Solar Audiobook

" I was a little disappointed. I felt I was reading bits and pieces from his other books with sexuality and ageing issues, what is reality and what is fiction, the relationships between children and their parents... Everything is mixed up in this one book which tends to be lengthy. The main character is not very consistent. When I got to the 2005 part for instance, I couldn't picture Beard in 05 having staged Aldous' murder in 2000. The sense of humour is alright. I liked the part in the Arctic and the incident with the bag of crisps. But the irony and jokes about scholars reminded me too much of David Lodge. It's a good book though about what is politically correct or how on certain issues there is a kind of craze and no one is allowed to disagree. "

" The main character is just unforgettable... "

" That was quick. I almost gave up when I had to haul out my dictionary three times on the first page but when I found myself Googling a simple guide to the laws of thermodynamics, I gave up. There is a reason I failed and had to give up physics at age 13 and it wasn't only to do with laziness. "

" Not one of McEwen's best by any stretch but some flourishes of dazzling and at times hilarious prose. Moral of the story: ALWAYS avail yourself of the opportunity to unburden your bladder before embarking on a polar trek. "

" Fabulous book - hysterically funny in places. Buy it. You'll enjoy it. "

" great book. but how long does it take you to realise that this guy's a twat.. "

" The writing was excellent in that I actually felt like I was in the body of a 68 year old man, feeling his experiences. The question is, do you want to be in the body of a 68 year old man. "

" Loved this book! I just can't understand all the negativity around it. It's not a fast read, but it is wonderfully written - so much detail and reality. And such a strong and important theme too, hopefully it will raise a few more questions about energy usage. Excellent. "

" loved this book! i love ian mcewan anyway but the picture he paints of his self-absorbed, greed driven protaganist is hilarious, reminded me quite a lot of ignatius j. reilly from a confederacy of dunces in that way. it also often made me hungry. "

" I give this 3 stars because I apparently really enjoy reading about rich English people. But no more than that, because Michael Beard is a douchebag. 100% deserves all the bad that's coming to him. "

" A self-obsessed, womanising, justice-perverting, Nobel-Prize-winning intellectual thief gets his just desserts. "

" I really enjoyed this one! It felt a little Ruth Rendell-ish in some parts, but I'm a Rendell fan - so that is NOT a complaint. The "science" in the book was understandable too....and now I may attempt to learn a bit about string theory (maybe). An enthusiastic thumbs up! "

" Yikes!!! What a misstep from a great author. First 1/3 was promising, and then down the abyss into misogyny and no point of view. "

" similarities to the Innocent.. and bogged down a bit in places w/ physics talk.. but still a good read. Bit of a cliffhanger ending too which was nice that it didn't wrap up neat and tidy. "

" A dark, satirical book about the greed and excess of the modern world, and their affects, illustrated through the most unlikable main character. Funny, sad. "

" It is tough to get engaged with a book that has such a despicable flat self-absorb slob that I emerged as a sweating Jabba the hut. The story does do a good job of intertwining several themes and the ironic and somewhat comic mode made it readable, but not a most read. "

" It was ok, but I was expecting to love Ian McEwan. I lost interest in the last quarter of the book, and don't miss any of the characters now that I'm done with it. "

" Much of this novel was fairly obvious (ie, the parallels McEwan attempts to draw between the main character and Western consumption, the ending, etc), but it was nevertheless an enjoyable read. "

" read only if you want to know the inner thoughts of a selfish science nerd. I liked it. "

" Not worth reading... Oblomov is similar but at least not as depressing "

" The cover stated,"Solar is a startling, witty, and stylish new work..." Whoever wrote that comment was talking about a different Solar than the book I read. "Boring story, sluggish writing, unlikeable characters" is my review. "

" Beautiful prose, but Michael Beard was an exasperating protagonist. "

" In the end, tiresome and unlikable. I had better hopes for this book but it was just too much old fat lecher. Sorry! I guess it's a parable for humanity but you won't like what you see. "

" I enjoyed Michael Beard. He just can't close down his options, and therefore fails to find redemption. Imperfect man; I had some sympathy. Struggling with the appendix- can anyone help? "

" a bit of a ripping yarn - very well written but hopefully not entirely predictive of humans craven nature<br/>very much liked the whole crisps thing... "

" Fun read, the ultimate protagonist who has it coming. Some good, albeit standard, plugs for energy conservation and climate change mitigation. "

" I was disappointed in this book by Ian McEwan. The scientifc premise sounded very interesting and potentially informing and would made good reading, but the story droned on, and on, and on, about aspects of his body and life choices until I really didn't care anymore. "

" I vow never to eat salt and vinegar crisps like Michael Beard. "

" Fabulous book - hysterically funny in places. Buy it. You'll enjoy it. "

" His best book to date, highly recommend "

" What a crazy story. the main person is not very likable but that does not get in the way of telling a fine and at times totally hilarious story. "

" As is typical with McEwan, he is a wordsmith. But also as is typical, he dawdles around for 200 pages before committing himself to a plot. The character is tragically static -- not something I like in a main character. "

" Good book, would actually give it 3.5 stars. Found myself cheering for Beard although he has very few redeeming qualities. "