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ronpayne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The final book in the Amberlough Dossier series following a predominately gay cast of characters through the rise and fall of a fascist state on an alternate world, in a country similar to 1930s Germany. While the middle volume seemed to suffer from serious second book syndrome, it turns out to have done a great job of setting things up for this last book, which does an amazing job of focusing on the characters and closing their story arcs in a satisfying way.
chirson's review
4.0
I read this book courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for a review.
I didn't think this would happen, but at its (presumed) end, the world of Amberlough has grown on me, at long last. The third volume was the first that I really emotionally connected with.
First things first: I didn't even read the cover copy before embarking on my reading here, and I think that served me well. This novel starts several (?) years after the previous volume ended, and the world it is set in is quite different; but the story it tells this time is only marginally interested in the politics (though it very much needs them to motivate the plot) or spying and action: instead, it is an intimate story of broken people and their desperate attempts at putting themselves together. I very much admire series that switch gears mid-way, and tell a different type of story, and I think it was a good choice for Donnelly - spying pyrotechnics and intrigue were the least convincing and successful part of her writing, to me, and interpersonal interactions and personal reflection is much more where it shines. This is a novel whose plot is just a pretense for intense insight into the characters' traumas and the world they no longer understand or fit; thus, it will surely appeal to some and miss other readers. Count me mostly appealed to.
My only misgivings concern whether the narrative does enough to persuade me that the characters deserve my investment in their success - I am not quite sure it succeeds there. I feel like there are thematic aspects of this story that never find resolution - the story goes in a direction and then stops short of what would seem a logical conclusion. Still, even that has certain value - while a part of me truly wants a different ending for characters, to satisfy my desire for justice and the "right" ending, I am even more interested in engaging with the values this ending presents, discussing it with other readers, hearing their thoughts.
It was my favourite part of the trilogy, and I never would have expected that from the description. I found its mood and grittiness mesmerising. I can't wait to see what other readers think.
I didn't think this would happen, but at its (presumed) end, the world of Amberlough has grown on me, at long last. The third volume was the first that I really emotionally connected with.
First things first: I didn't even read the cover copy before embarking on my reading here, and I think that served me well. This novel starts several (?) years after the previous volume ended, and the world it is set in is quite different; but the story it tells this time is only marginally interested in the politics (though it very much needs them to motivate the plot) or spying and action: instead, it is an intimate story of broken people and their desperate attempts at putting themselves together. I very much admire series that switch gears mid-way, and tell a different type of story, and I think it was a good choice for Donnelly - spying pyrotechnics and intrigue were the least convincing and successful part of her writing, to me, and interpersonal interactions and personal reflection is much more where it shines. This is a novel whose plot is just a pretense for intense insight into the characters' traumas and the world they no longer understand or fit; thus, it will surely appeal to some and miss other readers. Count me mostly appealed to.
My only misgivings concern whether the narrative does enough to persuade me that the characters deserve my investment in their success - I am not quite sure it succeeds there. I feel like there are thematic aspects of this story that never find resolution - the story goes in a direction and then stops short of what would seem a logical conclusion. Still, even that has certain value - while a part of me truly wants a different ending for characters, to satisfy my desire for justice and the "right" ending, I am even more interested in engaging with the values this ending presents, discussing it with other readers, hearing their thoughts.
It was my favourite part of the trilogy, and I never would have expected that from the description. I found its mood and grittiness mesmerising. I can't wait to see what other readers think.
vagaybond's review
5.0
"Gedda hates you. [...] Neither prison nor hanging will change that."
"It isn't about whether they hate me." He could hear the pathetic note in his own voice, the flatness of his platitudes. That kind of thing would never stand up against Ari.
"Isn't it?"
"No it's-"
"Please." Aristede took a step closer, back toward the road, one sturdy boot on the half-rotten wood. "Don't you dare say justice."
Even Cyril heard the answer in his silence.
"What's that supposed to be then? It's just some way of salving hurts that we can never truly heal? If a murderer is hanged, what good does it do the victim?" He took another step, coming half across the bridge. "They wouldn't have forgiven you in death. I'd rather you learn to live with your guilt. Perhaps that's selfish, but I seem to have fewer scruples than you do these days."
"Hard earned"
"I wish you hadn't earned them"
------
I yearn for more. I just want one scene where they are happy and get to say, "I love you," but honestly that probably wouldn't be too in character. They show they love each other by their actions.
There's so much more to these books than it feels. The time in the second book where Cordelia was talking about how killing a figurehead is not the same as killing a movement, how it wouldn't be the most strategically advantageous thing to make someone a martyr. And she became a martyr.
If anyone is here specifically looking for spoilers so as to know whether they want to read this: Pretty much everyone ends up alright but Cordelia was killed sometime between this book and the last. Ari and Cyril end up running away together after a prison break. Lillian & her family end up alright and her son gets back into school. There's the assumption that Cyril and Lillian may never see each other again but Lillian got to say goodbye in her own way (Cyril didn't realize he was going to be broken out yet). Daoud also appears to end up alright. I think it's implied that Lillian and Daoud end up working for the working class former catwalk underdog party after blabbing some secrets (which were sort of theirs in the first place? I guess? But it was blackmail on the other party).
