I was reading with full gusto until around midway. Then I stopped. Running out of steam, getting irritated with the characters, looking for greener grass or muscle fatigue from holding the heavy hardcover. Combination of those things.
Mainly the characters, most of them have let me down one way or the other up to this point and I wanted to shake every single one of them. I even took a peek at the end, which is actually a super no-no, I've ditched some books just because I've read the beginning and the end. Some books just couldn't make me care enough to find out what happened to cause the end. I was rather worried that W&P will end this way too.
So I stopped reading. I told myself, I'll have a diversion first, then the second. Actually, I even had a third, which was a book I've already read this year. Groping around for the fourth, I glanced on the part where I stopped. Not really an interesting point, another preparation of war. But somehow I keep on reading until I have to go to sleep and I believe I'll continue reading tonight. Tolstoy, you better make the characters behave and grow up. I'm counting on you.
Considering reading this book sometime next year. First to hear the discussion on BBC, here
This is going to be a nonsensical review. I was on Muriel Spark's euphoria when I started reading it; well, let's just say my happiness just slide down from that point.
The story itself is interesting, based on a true-crime it tried to tell what might have happened to Lord Lucan, the nanny killer. (naah.. I didn't know about him before reading either, I googled him after the introduction) I think until halfway through I still consider it a good read though not as good as Memento Mori. I think it started to really slide downward once the daughter of one the abetter got together with one of Lord Lucan's friend to try finding it. Then it's really getting silly for me. Well, I don't really like Hildegard either, she left an image of a woman posturing the whole time instead of a fleshed character, with her being oh so tough & cool.
Have to confess that I was rather slightly inebriated reading it. The whole logical explanation of who will be the real Lucan passed me by rather blurrily. Still don't understand why his peers bothered to help Lucan and even sustained his life this whole time. That's quite a lot money and hassle for someone they always describe as someone they didn't know so intimately. I suppose this is the bone that Muriel Spark's is gnawing the whole time as well the lack of sympathy towards the nanny.
Another distraction, whenever I read Lord Lucan's name, my mind went to Lord Wimsey's book where he worked in an advertising agency and created a slogan, something with "toucan something something and you can too"
i did say this is a non-sensical review.......