A Spot of Bother (Vintage) by Mark Haddon
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.58 You Save: $11.42 (76%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of A Spot of Bother (Vintage)
Book Review: A Spot of Genius
Summary: 5 Stars
Perhaps genius would be too strongly stated for the elegantly understated writing of Mr. Haddon. But he has a wonderful and rare ability to draw you in, and have you keep turning pages, settling deeper and deeper into the domestic world he's created on these pages. I found myself chuckling in recognition of the 61-year-old who was afraid to undress because he didn't want to notice anything new on his skin. The author uses the device of making each chapter sprout from a different character's point of view, but it isn't obvious and annoying and false, as it is in so many books--when he does it, it is because their stories--and lives--are so intertwined, it's like listening to one end of the table's conversation for a bit, then turning and listening to the other.
I hope someone has already bought the movie rights to this, it will be a WONDERFUL comedy-drama.
Book Review: please be bothered
Summary: 5 Stars
If you have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime,The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time you will simply love a Spot of Bother. Underneath everyone's everyday life lurk insecurities both large and small, and A Spot of Bother puts them on the line for us to examine. Do you think that affairs of the heart and mind happen only to 20 somethings in NYC? Think again. Do you think you are the only family figuring out how to cope with your out of the closet relative and your relationship with their significant other? Think again. Have a spot of hypochondria in you? Well, see what the end might be. This is a funny, ironic and totally true look at a slice of life that could belong to any of us. Bravo.Book Review: Read this book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was amazed at how short a time period the novel covered. After I accepted that the book was going to be about the day-to-day inner workings of each family member, I settled into it. Always I felt that George was the center of the novel, though the whole family is featured with each chapter shifting point of view. The story moves toward the inevitable wedding of George's daughter while watching the breakdown George is having. The book is not predictable (as the New Yorker said)--it is a genuinely affecting view of people in crisis. It's outstanding, that amid the chaos of family life that Haddon brings in so much humor. I laughed aloud many times, sometimes at the most macabre things. This is a completely engaging book, and I highly recommend it.Book Review: Trying to go insane politely
Summary: 5 Stars
What an articulate, funny, heart breaking book. I bought Haddon's novel in an airport, and spent the next five hours on the plane fighting back laughter and the approach of tears. I deliberately will not comment on the plot or characters, as part of why I enjoyed this story so much was the complete surprise.
I enjoyed the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." This second novel has a different tone, voice, and pace. Haddon is so gifted that I was compelled to go to his website and share what a joy this novel is. On his site, he informs us that he won't be answering emails as he is busy working on another book.
I will be among the first to buy it.
Book Review: Hilarious and stomach-churning, witty realism.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is both laugh-out-loud funny, and wincingly disturbing at times, thanks to Haddon's dry, ascerbic wit (which I love). What I most appreciate is Haddon's ability to capture moments of very real life, and shine a light on them: - the sort of moments most of us choose to forget (such as vomiting, panic attacks, embarrassing, scary skin rashes, etc). But through all the disturbing stuff, what I love is the humanity of the characters, their vulnerability, their hopes, their courage, their efforts in the face of despair, and, despite their many flaws, each character is redeemable, even lovable. This story will stay with me for a long time.