Oh Amazon! Why oh why have you led me astray? You told me this was one of the 100 best books of 2008. Do you have any idea how many books were published in 2008? I'm guessing way over 100 which made me think this one must be fantastic. I was so wrong...so very wrong.
I could not finish this book.
I am ashamed.
I haven't left a book unfinished since I tried reading Moby Dick in 11th grade. I just asked myself this question. "If I died tomorrow, would I really want to have spent the last day of my life suffering through these pages of doom?" The answer was no, so I put it back on the shelf.
I really did try to finish it. I convinced myself that if I just made it through a few more pages, I would make it to the story. I never did. It was just page after page of words. I must give the author credit. He crafted some damn fine sentences. And you know my weakness for a good sentence but there just weren't enough of them. The story was very character driven. The problem is that the characters never do anything. The book centers around a neighborhood in Sheffield, England. Several families and their children. Sounds like it's gonna be good, right? I'm thinking "Knot's Landing" with British accents. Instead, I got Mister Rogers without the all the excitement.
Please don't let my five wasted days plodding through this book be for nothing. Skip this one, please.
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