Irish Readers discussion

Oh hell this is slow going. Over a third through but have few things to note other than that i'm bored, bored, bored.

Between this and American Gods I really have to say people nominating a book should have read that book and give their own personal review first! So we know that it's at least likable by someone! AND BLAME THEM WHEN WE DON'T LIKE IT. Ha. I kid, i kid. But srsly.

This book better get better. :/ American Gods was more interesting..

So backtracking, my favourite part so far has been Kelso's speech about Stalin, Chapter 3. I know nothing of Stalin or Russian history. For some reason it was all Hitler studied in school. So how much is fact, and how much is fiction. Anybody ?

Yeah I enjoyed that chapter too oliitlebear. It painted a really messed up picture of Stalin. I don't really know much about Russian History either, but Robert Harris has a reputation of doing his research for his novels.

I'm about 120 pages in know. Hoping the plot picks up a little.

I'm 230+ and it doesn't really ..

Sorry guys, but I totally disagree with you so far. I started to read it this evening and I'm about 120 pages in. So far We've been introduced to the main players and I feel like I have a handle on all of their characters, and we know that Stalin, who killed members of his inner circle to maintain secrecy, had a little book of dirty secrets that appears to up for grabs. Just because there hasn't been a dramatic event doesn't mean that nothing has happened. I won't get to read it again until tomorrow afternoon, but from what I've read so far, I expect that I will be on here tomorrow still singing it's praises.

Well i'll give you that. What with it only getting better. With it not being able to get any worse than the start. ;p

I still have every confidence in.

Yeah I really didn't enjoy the first 1/3 of the book. I don't find Kelso appealing as a central character, and so I didn't want to hear about his personal life. He's the typical flawed genius...ugh!

The plot has got much better for me now though. I'm about 250ish pages in.

Kelso was boring. I didn't like him. I didn't hate him. I didn't care.

Normally, I agree about Kelso being a boring character, especially compared by Harris's usual standards. In this case, though, it doesn't really matter very much. I don't think he was a genius, either. just a devoted academic. It was just important that we understand his motivation.

He quit academia to establish a career in writing and failed miserably and is unpopular among his peers. So we understand why a normally unadventurous man risks his life and career.

The important thing is the quest in this novel. As I'm writing this I'm almost finished. Not one of Harris's best, but still a real page turner.

I HAD THAT ISSUE TOO.

Had to flick back and forth all whaa.

I had that problem with a David Eddings novel. I started to keep a list of characters beside me. Helped a lot.

Vicki wrote: "20 pages in and not liking it. The Russian names are making the flow to the reading almost impossible......"

I had the same problem to start with, but once you get to about page 100 you start to know who the main characters are and it starts to click into place.

Sam wrote: "I had the same problem to start with, but once you get to about page 100 you start to know who the main characters are and it starts to click into place."

Yeah agreed, but surely authors, especially an English author, should try to make it easier for readers to get to grips with the main characters. The Millenium books were written for a Swedish audience so I didn't mind as much having to concentrate a little harder with the characters. But I did get a bit annoyed with Robert Harris, especially at the times when he used different versions of names for the same characters. I realise that this makes the novel more authentic, and I appreciate his research is meticulous but it makes me feel he's a bit arrogant.

That said, though I'm not finished the book yet, and to be honest I'm finding the plot "only alright" so far, I am enjoying the insight into Stalin and Russian history. Its not a subject I know much about so it's quite educational for me.