Annoyingly bad! (Enduring Love - Ian McEwan)

Member Name: starcat71

Product:	Enduring Love - Ian McEwan
Date:	15/03/02 (267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good, exciting beginning

Disadvantages: Not a great ending

An Ian McEwan fanatic recommended Enduring Love as one of his best creations. I haven’t read any other books of his but I wasn’t very impressed with this one!

Admittedly there are some very exciting passages in the book, particularly the opening section – so thrilling that you become engrossed in seconds. There is also a lot of humour in this book, and very interesting contrasts between the insanity of a ‘bible basher’ in comparison to that of a fanatical materialist. This contrast and other intriguing elements could have made this book good, but it lets itself down in many other areas.

Probably what I found most annoying in the novel was how unrealistic the relationship between two of the main characters was, particularly since many events occur as a result of its unconvincing instability. Nevertheless, I was impressed by McEwan’s close analysis of the relationship, even if it was unrealistic, and of human behaviour and emotions in general.

Overall an insightful novel in many ways but not a particularly satisfying read – the ending was disappointing!

Summary: