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dizzar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
daeqt's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating is a 2.5.
Please go to http://hardcorecupcakebooks.wordpress.com to read my review.
Please go to http://hardcorecupcakebooks.wordpress.com to read my review.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
I don't think I understood this. It was very well written, but that plot got so convoluted and strange and the characters were all over the place. And then it ended.
Review coming soon.
I don't think I understood this. It was very well written, but that plot got so convoluted and strange and the characters were all over the place. And then it ended.
Review coming soon.
circuit333's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
diothyst's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A fun and quick read but it leaves much to be desired for anything more than 3 stars. The cast of characters are all deeply flawed and each have a unique perspective on their circumstances and what has ultimately led them there but the twist is less surprising and more along the lines of out of place. The switching narrative of so many characters doesn’t allow time for the reader to see the progression of how these characters develop and what actually leads them each to their ending.
sujuv's review against another edition
4.0
A short - yay! - and fascinating book about three men - and later three women - connected in many ways to a President ousted in a coup and to the Commander who ousts him. Some soap opera elements towards the end, but thoroughly enjoyable. And I read it in two days. A nice break from my usual tomes.
palmerlm's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
gavreads's review against another edition
Blood Kin is a depressing novel. The story starts from the view points of a President’s barber, chef and portrait artist who are being held captive in the President’s Summer Residence after a coup in an unnamed country where the President has been has been replaced by the Commander.
None of the characters are likeable from those mentioned above to his barber’s brother’s fiancé, his chef’s daughter and his portraitist’s wife, each of whom tells a part of the story from their own point of view.
The technique of interweaving chapters from varying points of view makes for an interesting exploration of the situation, which is not as simple as it first appears. They are more than a barber, chef and portrait artist. Their lives are intertwined with the President though not in ways that you’d immediately imagine.
Because it is such a dark novel it’s hard to find any enjoyment from it. It is a not a novel read for entertainment. This is a novel of exploration. It is a novel of power and corruption and those who are attracted to it, their motivations and the lies they delude themselves with.
For all it’s bleakness it’s still worth reading as Dovey manages to build a story where each of these characters is revealed as creatures to pity as well as despise. They are in some ways victims of circumstances who seem to have no choice but to follow the path laid out for them.
Though if I do have one reservation it does seem a little too fantastical in parts especially some of the ways their lives come together. But then people of power aren’t that grounded in reality.
Overall, Dovey is an intelligent storyteller who delves a little too deep into darkness to make this entertaining though it is a thoughtful and haunting novel which makes me think of Evita without all the singing and dancing.
None of the characters are likeable from those mentioned above to his barber’s brother’s fiancé, his chef’s daughter and his portraitist’s wife, each of whom tells a part of the story from their own point of view.
The technique of interweaving chapters from varying points of view makes for an interesting exploration of the situation, which is not as simple as it first appears. They are more than a barber, chef and portrait artist. Their lives are intertwined with the President though not in ways that you’d immediately imagine.
Because it is such a dark novel it’s hard to find any enjoyment from it. It is a not a novel read for entertainment. This is a novel of exploration. It is a novel of power and corruption and those who are attracted to it, their motivations and the lies they delude themselves with.
For all it’s bleakness it’s still worth reading as Dovey manages to build a story where each of these characters is revealed as creatures to pity as well as despise. They are in some ways victims of circumstances who seem to have no choice but to follow the path laid out for them.
Though if I do have one reservation it does seem a little too fantastical in parts especially some of the ways their lives come together. But then people of power aren’t that grounded in reality.
Overall, Dovey is an intelligent storyteller who delves a little too deep into darkness to make this entertaining though it is a thoughtful and haunting novel which makes me think of Evita without all the singing and dancing.
lisagray68's review against another edition
4.0
A great short book - wonderful for a flight or day at the beach. This book reminds me a LOT of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Same sort of situation - a coup in a nameless country and people held hostage. This one is told from the perspective of three men close to the president - the barber, the chef and the portraitist. Then, in the middle of the book, the perspective shifts to that of three women also close to these men, and the President. Wonderful, I'm going to look for more from this author!
singh_reads_kanwar2's review against another edition
4.0
Review: The story is about a unknown fallen empire, whose president got killed and all the power goes into the hand of army, who take the barber, chef and portraitist, under them , portraitist who enjoying his life with his wife but world turn upside down as they are taken away with new coup , who takes women's with them for party and they are treated, and all the passionate stories they told to there mens, once barber got a chance to kill the coup leader as he come to shop for beard trimming but, nothing happens because of his thoughts what would happen latter, later chef made an attempt and was a successful attempt , novel end at abrupt note of action.
However, the abalone death scene repeats itself several times, which from my point of view make the novel somewhat bit boring for reader.
Fascinating fiction presented by several people whose lives intertwine before, during, and after a coup in a unnamed country. It's hard to imagine a book about a political coup being sensual, exotic, beautiful and terrifying at the same time, but that is just what this book is.