There's a lot to this and I feel like it was complicated and brilliant in a way that reminds me of how I've read Shakespeare.
I'm going to have to read the trilogy again someday. It feels like the most was written with the least words and it does leave me wanting. But I know I could find more in reading it again, even if it's not what I'm looking for.
"It isn't about whether they hate me." He could hear the pathetic note in his own voice, the flatness of his platitudes. That kind of thing would never stand up against Ari.
"Isn't it?"
"No it's-"
"Please." Aristede took a step closer, back toward the road, one sturdy boot on the half-rotten wood. "Don't you dare say justice."
Even Cyril heard the answer in his silence.
"What's that supposed to be then? It's just some way of salving hurts that we can never truly heal? If a murderer is hanged, what good does it do the victim?" He took another step, coming half across the bridge. "They wouldn't have forgiven you in death. I'd rather you learn to live with your guilt. Perhaps that's selfish, but I seem to have fewer scruples than you do these days."
"Hard earned"
"I wish you hadn't earned them"
------
I yearn for more. I just want one scene where they are happy and get to say, "I love you," but honestly that probably wouldn't be too in character. They show they love each other by their actions.
There's so much more to these books than it feels. The time in the second book where Cordelia was talking about how killing a figurehead is not the same as killing a movement, how it wouldn't be the most strategically advantageous thing to make someone a martyr. And she became a martyr.
If anyone is here specifically looking for spoilers so as to know whether they want to read this: Pretty much everyone ends up alright but Cordelia was killed sometime between this book and the last. Ari and Cyril end up running away together after a prison break. Lillian & her family end up alright and her son gets back into school. There's the assumption that Cyril and Lillian may never see each other again but Lillian got to say goodbye in her own way (Cyril didn't realize he was going to be broken out yet). Daoud also appears to end up alright. I think it's implied that Lillian and Daoud end up working for the working class former catwalk underdog party after blabbing some secrets (which were sort of theirs in the first place? I guess? But it was blackmail on the other party).
There's a lot to this and I feel like it was complicated and brilliant in a way that reminds me of how I've read Shakespeare.
I'm going to have to read the trilogy again someday. It feels like the most was written with the least words and it does leave me wanting. But I know I could find more in reading it again, even if it's not what I'm looking for.
lolatarantula's review
5.0
Queer Content: Plot relevent, well written, not erotic or fetishy. So much representation but feels natural and normal and very good.
This book broke my heart, hard. Firstly, I'm amazed at Donnelly's ability to string the reader along in the best possible way. A few little tastes of information and characters before she's tugging you off onto another POV and another taste. It's like a whiskey tasting flight, only much crueler.
The ending is perfect. Donnelly spends the entirety of this trilogy building tension and pulling the reader through the trials of these characters at breakneck speed, yet the ending brings you to the finish line with such a slow fall it feels like a gift. In the last ten pages, Donnelly lets the characters rest for the first time. There isn't an epilogue about how neatly everything finishes and how everyone lives or dies happily ever after. There isn't a big emotional scene with characters' arcs resolved and packaged up with a bow on top. The Amberlough Dossier just finishes. It tapers off, and on a personal level, the tension and anticipation I'd been holding in my chest tapered off too. It was done, and I wept.
Really I'm blown away by this series. I have so much admiration for Donnelly and her ability to do everything needed to make a novel work. The atmosphere, the characters, the story, and having it be based around political intrigue at the same time??? I'm so genuinely impressed. Again, there's a lot of information to take in, and if you miss a name in the beginning you might be confused as to how people tie together, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Donnelly made this mess of people and situations into a cohesive unit and somehow still utilized character building as the foundation for the plot. It was a lot to take in and I'm shocked that I made it through. Perhaps it isn't shocking, though, when considering Donnelly's skill. I like me a straightforward story put next to very complicated characters and anything too convoluted gets me annoyed and more likely to stop reading. Didn't happen this time.
Finally I'd like to mention how this series fits so neatly into the Parallel Europe subgenre, of which I'd already added the video game Papers, Please and The Grand Budapest Hotel. It makes a beautiful triptych. I feel complete now and look forward to what might be in the works from this author. Thank you Lara Elena Donnelly.
This book broke my heart, hard. Firstly, I'm amazed at Donnelly's ability to string the reader along in the best possible way. A few little tastes of information and characters before she's tugging you off onto another POV and another taste. It's like a whiskey tasting flight, only much crueler.
The ending is perfect. Donnelly spends the entirety of this trilogy building tension and pulling the reader through the trials of these characters at breakneck speed, yet the ending brings you to the finish line with such a slow fall it feels like a gift. In the last ten pages, Donnelly lets the characters rest for the first time. There isn't an epilogue about how neatly everything finishes and how everyone lives or dies happily ever after. There isn't a big emotional scene with characters' arcs resolved and packaged up with a bow on top. The Amberlough Dossier just finishes. It tapers off, and on a personal level, the tension and anticipation I'd been holding in my chest tapered off too. It was done, and I wept.
