Even as a keen Kennedy fan, I've got to say that this novel just doesn't make the grade; it offers one dull, tedious, reading experience. Set in the 1980s before the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, it is obvious upon reading 'Moments' that Kennedy had done his research - maybe too much so. Rather than evoking the place/era through description, he constantly drops in the names of real German streets and locations, almost as if he had Google Earth up on his computer as he wrote the novel. It took a couple of hundred pages for the story's main protaganists to meet, leaving me to wonder at some points if the story was ever going to get going and gather pace. The European characters were also rather cliched, with most bars being filled with cynical, smoking, sardonic patrons. The passionate romance at the centre of the story was equally unoriginal in its depiction - with the couple alternately 'falling' or 'tumbling' into bed. I suspect that as Kennedy is one of the highest earners in his publishing house's stable, they are a little reluctant to edit him quite as much as they would with a new writer. The result is a rambling effort, which never quite engages. He can definitely do better than this! If you're new to Kennedy, save your cash and get one of his earlier efforts.
Amazon Home
