goldtop London, United Kingdom

• Amy Bloom's 'Away' does it a lot better...

  Disappointed as I had so enjoyed Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time. This one felt a lot more laboured. Extensive research squeezed into and around the actual narrative of thing. The social history was fascinating - had never heard of Victoria Woodhull or Elizabeth Cady Stanton and their work ... (continue)

  Disappointed as I had so enjoyed Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time. This one felt a lot more laboured. Extensive research squeezed into and around the actual narrative of thing. The social history was fascinating - had never heard of Victoria Woodhull or Elizabeth Cady Stanton and their work before - but the sheer amount of it hindered the flow of the story I think.

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  ― Posted on Dec 2, 2009 | Add your feedback

• Not as good as Labyrinth, although got into it and was gripped at the end (yay!).

  The style of writing was a bit odd; I know one of the characters was contemporary American, but really, some of the descriptions were bordering on Romance novel style and language overly Americanised in her secti ... (continue)

  Not as good as Labyrinth, although got into it and was gripped at the end (yay!).

  The style of writing was a bit odd; I know one of the characters was contemporary American, but really, some of the descriptions were bordering on Romance novel style and language overly Americanised in her sections.

  Do I need to know how lithe and slender the girl is when it has no bearing whatsoever on the story? or what label her cardigan, make of phone etc? Unless of course it was one of those sponsored mentions (which worked btw - I can remember it was an Abercrombie & Fitch cardi - Oh dear...)

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  ― Posted on Sep 18, 2009 | Add your feedback

• Maybe I missed something...

  I was drawn in, involved with the characters, getting to grips with the curious language, and then... then nothing much. I seem to have finished the book and yet missed the ending... A bit disappointed to be honest.

  (unless I missed the point, anyone?)

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  ― Posted on Aug 15, 2009 | Add your feedback

• A monkey made me cry...

  Neither a fan of biography, nor particularly of animals, so this book was received somewhat luke-warmly... However, I loved it!

  Ascerbic wit (from the 'monkey' himself no less!), glamorous scandal in 30s Hollywood, and ultimately a v poignant tale of - unrequited- friendship. I admit I had te ... (continue)

  Neither a fan of biography, nor particularly of animals, so this book was received somewhat luke-warmly... However, I loved it!

  Ascerbic wit (from the 'monkey' himself no less!), glamorous scandal in 30s Hollywood, and ultimately a v poignant tale of - unrequited- friendship. I admit I had tears in my eyes at the end... Brilliant novel.

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  ― Posted on Jun 16, 2009 | Add your feedback

• Disappointing...

  I can't knock the quality of Larson's research - see esp. note 21 on pg 403 about 'snail communication!' - but it took til around pg 290 (of 390) for the two separate stories to intertwine and really get going.

  Although I'm loathe to be too negative about the book, I have to admit I started s ... (continue)

  I can't knock the quality of Larson's research - see esp. note 21 on pg 403 about 'snail communication!' - but it took til around pg 290 (of 390) for the two separate stories to intertwine and really get going.

  Although I'm loathe to be too negative about the book, I have to admit I started skim reading the Marconi section about half way through.

  Still, I'd definitely check out another of his books if a new one was published.

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  ― Posted on Jan 3, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  Convincing escapism

  Definitely the best kind!. Gaiman say he sets out to give adults a story with the same kind of fantastic (in the old sense) as The Lion, Witch & The Wardrobe and easily succeeds.

  Goodness knows what the US version is like without the (black) humour though, as this is part and parcel of the wr ... (continue)

  Definitely the best kind!. Gaiman say he sets out to give adults a story with the same kind of fantastic (in the old sense) as The Lion, Witch & The Wardrobe and easily succeeds.

  Goodness knows what the US version is like without the (black) humour though, as this is part and parcel of the writing for me. He must have ripped his hair out with frustration at the American editing (*not more than one emotion at a time Mr Gaiman, our readers will not cope* - argh!).

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  ― Posted on Jan 3, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  It's not often I hate a book, but this one I did. Boring, self indulgent, unsympathetic, voyeuristic blah blah. I've had to revise my opinion of the author slightly after seeing he has gone on to write more books (god help us) but at least it means he's hopefully got over his ooh-look-at-me-I'm-so-k ... (continue)

  It's not often I hate a book, but this one I did. Boring, self indulgent, unsympathetic, voyeuristic blah blah. I've had to revise my opinion of the author slightly after seeing he has gone on to write more books (god help us) but at least it means he's hopefully got over his ooh-look-at-me-I'm-so-kooky period.

