Journal Entry 1 by catbot from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Thursday, December 11, 2008

Read a while ago, I liked it but not as much as some of McEwan's other work (First Love, Last Rites; Comfort of Strangers). Being sent to a Moocher :) 

Journal Entry 2 by Miss-Owl from Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Thailand on Monday, December 15, 2008

It's the Moocher here :)

Thanks, catbot! With Christmas holidays almost upon us (yay!) this looks like a great holiday read. 

Journal Entry 3 by Miss-Owl from Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Thailand on Monday, February 09, 2009

It was easy to be hooked in by this book. The opening chapter did it for me with the heart-stopping ballooning incident that unfolded like a nightmare. Then the novel veered off in ways I didn't expect, and then it did it again, and again. I wasn't sure that my credulity stretched the whole way, but McEwan kept me reading on nevertheless. It's difficult to keep reviewing without giving too much away, but suffice it to say that it wasn't till the end of the book that I appreciated the thread of rationalism vs emotionalism argument that he was setting up throughout, which was particularly striking because I have an Extension 2 student whose writing project is precisely this: to pit the project of the Enlightenment against that of the Romantics, just as Joe is the perfect counterpart of, and counterpoint to, Clarissa (the emotionalism/rationalism even carries over to their names). When my student explained his idea to me, it sounded terribly abstract and theoretical, but McEwan has shown that it can work. This kind of thesis explains why the book didn't really flow for me - the tussle of its head and heart means that lurching unsteadily comes with the territory. 

Journal Entry 4 by Miss-Owl at A friend, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Monday, February 09, 2009

Released 4 yrs ago (2/9/2009 UTC) at A friend, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases

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On loan to MsConstrue.