, so it’s clearly stuck with me, as well. There is a lot to be said for any book that does that.
But!
Novak was so horrible, a truly, truly vile main character, and I don’t think the structure and eventual climax and denouement of the story was sufficient pay-off for the outright misery and difficulty I experienced over 500 pages reading it to get there.
Don’t get me wrong: I like an unlikable character. I like a long book. But this character was too unlikable, the book too long, and I think it lost me in that. It was too much of a struggle and, while I was initially impressed by the twist ending, it left me feeling a bit disappointed.
A meese meshigena liver indeed!
There were so many bits I really didn’t enjoy, but so many bits I did too — so much I found impressive, yet so much I found almost too difficult and disgusting to even bring myself to read, and everything in between.
I think there was something about the structure of the story — the build-up vs conclusion — that just didn’t quite work for me. The book as a whole felt like a great big swing and a (for me) sort-of miss, and don’t get me wrong, the sheer size of that swing is to be admired and was well worthwhile as a reading experience.
I never write reviews this long, and this book was never once boring, so it’s clearly stuck with me, as well. There is a lot to be said for any book that does that.
But!
Novak was so horrible, a truly, truly vile main character, and I don’t think the structure and eventual climax and denouement of the story was sufficient pay-off for the outright misery and difficulty I experienced over 500 pages reading it to get there.
Don’t get me wrong: I like an unlikable character. I like a long book. But this character was too unlikable, the book too long, and I think it lost me in that. It was too much of a struggle and, while I was initially impressed by the twist ending, it left me feeling a bit disappointed.
A meese meshigena liver indeed!
andrewmerritt00's review
4.0
I’ve never been a fan of the descriptive platitude “like nothing I’ve ever read before,” but I’m not sure what else to say about a novel written almost entirely in Polari, a slang I’m unlikely to ever encounter again. While it dragged at times, simply put, Man-Eating Typewriter is a fun and darkly funny (and also just plain dark) romp through late 60’s London that will keep you engaged from start to finish. Highly recommend
kingtoad's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
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