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jidkii's review against another edition
4.0
I was actually shocked to see so many bad reviews. I get it - it's not "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." Same author, different story completely. "The Red House" is all about this messed-up family, each person with their own drama. It's kind of like a crazy family reunion where everyone's yelling over each other. But that's kind of the point. The way the story jumps from character to character, it feels like you're right there in the middle of the family chaos.
Anyway, not a classic, but definitely a fun and quick read if you're in the mood for a family drama.
Anyway, not a classic, but definitely a fun and quick read if you're in the mood for a family drama.
dunnadam's review against another edition
1.0
I admire Mark Haddon.
You have to admire someone who wrote a fantastic book, then a film for TV, then a book of poetry, then a novel. He hasn't followed a straight line, it seems like he has continually challenged himself and his art. With this new book he attempts to blur the line between poetry and novel.
While I do admire his attempts, I would also question the wisdom of never sticking to one thing long enough to perfect your work. Many writers' first book is not their best, and I would think by sticking to one genre you could learn things and develop.
This book is a disaster. I have read every book Haddon has written until now but unfortuantely I will be cautious before ever reading another word.
Told in eight alternating viewpoints, each character of the book sometimes has as little as one paragraph before we jump to the next character's paragraph, or we jump into a book someone is reading, or we jump into a poem someone read in 1958 or a TV show someone saw once, again only for a paragraph. I finished 25% of this book and I had no idea who anyone was. I doubt there is a writer alive that can balance eight destinct voices and random thoughts along the way and have the audience be able to continue to tell who the heck is talking.
The more important question is I think why. Why would you want to break up your story that much?
With the narrative flow gone and the reader's time spent guessing who's talking and who is who in relation to each other, or even if the person talking is a person, you really have no vested interest.
I got to 27% and I'm done.
You have to admire someone who wrote a fantastic book, then a film for TV, then a book of poetry, then a novel. He hasn't followed a straight line, it seems like he has continually challenged himself and his art. With this new book he attempts to blur the line between poetry and novel.
While I do admire his attempts, I would also question the wisdom of never sticking to one thing long enough to perfect your work. Many writers' first book is not their best, and I would think by sticking to one genre you could learn things and develop.
This book is a disaster. I have read every book Haddon has written until now but unfortuantely I will be cautious before ever reading another word.
Told in eight alternating viewpoints, each character of the book sometimes has as little as one paragraph before we jump to the next character's paragraph, or we jump into a book someone is reading, or we jump into a poem someone read in 1958 or a TV show someone saw once, again only for a paragraph. I finished 25% of this book and I had no idea who anyone was. I doubt there is a writer alive that can balance eight destinct voices and random thoughts along the way and have the audience be able to continue to tell who the heck is talking.
The more important question is I think why. Why would you want to break up your story that much?
With the narrative flow gone and the reader's time spent guessing who's talking and who is who in relation to each other, or even if the person talking is a person, you really have no vested interest.
I got to 27% and I'm done.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
2.0
I picked this one up because I loved Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." "The Red House" just didn't do it for me, though. It lacks the charm and intrigue of "Curious Incident." In that story, I was totally interested and invested in Christopher, the autistic narrator. In this book, I just didn't care about any of the characters. I didn't think they were good people. I like for characters to have flaws, but I also need them to have some redeeming qualities and I didn't find any here. I did like Angela's youngest son, but he's forgettable enough that I can't remember his name. Bottom line: if I don't care about any of the characters, I usually don't care about the book.
jenn_the_unicorn's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
pminkler's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
justelw's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.75
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 out of 5 stars
The first 40 - 50 pages of this book were difficult to get into. The book is written in a steam of conciousness way and every few paragraphs switch perspective between one of the 8 main characters.
ageekybibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up in the library randomly and I really enjoyed it.
nikki_in_niagara's review against another edition
3.0
An estranged sister and brother vacation for one week with each of their families in the British countryside. Everyone, adults and children, either have problems or realize there is one. The book deals with how they cope and deal with each other and themselves.
I'm finding Haddon's novels much less satisfying than his short fiction. This wasn't bad but just ok. Nothing new is brought to the table. The same issues that face families everywhere are dealt with. None of the characters appealed to me but they were likeable (or not) as expected.
I'm finding Haddon's novels much less satisfying than his short fiction. This wasn't bad but just ok. Nothing new is brought to the table. The same issues that face families everywhere are dealt with. None of the characters appealed to me but they were likeable (or not) as expected.