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  ― Posted on Dec 24, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Beautiful, spare writing. A blurring between the frankly blunt experiences of real life, and the natural acceptance of the dream / spiritworld. Love it.

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  ― Posted on Oct 18, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Hard work, but worth it...

  "Everything was cracking up... we live in a fast-fragmenting culture...Any kind of singlemindedness, narrowness, obsession was bound to lead to mental disorder, if not madness. (This may be observed most easily in religion and politics.)" D. Lessing

  ..She has written about the clash of culture ... (continue)

  "Everything was cracking up... we live in a fast-fragmenting culture...Any kind of singlemindedness, narrowness, obsession was bound to lead to mental disorder, if not madness. (This may be observed most easily in religion and politics.)" D. Lessing

  ..She has written about the clash of cultures, the gross injustices of racial [and is this book, gender?] inequality, the struggle among opposing elements within an individual's own personality, and the conflict between the individual conscience and the collective good...

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  ― Posted on Oct 16, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Dickens is the man isn't he?

  Superb writing, clever, witty, well observed and eminently readable...

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  ― Posted on Dec 24, 2008 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  trashy but great

  What can I say; historical fiction is my weakness :).

  Never touched Da Vinci C, so had my doubts about getting into this theme, but this is a good take on it; a hefty amount of pages, yet gripping enough to get you through them!.

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  ― Posted on Sep 10, 2008 | Add your feedback

• hum...

  Maybe it's because I came to this novel after Middlesex, but I wasn't as gripped by this one. Bonkers premise, beautifully written, and apposite observations of middle-class, teenage, suburban Michigan life (relevant to me, as I spent many a holiday with a girl from Detroit). First mentions of the G ... (continue)

  Maybe it's because I came to this novel after Middlesex, but I wasn't as gripped by this one. Bonkers premise, beautifully written, and apposite observations of middle-class, teenage, suburban Michigan life (relevant to me, as I spent many a holiday with a girl from Detroit). First mentions of the Greek / Turkish war in the 20s, and the riots in the city of the late 60s, both of which are elaborated upon in Middlesex. I'm curious as to what he'll write next...

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  ― Posted on Aug 18, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Insightful and compelling.

  There's been a bit of criticism about this book, that the main character, and therefore the writer, is hard to empathise with.

  No doubt she has a very certain way of looking at things, she was driven like no one I know to be the best at what she did, but, given that she was brought up in such ... (continue)

  There's been a bit of criticism about this book, that the main character, and therefore the writer, is hard to empathise with.

  No doubt she has a very certain way of looking at things, she was driven like no one I know to be the best at what she did, but, given that she was brought up in such a strange situation and from the age of 3, 'groomed' to play a very specific role, with it specific responsibilities and attitudes, I found it compelling.

  I'd read The Tale of Murasaki before, and loved all the attention to detail, the ritual, the observance of season and custom so this was more in the same vein, albeit in the 20th as opposed to the 11th century! Fascinating.

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  ― Posted on Jul 6, 2008 | Add your feedback

• A quick and v. satisfying spy thriller. Not that anything in particular was ever resolved, but seeing the progression of a spy's life and all it's implications v. interesting. Ultimately it's about the lies that are woven and how one lives with them. Any family revelation could apply here - it's how ... (continue)

  A quick and v. satisfying spy thriller. Not that anything in particular was ever resolved, but seeing the progression of a spy's life and all it's implications v. interesting. Ultimately it's about the lies that are woven and how one lives with them. Any family revelation could apply here - it's how you deal with what you thought you knew, or who you thought you were, being completely turned over.

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  ― Posted on Jun 18, 2008 | Add your feedback

• 20 years later

  My dad gave me this book when I was 13, and I've only just got around to reading it! I'm so glad I did, not only as it was one of his favourite writers, but I enjoyed it so much - pure escapism! Written as children's historical fiction, but not shying away from the grisly details of living in life-o ... (continue)

  My dad gave me this book when I was 13, and I've only just got around to reading it! I'm so glad I did, not only as it was one of his favourite writers, but I enjoyed it so much - pure escapism! Written as children's historical fiction, but not shying away from the grisly details of living in life-or-death times, it makes for gripping reading. I had recollections of when I used to read on into the small hours, forgetting that I had to get up just a few hours later. I'm glad I got over my hard-back hate for this one!

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  ― Posted on Jun 18, 2008 | Add your feedback

goldtop has this up for trade. Trade with goldtop for this.

