Blurb:
Fat Charlie Nancy is not having a good week. His estranged father recently dropped dead on a karaoke stage and has left Fat Charlie with much more than embarrassment. Because, you see, Charlie has discovered that his dad wasn't just any dad. He was Anansi the trickster spider god...

Sending out on a bookring. Will read on its return.

RonOren, UK <---here
mysticalzoe, US
easterngirl71, US
herchelle, Canada
elidanora, Argentina
D-face, Australia
davemurray101, Australia
Wandering-B, Hong Kong
Vekiki, UK
blueback, UK
disneyfreaksam, UK

then back to me

On its way to the first recipient. Hope you enjoy it!

Just arrived. I'm midway through another bookring, so it'll be a moment until I start this one. I am looking forward to it, though...

What to make of this? It's a nice read, enjoyable and quite easy; with what I now recognise as Neil Gaiman's trademark cynical humour shining through every now and then. But overall, it's not much more than a fairy tale: boy's life is thrown around, boy needs to find his feet in the face of ridiculous obstacles and picks up woman while he's at it.
Admittedly, there are a few sidelines, the characters (especially the minor ones, like Charles's stoat-like, criminal boss) are pretty good. But compared to Neverwhere, the first Gaiman I read, I'm sorry to say that this is almost pedestrian. I can't help feeling he can do better than this...

Maybe it's just not my kind of book, or maybe I'm just being grumpy. Either way, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I expected to.
Having said that, I'm grateful for the chance to read it (and to liven up train journeys to work for a couple of days), so thanks very much for sharing it, shnedwards! I'll send it on to mysticalzoe soon; surely s/he will enjoy it more and get the book's star rating up a bit ;-)

I received this in the mail I am thinking yesterday, i didn't check my mail until today. I am in the middle of reading American Gods, which is a 400 and so page book, and I am on page 166. It may take me two more weeks to read before I get to this one. Sorry for the hold up. I'll let you know when I start it thanks!

8-1-10

I have decided not to read this book as I am not becoming a fan of Neil Gaiman, so instead of holding it up any longer I am sending it off soon.

Sending off to easterngirl71 today, enjoy!!