Solar

by Ian McEwan | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0385533411 Global Overview for this book
Registered by book-man-8 of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on 6/10/2010
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This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by book-man-8 from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Thursday, June 10, 2010
Edit, April 18, 2011: This book has bin lingering much too long on my Mount TBR...

This is the story of Michael Beard, a profesor and Nobel Prize Winner. He only has honorary "jobs" and therefore struggling with the problem of getting older. Nevertheless, his aim is to get a technology enableing the world to get energy from Water und sunshine. But, as his professional life and his private life start to interfere with each other his own life becomes much more complicated than he aimed for...

This is quite complex novel. It is not so easy to get into it, but once having found the "key" to the story it gets more and more interesting. A fascinating read!

I'm making a bookRAY with this one. The following bookcrossers read along:

"Vekiki" from London, Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)
"wal-89" from Congleton, Cheshire, United Kingdom (UK)
"starflash" from Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom (UK / EU)
"sintra" from Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (EU)
"Nakipa" from Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal (worldwide)
"Hayes13" from Rome, Lazio, Italy (overseas)
"mikime" from Rome, Lazio Italy, (worldwide)
"kally93" from Brantford, Ontario, Canada (CDN / USA pref.)

Journal Entry 2 by book-man-8 at Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Released 12 yrs ago (4/20/2011 UTC) at Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This great book is now starting its long journey... Enjoy!

phew, I was so relieved when this arrived this morning - I had been worried it was lost as it was ages ago I got your pm asking my address - but I guess it was just caught up in bank holiday post :)
So, I have to confess, I am half way though a rather mammoth read at the mo, but this will be next on the list after that - hopefully I won't be too long. I'm really looking forward to it, I've wanted to read this since the talk about it on Little Atoms (my favourite pod cast) and, since everyone has been recommending this author to me, I figured this ring was a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone - so thanks for sharing!

To be honest, i didn't really get on with this and gave it up after 80 or so pages - but I never really get on well with anti-hero books

Posted on to the next reader, in hopes they will get more pleasure from it than I

Journal Entry 5 by wal-89 at Congleton, Cheshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sorry for the delay in journalling! I received this book at the weekend and am looking forward to reading it :) It looks good, thanks for organising the ring book-man-8, and thanks for sending, Vekiki. I have another book ring in front of this one, but hope to get round to it in the next couple of weeks.

Journal Entry 6 by wal-89 at Congleton, Cheshire United Kingdom on Friday, July 8, 2011
Finished this book last night. Although I quite enjoyed the story, at times I was just skim-reading the science-y parts of the book, which is probably not what the author intended. This is only the second Ian McEwan book I have read but, so far, I like that his books aren't too long, I think if this book was any longer I wouldn't have persevered with it. Thanks for organising the bookray, I'm glad I got a chance to read it :-) I have the address for the next participant so will be posting off early next week.

Journal Entry 7 by wal-89 at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada on Friday, July 8, 2011

Released 12 yrs ago (7/12/2011 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

To be sent off next week to the next participant in the bookray :o)

Journal Entry 8 by starflash at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom on Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Arrived today. I have just started another book I have to read first that will take me about three weeks (700 odd pages), this will be next-if its anything like other McEwans I will whizz through as I won't be able to put it down!

03.08.11-starting this today

Journal Entry 9 by starflash at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Released 12 yrs ago (8/19/2011 UTC) at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Pm'd sintra for address today, posting off as soon as I have it.

My last McEwan read was Atonement, this book didn't have the same effect on me. I enjoyed the read but didn't really engage. There were some genius moments of writing in the book (salt and vinegar crisps!) but at other times I felt it was just jogging along. Also not sure if the acknowledgements at the end are part of the novel!

Journal Entry 10 by sintra at Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The book arrived safely in Bonn and will be read soon. Thanks a lot! :-)

Journal Entry 11 by sintra at Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Saturday, November 5, 2011
Sorry, it took me about 4 days to read this book and then about 2 months to actually journal it because life got in the way a little. My apologies.

I really enjoyed reading this novel even though it's quite different from books like Atonement which is still one of my favourite novels by McEwan. It's a brilliant, witty satire about an ageing scientist. He's not a very likeable character but for me that made his struggle with his private life and his loss of all professional scruples all the more entertaining. I loved his musings about joining the nuclear power (or was it oil?) lobby towards the end.

Thanks a lot for sharing this book! I've asked the next participant for her address so the book will be on its way again soon. (Edit, 14.11.: There's a message on Nakipa's shelf saying that she wants to be skipped if she doesn't reply so I've asked for Hayes13's address now.)

Journal Entry 12 by Hayes13 at Roma, Lazio Italy on Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Arrived this morning. I'm afraid I will keep it for a bit as I have a lot of things to do over the holiday season. I will try to have it ready for mikime so I can pass it along to her by hand at the January meet up.

Journal Entry 13 by Hayes13 at Roma, Lazio Italy on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Released 12 yrs ago (1/25/2012 UTC) at Roma, Lazio Italy

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This didn't appeal to me, I'm afraid. So I am sending it on its way.
Thanks for including me in the ring.

Gave this directly to Mikime...

enjoy!

Journal Entry 14 by mikime at Roma, Lazio Italy on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I've just received this in person from Hayes13 (thanks for that!). I'll start reading it tomorrow, possibly!

Miki

Journal Entry 15 by mikime at Roma, Lazio Italy on Friday, February 10, 2012
I finished reading this yesterday. It's not one of the best of McEwan's, in my opinion. It spans through different times, with more flashbacks here and there. The main character is not the typical hero, and though there is a turning point accident, as usual with McEwan's novels, it doesn't stand out much, with everything else going on. Quite a few events entwines and quite a few characters appear, disappear and come up again till the end of the story, which offers the only possible "solution", the only way out of the incredible mess Beard made of his life. I found it difficult to sympathise with this man, and yet there remains some kind of suspense and curiosity about how he's going to make it, all through the novel.
Thanks for the ring! It has left for Canada this very morning!

Journal Entry 16 by Kally93 at Brantford, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Book arrived today! Thank you for sending it to me and thank you for including me in this ray. I have a couple of ray/ring books I am half way through reading, but will start this as soon as I finish them.

Journal Entry 17 by Kally93 at Brantford, Ontario Canada on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Although I tend not to like stories about men who are womenizers, this story had some really interesting( ex. the story about the rug killing wife's lover and the chips on the train). I wonder if this is the sort of story that would appeal more often to men who might relate better to the main character, in the same way some stories appeal more to women.
Thanks for sharing.

Released 11 yrs ago (5/5/2012 UTC) at Point Pelee National Park Interprative Centre in Leamington, Ontario Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

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