Another World: A Novel Audiobook

" nice read, but kind of drags on "

" This was a very strange book. There was little direction and it never went anywhere. A lot of interesting concepts started to be discussed and the way this was done was well however, the only part of the book with continuity was the relationship between Nick and his Grandfather. Despite this I enjoyed the book and although I have given it a low rating would read more of her books. The good part of the book - the middle aged man and his dying WWI verteran grandfather - was fantastic. The strength of their relationship and the way they both behaved was heart wrenching, warming and jsut so moving. You could almost feel yourself in the room in some of the scenes. "

" I agree w/ others who loved the Regeneration trilogy but found this novel comes up short. WWI, again. An unappealing boy, again. In between what feel like attempts to reprise The Turn of the Screw, Barker gives us some good writing. But the whole ghosts, not ghosts, past as present thing--overdone. When did middle-class parental exhaustion and whiny children become a trope? I'm tired of it! Makes me miss Hardy heroines like Tess, now there's someone who deserved to be exhausted. "

" Spin off from the Regeneration series, I guess. Pat Barker is the queen of WWI fiction. "

" I was really looking forward to my first Pat Barker novel because everyone speaks so highly of her. Rather than jump into the Regeneration trilogy, however, I opted for this less daunting one-shot. I warmed up to the prose pretty quickly, but found the rapidly changing point of view difficult to follow. Sometimes it seemed like the narrator changed every paragraph, which (IMO) is only appropriate for dinner party murder mysteries. And I have to say I was very disappointed in the ending, mostly because it wasn't much of an ending. Um, where did the story's main thread go? I'll still give the Regeneration books a try, but I will approach them with significantly lower expectations than I approached this book. "

" ooh - really gets in your bones "

" I like Pat Barker's work very much, but this is not her best book. It's perfectly readable, and the closing section (50-some pages or so) is genuinely moving and beautifully restrained. It starts well, too, but the middle section is a bit of slog as the various narrative threads seem to unravel. And not all of them are brought back together in a wholly satisfying way. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt it will live in my mind the way some of her other books do. "

" I've been reading the books on the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" list for some time now. I don't know who ranks these books, but here is yet another prime example of a novel I totally could've been murdered and been completely content having skipped. "

" Another post WWI vet plagued by nightmares. Nothing new or interesting here. Pales in comparison to her "Regeneration." "

" Perfectly readable and emjoyable easy read. Not as good as the Regeneration trilogy. "

" Like many other reviewers here, I think this book failed to deliver. Apparently the Regeneration trilogy is wonderful, but this novel just doesn't pull it off. Lots of loose ends, no real resolution. "

" The past seeps into the lives of a modern family. This is a thoughtful novel which takes on some aspects of a ghost story at times. I liked it a lot. Not as blown away as at the Ghost Road trilogy, but it was good. "

" I like it despite the other reviews. I like the different pulls on family life. The story unfolding about the war, in a separate pocket to the children becoming more feral as they are influenced by the move to the new house with its dark history. "

" Well written, but not quite as convincing and powerful as 'Regeneration' (which deals with some similar themes). "

" Dissapointing. Barker's often blunt prose style - which proved so effective when dealing with the effects of war - seems trite and cliched when applied to a domestic setting. Barker works better on a broader psychological scale where her style and natural interest penetrate with clarity. "

" I liked this well enough, but it was not my favorite Barker. I felt the link between the Grandfather's memories of the First World War and the dysfunctions of the family were a bit tenuous. I get what she was trying to do, and it was not a bad idea. It could have been much tighter in my opinion. "

" Not my favorite of her books, but still pretty awesome. "

" This was really a 3.5 star for me. I really liked it..something I wouldn't normally read but I want to read at least a few of Pat Barker's books this year "

" Pat Barker's world is like bugs under a log - nasty and putrid, but somehow once you start to look you can't look away. "

" I liked this well enough, but it was not my favorite Barker. I felt the link between the Grandfather's memories of the First World War and the dysfunctions of the family were a bit tenuous. I get what she was trying to do, and it was not a bad idea. It could have been much tighter in my opinion. "

" Another post WWI vet plagued by nightmares. Nothing new or interesting here. Pales in comparison to her "Regeneration." "

" This was really a 3.5 star for me. I really liked it..something I wouldn't normally read but I want to read at least a few of Pat Barker's books this year "

" Pat Barker's world is like bugs under a log - nasty and putrid, but somehow once you start to look you can't look away. "

" Dissapointing. Barker's often blunt prose style - which proved so effective when dealing with the effects of war - seems trite and cliched when applied to a domestic setting. Barker works better on a broader psychological scale where her style and natural interest penetrate with clarity. "

" The past seeps into the lives of a modern family. This is a thoughtful novel which takes on some aspects of a ghost story at times. I liked it a lot. Not as blown away as at the Ghost Road trilogy, but it was good. "

" Like many other reviewers here, I think this book failed to deliver. Apparently the Regeneration trilogy is wonderful, but this novel just doesn't pull it off. Lots of loose ends, no real resolution. "

" ooh - really gets in your bones "