I started reading this with some trepidation having read some of the other reviews, but I have to say that I found it just as gripping and page-turning as the previous books in the series. The only disappointment with Fforde's books is that they are so entertaining and unputdownable that I end up finishing them far too quickly!
I think that this episode in the Thursday Next saga is cleverer than ever and Fforde never ceases to amuse and entertain me with his intertextuality, allusions and ideas, and the way that he gently mocks the clichés and forms of fiction, whilst at the same time using them for his own ends. It is a book which made me laugh out loud - and like all his books one which I feel that I must reread to pick up all those things I missed at the first reading. Although a bit of literary knowledge will no doubt enhance your enjoyment, it is not at all necessary, as my very unliterary son in his twenties also read it in the space of a day, laughing out loud as he went.
The only proviso I would make is that if you are new to Fforde, do start with
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next)
, and read your way through the series in order - that way you will be ready for the virtuoso complexities of plot and allusion to be found in
One of Our Thursdays is Missing (Thursday Next 6)
. As another reviewer mentioned, you might find it a bit much to comprehend if you came at this book cold, without the benefit of a bit of training in the eccentricities and vagaries of BookWorld and the adventurous life of Thursday Next the literary detective.
Fforde is a man with total mastery of his material and always amazes and impresses me with the inventiveness of his imagination and laterality of his thinking - I always feel that he must have a PhD in literary theory such is his ability to deconstruct the conventions of fiction and reassemble them in such hilarious and easy to read but rewarding novels. Anti-kerning, clowns, a butler who is a robot, and a steamer taking a journey not to the heart of darkness, but the home of the racy novel - where else would you find it all mixed together with such crazily entertaining results?!
Highly recommended, and while he is still thinking about the second instalment of
Shades of Grey
, I hope that he will keep on telling us about the exploits of Thursday Next!
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Flip to back Flip to front
Follow the author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Kindle Edition
"Please retry" | — | — |
|
Audible Audiobooks, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
£0.00
| Free with your Audible trial | |
School Books
From pre-school to A-levels, find School Books for all ages Shop now
Frequently bought together
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your basket.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
