neiljung78's reviews
293 reviews

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I can see why Burgess and Rushdie liked it and its playful modernist / post modernist tricks reminded me of Alasdair Gray. I probably didn’t get enough of the jokes but I don’t know if I like my stories of dogs quite so shaggy and repetitive, even if that is the point.

The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a series of absorbing puzzle box mysteries. A wee bit dry at times but the tension picked up in the last two stories.

IQ by Joe Ide

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funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was enjoyable and I liked the two main characters a lot. Some of the mystery elements could maybe have been stronger but that is maybe down to them riffing off the Holmes sotries where the clues are always a little out-there.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

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adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I felt a bit in the weeds with this for some of the middle but it started great & the end is incredibly moving. But man - it needed a better editor. I don’t mean to be shorter, I mean stuff like the same simile or even sentence occurring more than once. Even so there’s great stuff in it.

Content Warnings