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6 Mar
5:16pm, 6 Mar 2025
41,433 posts
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LazyDaisy
I started The Luminaries but gave up at about the point where you are Columba. I just wasn't interested enough to persevere I'm afraid. Luckily I'd bought it in a charity shop so it went back whence it came 
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6 Mar
5:42pm, 6 Mar 2025
22,703 posts
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Chrisull
Yes I read it, and reviewed it in the Literary Fiction wire. The review went:
"Booker Prize winner finished today - on the day it was due back at the library - cutting it close! So, as befits an 832 page book, I went through stages of this is lame, to this is amazing and why don't other authors do 832 pages, as it really lets the characters and storylines grow, and back to, I'm not so sure that the author should have written it in ever decreasing sections.
Because when it comes down to it, it's a tricksy literature device, that doesn't really increase or enhance your enjoyment of the book, although it does sound clever at first.
But when you're just looking out for the book to really deliver on it's Victorian, astrological, wannabe Dickens panache. The sections start
ending up like
this."
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6 Mar
7:17pm, 6 Mar 2025
16,689 posts
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Little Nemo
There's a good book in there somewhere but the self-imposed structure spoilt it for me. I always meant to try another of her books to see if her style works in a more normal novel, not got round to this yet though!
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6 Mar
8:33pm, 6 Mar 2025
25,249 posts
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Red Squirrel
I’m going to an author thingy at a local bookshop. A D Bergin is the author and the book’s The Wicked of the Earth - it’s his first book. Anyone know anything about the author or the book or both?
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8 Mar
11:26am, 8 Mar 2025
22,719 posts
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Columba
Sorry Red Squirrel, can't help you there; but wish to report that I have now reached p 206 and am finding it much more interesting so will probably battle through to the end, though I'm a bit discouraged by Chrisull's review and Nemo's follow-up.
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8 Mar
12:06pm, 8 Mar 2025
22,710 posts
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Chrisull
It is good for large tracts, it's just the structure gets more distracting the shorter it gets.
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11 Mar
11:05pm, 11 Mar 2025
25,275 posts
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Red Squirrel
I couldn’t wait for the library to come through with The List of Suspicious Things, so I bought it at a railway station today. I’m on page 42 and liking it.
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12 Mar
9:16am, 12 Mar 2025
10,894 posts
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Northern Exile
Currently reading The Ship by C S Forester. I think this is his only work that hadn't come my way - don't know why - and I'm enjoying it hugely, it is a different take on maritime fiction and I can see why it gets all the plaudits. Quite different from the Hornblower stuff that I'm more accustomed to.
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13 Mar
10:24am, 13 Mar 2025
3,547 posts
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Neil_E_There
Recently completed Billy No-Mates (How I Realised Men Have a Friendship Problem) - Max Dickens
It goes to some odd places towards the end which rather undermines the work done earlier on into a genuine issue but ok overall.
Currently ploughing through The Martian - Andy Weir and really enjoying it.
Think my journey with this is even longer than Watney's stay on Mars -
Heard about on a podcast when first published, got as a gift - took on holiday but lost. Bought again online but realised I'd purchased the Junior Edition. Purchased again on Kindle and 70+ % complete.
I've also been tempted by a lot of the 99p kindle offerings of late so won't be running out of reading material any time soon.
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15 Mar
4:54pm, 15 Mar 2025
22,724 posts
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Columba
Now about half-way through The Luminaries, and have reached a pause and a recap. which is helpful.
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