My Book Reviews

Emotionally Weird is one of the weirdest books I ever read. The construction is even weirder than Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley. In Dutch this would have caused to mention the so-called Droste-effect. In the book there are multiple stories in a story in yet another story in another story. It does work but it leads to the reader having to check in already read bits who these people are, because there a so many of them. I won't even try to explain what it is all about, but can say that nothing is what it seems to be. I give the book 4 stars, because I think it is over-complicated.

  Third book in the series about Jackson Brodie. Another very captivating book, loaded with action and combined with great humour. (At least in my opinion.) I will not ruin future readers joy by telling anything about the plot(s). What I love is that you get offered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. You can try and imagine what really matters, but Kate Atkinson often will surprise you with where the story is going. Five stars fully deserved. I might read it again!

  I knew Kate Atkinson could write. I loved a God in Ruins, Life after Life and many more that I read. I saw "The Case Histories", the Jackson Brodie series on TV. This is the first one of the series that I read. It's really amazing how Kate Atkinson manages to insert humor even when there are gruesome matters going on in the book. I have always moaned that in a book the POV should always be with the main person. In this book there are many POVs. And it is not disturbing at all, it adds to the jigsaw puzzle that is being filled in while you read on. Or maybe you could say that there are many main characters. I will not disclose any of the content of the book; of course I don't want to be a destroyer of other reader's fun. Five stars is fully deserved! I got a few more Jackson Brodie novels in the house. Really looking forward to read them!

This book should be read by every Dutch person and people with Dutch roots. It is a gripping story in two ways. It is the translation of a Dutch novel. Yet it made to the shortlist for the Booker Prize, the most prestigious prize a writer can win in the UK. Quite an achievement. For me it ripped open some old scars. Remembering the regular arguments with my father. He would announce how proud he was to be Dutch and I presented him some cold facts. Facts that are not very nice for the Dutch. It always ended with him telling me that I was a snotty young man and that I should shut up. He would hide behind his newspaper. The newspaper that I nicknamed "The Liar" and had been forbidden to be printed in the period 1945 until 1949. And I would storm out of the living room, upset that he was not listening to me. I always fell for this trap and he knew it. Seemed to enjoy it. Anyway, it is a great book that left me in tatters. I expect to need some time before I pick up a new book. Th...

Burnet is very good and clever writer. Like all of his books I think this novel should at least get 5 stars. I think the best about it, is how you get into Inspector George Gorski's way of thinking. Always very aware of his own behaviour and how this should affect other people's thoughts about him. And this 3rd Gorski book gives us again an insight in the lives of the good people of the fictional town of St.Louis, near Mulhouse in Alsace. It is a special part of France, caused by the many times it has been changed hands. The region has been German a few times, but nowadays it is French. I don't want to spoil the fun for other readers, so I will not give away anything of the plot. But...it deserves a lot of readers!

The contents of this book play out in the time after Snowblind. Again it is a pity that there are several little mistakes in the text. You would expect any editor to have seen these. It takes away my wish to give the book 5 stars. There is a red thread in the books: the relationship between main character Ari Thor and his fiance Kristin. It causes Ari Thor to do certain things in a certain way. I will not give away any of the things that happen in the book. Like all human behaviour has it's origin in specific causes according to the books. Action and reaction. That is why the writer lets us read about the thinking of all the characters that make their appearance. There is logic in this and he does it consistently. All in all this was - again - an easy and pleasant read. I certainly will read more books in this series.