Spoiler
I cry when I read books quite a lot, but not for any emotion on my part. If a character's suffering and they're written well I'll empathize with them. I didn't really cry in this book, but not because the character's were poorly written, but rather because Donnelly wrote them so effectively that I didn't need to. Cyril wasn't the weepy type, so neither was I. When Aristide came close to breaking down I almost did too. Never any further. So, when the ending hit me, I started to cry, but then I could not stop. I had to take a walk, but it kept coming and I didn't know why. Then it hit me. I was relieved, just as the characters were relieved. It was over and alright, and even all the unknowns were harmless nothings compared to what the book had put them (us??) through.Really I'm blown away by this series. I have so much admiration for Donnelly and her ability to do everything needed to make a novel work. The atmosphere, the characters, the story, and having it be based around political intrigue at the same time??? I'm so genuinely impressed. Again, there's a lot of information to take in, and if you miss a name in the beginning you might be confused as to how people tie together, but it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Donnelly made this mess of people and situations into a cohesive unit and somehow still utilized character building as the foundation for the plot. It was a lot to take in and I'm shocked that I made it through. Perhaps it isn't shocking, though, when considering Donnelly's skill. I like me a straightforward story put next to very complicated characters and anything too convoluted gets me annoyed and more likely to stop reading. Didn't happen this time.
Finally I'd like to mention how this series fits so neatly into the Parallel Europe subgenre, of which I'd already added the video game Papers, Please and The Grand Budapest Hotel. It makes a beautiful triptych. I feel complete now and look forward to what might be in the works from this author. Thank you Lara Elena Donnelly.
skyeoak's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oliviak07's review
3.0
Although I had several images of how "The Amberlough Dossier" trilogy would come to an end, I was not expecting the final scenes of the DePaul family and loved ones to be a collage of each conceivable outcome. Not my favorite book in Donnelly's espionage series, but by no means an unenjoyable read, I found the conclusion to be as justifiable as possible for our leads, and with sanguine prospects for the future of Amberlough.
Again, I have to commend Mary Robinette Kowal for her narration of the trilogy. Because of her talents, both as an author and as a reader, she takes each of the three novels and turns them into stunning examples of "theater of the mind". Whether it is an argument between lovers, a negotiation between frenemies, or a stroll down what remains of Temple street, the reader feels immersed in the world of Gedda and intimate with those who survive there. Readers will feel the depth of empathy whether our cast feels grief, disbelief, or relief.
As I mentioned before, I felt (like many readers and reviewers) that we are thrust into the underground world of Gedda. We have mere seconds to learn the history, geography, and ideology of the various regions, and never mind all of the names of people, places, and things. It dawned on me while reading this final installment that the "thrust" was a wise choice on the part of the author. With a heightened sense of awareness (and blood pressure), as well as the timeframes and cultural and societal barriers in place, you feel as though you are a conspirer of the DePaul family and of Makricosta. You learn to enjoy the unsettling tease, chapter by chapter, and their payoff or you don't: both are fine reactions.
Given Donnelly's tastes in content matter, as well as her use of imagery, I am looking forward to another adventure with her work soon.
Again, I have to commend Mary Robinette Kowal for her narration of the trilogy. Because of her talents, both as an author and as a reader, she takes each of the three novels and turns them into stunning examples of "theater of the mind". Whether it is an argument between lovers, a negotiation between frenemies, or a stroll down what remains of Temple street, the reader feels immersed in the world of Gedda and intimate with those who survive there. Readers will feel the depth of empathy whether our cast feels grief, disbelief, or relief.
As I mentioned before, I felt (like many readers and reviewers) that we are thrust into the underground world of Gedda. We have mere seconds to learn the history, geography, and ideology of the various regions, and never mind all of the names of people, places, and things. It dawned on me while reading this final installment that the "thrust" was a wise choice on the part of the author. With a heightened sense of awareness (and blood pressure), as well as the timeframes and cultural and societal barriers in place, you feel as though you are a conspirer of the DePaul family and of Makricosta. You learn to enjoy the unsettling tease, chapter by chapter, and their payoff or you don't: both are fine reactions.
Given Donnelly's tastes in content matter, as well as her use of imagery, I am looking forward to another adventure with her work soon.
casmith512's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ruth_rb's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emhamill's review
5.0
This last foray into the city of Amberlough was a bittersweet culmination of all that went before. Aristide is back and as acerbic and vulnerable as ever, and we finally get to see Cyril again. Like Ari, I was saddened and angry and devastated at how damaged Cyril has become in the terrible years they've been apart. Cyril is broken and war-weary and bearing the weight of his past deeds in his soul. Cyril's sister, Lillian, is trying to rebuild her life and career, but her brother's war crimes, no matter how he was blackmailed into performing them, hang heavy over their heads until the inevitable hammer comes down. Ari puts everything he has on the line, including his life, to risk a second chance at the future he and Cyril should have had.
No spoilers, but I'm a sucker for an ending like this.
No spoilers, but I'm a sucker for an ending like this.
venti's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
an amazing conclusion