Customer Reviews: Read 64 more reviews...
 The ordinary becoming the extraordinary "Wonderful" September 9, 2008
I found this book very different in many ways. Taking everyday events and highlighting the finer nuances of people was an inspiration and a fascinating look into ordinary people's lives - it was like looking through a keyhole into people's private relationships and actions. What I was left with was how the ordinary often can become the extraordinary, especially when you look and observe with an eye to see beyond the surface details and see the unique individuals. What was interesting also was as you follow the different lives of the street there is an underlining tragedy that has touched everyone in the street and it's only near the end that it is revealed to you.
 The voice of inexperience? July 28, 2008
I knew nothing about the author when I read this book - I bought it mainly on the basis of favourable reviews. My first impression was that the prose style seemed rather like the work of a talented sixth-former. Yes, the writing has a poetic quality, but it lacks economy. It seems to strain to create many images that might have been more selectively chosen for their impact, and more effectively drawn in fewer words. The main problem, however, comes with the premise of the story itself. Detailing the minutiae of everyday life, as this novel does, requires great skill, maturity and insight in order to make the events 'remarkable.' It needs to tell the reader more than they already consciously know about human behaviour/relationships. I felt the novel failed in this respect.
After finishing the novel, I found out that the author was in his mid-twenties when the book was published, and that this was his debut novel. With that in mind, I wished that he'd approached this work as his forth or fifth novel. While insight doesn't necessarily come with age, perhaps a little more experience would have made this brave but fundamentally flawed novel a truly moving one.
 Awful July 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Read this book thinking it would be an intelligent read. Really did not like it very confusing and nothing becomes clear at anypoint. All a bit wishy washy for me.
If nobody reads unremarkable books July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really didn't enjoy the book. I found it overly descriptive and not especially interesting. I persevered to the end and was disappointed.
Waste of time. June 4, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
If the fact that only one person from our book club finished reading the book is an indication of how good it was then that says it all.
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