The wonderful bitter irony of how Hamdi is treated in contemporary Britain is almost too much, but ends up working neatly. While it took me a while to get into the story, once I was about 2/3rds through I couldn't put it down. phemes v.tr. son relationships, cowardice versus bravery and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Or was it a hallucination, brought on my dehydration and exhaustion?Angels, apes, soldiers, scientists, Mahler, love, relationships, militant atheists, terrorists – phew, I dread to think what Nigel Farndale fits in his man-bag, considering the amount of material he manages to fit into this, his Costa Award shortlisted novel. To speak of (God or a sacred entity) in an irreverent, impious manner. A dual narrative that doesn't feature two women as the main protagonists! Religion vs science, bravery vs cowardice, plane crash, WWI, father and son relationships, middle eastern prejudice, amber alert, redemption, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria!
Let's get the comparisons over with first. Half way through this book I was wondering if we were just meandering off course a little too much and if I was editing this book I think I would have looked to cut a few sub-subplots but in the end I realized that this is life. 0385617798 I think maybe there was too much going on ... it felt sensational but in a "oh c'mon, really?" The novel focuses on how he deals with what happened, his moment of cowardice and the mysterious figure in the water.This book kept my interest, kept me wanting to read on to see how the various plot-lines were resolved, but wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.This book kept my interest, kept me wanting to read on to see how the various plot-lines were resolved, but wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.This was a book about four generations of the same family, three of whom served in wars, the fourth of whom was at war with himself.This was a book about four generations of the same family, three of whom served in wars, the fourth of whom was at war with himself.This was a thought provoking book, introducing a lot of interesting ideas, which I thought worked quite well on the whole. When a light aircraft crashes into the ocean, Daniel Kennedy (famous nematologist and hardcore atheist) frees himself and swims to the surface, on the way passing Nancy, the mother of his daughter and the woman he is about to propose to, leaving her behind. There’s a lot going on in Nigel Farndale’s new novel, which is good because it keeps the pages turning; but I feel that There’s a lot going on in Nigel Farndale’s new novel, which is good because it keeps the pages turning; but I feel that While I thoroughly enjoyed The Blasphemer, I found myself forced to contact the author about one third of the way through when I read a sentence that made my blood boil. Wetherby, on the flip side of that coin, is a comically cartoonish type of antagonist, pure affectation and Machiavellian scheming and pretense, no redeeming qualities, just a loathsome person. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I read the last third of the book, not caring if I was on a bus or train at the time. However, the very limited description didn't prepare me for the heavy topics which lied between its pages. This work is an inspiration, not just in literature, but philosophically and existentially.Given how obsessed I am with the First World War, this would seem to be a no-brainer. I do anyway ... With it's parallel narratives, World War I trench and battle descriptions, and long discussions on faith and religion between characters, "The Blasphemer" is not an easy read. The aftermath of that experience leaves him wrestling with his confident non-belief while trying to save his marriage and his career. Good breathless page-turning fun. Figuring it out will lead you to some nice treasure. Not for quite some time has a book touched me so much, its characters and their stories lodged in my mind. Interwoven with this present day account is the vivid and heartbreaking narrative of his great-grandfather's experiences in the first world war. I also enjoyed the music subplot about the Mahler symphony. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. The modern story? This page contains the location and solution to the papyrus To the southeast of the small village of Euhemeria in Faiyum is the Valley Market - you can find this riddle on the second stall from the top of the northern stairs on the second floor of the market. But most importantly, a non-linear puzzle plot with a good dose of the supernatural.
In this instance it was Galapagos Islands that attracted my attention, I’m in the island hopping mood for my summer armchair travels, but the plot actually never gets there. It asks a lot of questions about human nature and belief, and doesn't answer all of them - but I like that and I find myself still trying to figure things out weeks after I've finished reading it. Bravo.
Overall a good, gripping This veers from a three to a four star. A vividly described plane crash leads to a miles long swim toward the Galápagos Islands, which I thought meant an adventure survival story.
We While I thoroughly enjoyed The Blasphemer, I found myself forced to contact the author about one third of the way through when I read a sentence that made my blood boil. It drew me in and kept me reading all weekend.Let's get the comparisons over with first. However, the very limited description didn't prepare me for the heavy topics which lied between its pages. Overall a good, gripping read.The tricky thing with book descriptions is that they tend to give too much away, not as much as movie trailers, but often too much for my liking anyway, but then if you don’t read them, you won’t know what you’re getting into.