schopflin's reviews
717 reviews

Very entertaining pageturner, often beautifully observed. I never quite believe in Keyes' heroes but her female protagonists are always vulnerable and real. Also some nice satire on 90s New York. 

I found this book unfocused and overlong but I still think it contained much of interest and some genuine insights. 

Twisty plotting, great sense of place, good characters. I've been struggling to read and this was just what I needed. 

Very entertaining and much more than just a list of facts. Much of it was observant, even biting, and very funny indeed. 

This has had some quite sniffy reactions but I enjoyed it. I found the plotting clever, the awful characters funny and liked the lovable ones. It's not mind-blowing but a very enjoyable read 

Highly intelligent and readable. I learned a lot about historical instances of knowledge loss. And I loved the fact he looked at different facets: censorship, deliberate destruction, the effect of war, poverty and neglect, personal choice and complacency. 

This was surprisingly good.  Alongside well-researched medical content and family history, there is observation about the social and historical factors which form families and individuals. Sometimes it's a little overwritten, but then he is an actor, darling. 

This is a very good Maeve Kerrigan book, lots of surprises, tense plotting. I can never quite see what Maeve sees in Josh, but I did believe in the attraction. 

Intelligent and compassionate read. Francis has a day job so this is 'The Warden'- sized not 'Last Chronicle of Barset'. I feel some of the topics could have been dealt with in more depth but then I am also grateful as I am struggling to read at the moment. 

A re-read for me for the first time in many years. Sometimes I think she is a little cruel to poor Jenny but it's nice to have a main character who isn't beautiful.