• Like watching a slow motion car-crash... Not sure I'd have enjoyed seeing it actually performed.
  Made me thirsty though; all that drinking and clinking of ice-cubes... reminded me of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

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  ― Posted on Apr 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Very convincing. A bit like the Rome series on BBC - after a while it was all about human temperaments ad the historical parts were incidental. Cicero / Tiro / Terentia all fascinating characters. And Caesar - ai! a nasty piece of work :)

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  ― Posted on Apr 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  Highly recommend this for urban gardeners!

  We volunteered on an allotment last year for 6 months, but had to give it up. I was about to freecycle all my veg seeds, when I read this book - cover to cover in a night! I'm *so* glad I did, as it's filled with ideas for gardening on a v. small scale (ie. my balcony), written in a passionate, enth ... (continue)

  We volunteered on an allotment last year for 6 months, but had to give it up. I was about to freecycle all my veg seeds, when I read this book - cover to cover in a night! I'm *so* glad I did, as it's filled with ideas for gardening on a v. small scale (ie. my balcony), written in a passionate, enthusiastic and funny style, in a month-by-month diary-ish format.

  Initially I was put off by the lack of pics, but it means it's a compact novel size book, in fact much easier to refer to just stuck in a pocket or bag.

  It's also documents Penelope's experience with composting, wormerys, ant farms, growing mushrooms, volunteering, bean sprouting *and* cooking her produce...

  I love this book!

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  ― Posted on Mar 27, 2008 | Add your feedback

goldtop has this up for trade. Trade with goldtop for this.

• Some really lovely descriptions / observations in one of the only two adult books of Jansson's to be translated into English.

  I found a similarity in the writing to Roald Dahl's dark and fatalistic side that doesn't detract, and possibly adds to, the enjoyment of both their stories. Not alway ... (continue)

  Some really lovely descriptions / observations in one of the only two adult books of Jansson's to be translated into English.

  I found a similarity in the writing to Roald Dahl's dark and fatalistic side that doesn't detract, and possibly adds to, the enjoyment of both their stories. Not always flattering, but very honest.
  Especially about the joy / precociousness of being young, the wisdom and frustration at getting old.

  Will definitely look at reading the Summer Book (when its warmer!)

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  ― Posted on Mar 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

• A brilliant and thought provoking collection of writing. Gutted to have discovered this writer only after she died and knowing that there won't be any more from her. Also strange to think I probably bought books from her as she used to work at Compendium Books in Camden where I used to buy alt. book ... (continue)

  A brilliant and thought provoking collection of writing. Gutted to have discovered this writer only after she died and knowing that there won't be any more from her. Also strange to think I probably bought books from her as she used to work at Compendium Books in Camden where I used to buy alt. books and comix.

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  ― Posted on Apr 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Reminds me a little of a mixture between Even Cowgirls Get The Blues and an Annie Proulx novel.
  Kept me gripped, as you can tell from the short reading time :)

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  ― Posted on Jan 29, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Needed a bit of lighter reading after Conrad's Secret Agent so turned to a bit of indulgent children's reading.

  I'd grown up reading Ballet Shoes and White Boots, so kind of knew what to expect. Even so, it still kept me turning the pages adult or not!

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  ― Posted on Jan 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

goldtop has margin notes. Take a look.

• The more I mull over this book, the more I get out of it, so am glad I persevered. The language it uses is pretty hard going - 30 word sentences etc - and you can't help by being impressed with the vocabulary given this is written in the author's third language!

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  ― Posted on Jan 11, 2008 | Add your feedback

• Even though this is supposed to have inspired / be better than Persepolis (and the drawings are more sophisticated it's true) it wasn't nearly such an engaging story.

  Once you got the gist of it a few pages in (his brother has epilepsy, the family struggle to deal with it) it's hard to keep g ... (continue)

  Even though this is supposed to have inspired / be better than Persepolis (and the drawings are more sophisticated it's true) it wasn't nearly such an engaging story.

  Once you got the gist of it a few pages in (his brother has epilepsy, the family struggle to deal with it) it's hard to keep going to reach the end of the 300+ pages. David B.'s reaction to the emotional drama he and his family go though is to retreat into himself and this makes it hard to engage and empathise with him in the book...

  It feels a bit awful saying this; after all it's his life here! but... I think he could have got his side across, even with a bit of judicious editing.

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  ― Posted on Nov 8, 2007 | Add your feedback