I got 70 pages in, was enjoying the zaniness, but sadly this edition is just unreadable, the font makes my eyeballs roll out their sockets. I'll hunt I got 70 pages in, was enjoying the zaniness, but sadly this edition is just unreadable, the font makes my eyeballs roll out their sockets. I'll hunt for a better copy. For now, this waits. ...more
If I stuck with it, maybe it would get better, but I don't want to start my reading year slogging through 1000+ pages of average prose. The story is cIf I stuck with it, maybe it would get better, but I don't want to start my reading year slogging through 1000+ pages of average prose. The story is cool though, I guess....more
Read just over 100 pages but I'm not feeling compelled to go on suddenly. The prose is gentle but just isn't exciting. The thought of reading another Read just over 100 pages but I'm not feeling compelled to go on suddenly. The prose is gentle but just isn't exciting. The thought of reading another 400 pages of it is putting me off for the time being; I may come back to it. In October already, I have too many other books that have been eluding me to push on with this. A lovely start but quickly got repetitive and without tension/interest. ...more
Though this sits in my shameful (for whom?) abandoned shelf, I do plan to get back to ol' Mart. There's some good things to be found here. Sadly, I amThough this sits in my shameful (for whom?) abandoned shelf, I do plan to get back to ol' Mart. There's some good things to be found here. Sadly, I am inundated with library reservations, ARCs and numerous other things I'd, frankly, just rather be reading... So, on hold for now. Plus my giant signed hardback is a pain in the arse to carry and hold. It's not a terminal goodbye....more
The author of this book is far more interesting than the book itself. Gabriel Krauze, pictured below, spent his uni days in and out of prison for all The author of this book is far more interesting than the book itself. Gabriel Krauze, pictured below, spent his uni days in and out of prison for all sorts of crimes, most of which are detailed in this autofiction. Despite this, Who They Was was longlisted for the Booker in 2020. The novel is written in London slang —
Plus, when we drive in convoy — usually them ahead of us since they're scoping and we're the ones who actually do the madness — it looks as if there's no way we could be together since their car looks cris and I mean come on, them man in a Porsche, us in some deadout second-hand ting. No one's drawing any chicks in our whip, you get me.
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I'm not from London but as a twenty-five year old English guy, I understand all the slang from hearing it anyway, from the music my brother and my mates listen to, and just generally knowing it through some form of osmosis. I was sceptical going in but it's quite interesting to see it, I mean language is always evolving and though I've never liked the London gang slang, I can't deny that many young people do converse like this and don't know any different.
That being said, this book is over 300 pages long. I got to page 102 and just couldn't be bothered to pick it up again. Every time I looked at it, I picked up something else. Krauze writes some decent sentences around the slang, and I think he is, perhaps, a good writer, but he also writes a lot of fairly cliched sentences. I appreciate him writing it in slang, like a modern A Clockwork Orange, but it started to irritate me. If it was shorter I'd get to the end but there's so much I want to read these days, I can't be bothered to read another 200 pages of crime. The plot so far has consisted of him robbing people, buying a gun, punching doors, more robbing, and then in the middle a sentence about going to uni and getting the top mark on his first essay about Aristotle and Plato and art. Frankly, I wish he delved more into this 'double life' of crime and uni, rather than 90% driving around and robbing and then the odd sentence about how great he is in class. How is he so good when he spends his time running the streets at night? I wish I knew. Krauze is apparently working on a post-WW2 novel about his Polish family now, and that's something I will eagerly read. This, less so. ...more
I have no interest in reading this at the moment, read 30 pages and it's doing nothing for me. Read so much boring prose recently, I can't put myself I have no interest in reading this at the moment, read 30 pages and it's doing nothing for me. Read so much boring prose recently, I can't put myself through another. Besides, I'm trying out a new technique I've found for marking books as 'did-not-finish' that also keeps them out of my 'read' shelf and 'want-to-read' shelf. Something that's always bothered me in the past, though I can't remember the last time I dropped a book. ...more
Matthew Ted
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