The End of Mr. Y - Scarlett Thomas
Newest Review: ... Because the book has 2 sections although they are linked what happens on "earth" is just as interesting as what happens... more
I WANT to go to the Troposphere!
The End of Mr. Y - Scarlett Thomas
Member Name: Jonni_boi
Product:
The End of Mr. Y - Scarlett Thomas
Date: 14/11/10
Rating:
Advantages: A really intriguing and interesting book!
Disadvantages: Some people may dislike the intellectual side
The End of Mr. Y. I have to admit, it is a kind of intriguing title and I don't think I would have bought it, if the title was boring. The title makes you wonder. It makes you think. Questions swarm in your head such as: Who is Mr. Y? Why is it the end for him? What is this all about? It's quite a mysterious title and it sounded really interesting.
I bought this from Waterstones, with their 3 for 2 offer. Although I am unsure what the other 2 books I got were, but they are somewhere on my shelf, and I don't even know which ones, so I may have read them or I may have not. This book was on the shelf at Waterstones with a big sticker on saying 3 for 2. The whole presentation of the book made me interested in buying it. The cover is eye catching and it stands out compared to the many different covers on the shelves at the moment. The edges of the book is black, which intrigued me more, I have quite a few books, where the edges of the pages are different colours, so by then I knew I was going to buy this book. However, I did decide to read the blurb (back of the book) just in case it wasn't a book for me. Anyhow, I bought it and I'm really glad I did.
Scarlett Thomas is an author I have NEVER heard of before. This is the only book I have read from her so far (although I'm pretty sure that will change in the next year or so.) Therefore she is a new author to me. This doesn't mean she is a new author who's just started releasing books. It means that she is an author I have never come across before and so she is new to me. She has released quite a few books, her latest being "Our Tragic Universe" which sounds really good, and I plan on getting it when I have the money. She has been nominated for a few awards, and she has won an award for this book which was the Orange Prize for Fiction. I love her writing style, but I can also understand how someone can dislike it. I think this author is new and upcoming, and maybe she will get more and more attention the more books she releases. I just hope she just doesn't disappear off the planet, as I really want to read more of her books.
The End of Mr. Y is a really intriguing story. Ariel Manto is the main character and we get to know her in the first few chapters. We learn she is intellectual and has many different ideas. She goes from book to book, in which each one links with the other, whether by subject, author or title. She has been searching for the book "The End of Mr. Y" for ages but when she uncovers it in a second-hand book shop, she cannot believe her eyes. She quickly buys it and she cannot wait to get home and start reading it.
The End of Mr. Y is extremely rare, even Ariel knows this, and she's really interested in wondering why it is so rare. But when her professor goes missing, she's on the case of finding out why. She decides to follow Mr. Y's footsteps, and creates this potion, then drinks it, and then stares at a black dot. This black dot increases and she is transported into the Troposphere, a world which has its own rules that Ariel has to discover. But what does it do? And who are these nefarious men in grey suits, who are trying to find her and possibly kill her? And why do they want "The End of Mr. Y" so badly?
This is definitely a pure escapism book, it's there to entertain and throw up new ideas. I've always thought about a story in a story or a book in a book, and that is exactly what Scarlett Thomas has done, which is pretty amazing since you can make the characters do anything they want, and go straight out of their comfort zone, if you so wanted to. This book was definitely intriguing all the way through! However, there were a few bits that people may consider boring and unnecessary, whereas I thought of them as interesting and clever. Scarlett Thomas has used this book to show interesting points of view, that I'm forever arguing with my friends and family about. And there are some points that I have learnt and decided to use when arguing and it never fails. So thank you Scarlett Thomas. But I do understand how people may just want a simple, normal, enjoyable book to read rather than it being intellectual.
This book is pretty difficult to put under a normal genre. My first instinct is science-fiction novels (otherwise known as sci-fi) however there is many sub-genres this can fit under, such as erotic (as some parts are) there is some romance, there is some adventure, there's some sort of detectiveness about this book. It basically fits into every single genre I can think of, well apart from Children's fiction.
Personally I think the story stands out, there is no book I have ever come a crossed so far (and that is a lot of books) that is even similar to this book. Basically, this book is out of this world (ha I've thrown in a little joke there). And I don't think there is any other book that is similar to this at all.
This book has a lot of interesting and intriguing parts, although people may say some of the parts are really boring. And I totally understand why they would say that. The book gripped me in seconds and it was easy to get into, although some bit (which people like to refer to as the boring bits) may make the book difficult to get into. The ending was amazing, I didn't see it coming, and it left it at a CLIFF HANGER and it leaves you wanting to know more and exploring your own ideas and seeing if you can make up your own ending. It is a fun read, especially when Ariel is transported into the Troposphere, but some of this bits definitely makes you think and you tend to agree with what they are saying (well I tend to agree with what they are saying, I'm not sure about others thought). I do think the emotions occasionally run through it, especially the ending, and some bits in between, but sometimes they aren't displayed as well as they could be, and that could be an off-putter or makes you more intrigued, it just depends on what sort of reader you are. After finishing the book, I think it did make me reflect on what the book was about, I don't think there is a hidden message behind the book, but I think that it shows that some books can change your life upside down. It also made me think about the little scientific arguments in the book, and made me reflect on how real they seemed and it made them sound like Scarlett Thomas had had these arguments in the past, and that could be the reason why they are displayed so accurately and so detailed. It is definitely a book I would consider re-reading, but I am afraid to pass this on to friends and family, as they may not find it as enjoyable as I did, and they might not get the whole scientific side. So I may just pass it on and see what they think, or hide it somewhere and re-read it in a few years.
This book will definitely appeal to the sci-fi books, but as I always say, if you don't like that kind of genre, this still could be a book for you. I fully enjoyed it, and I hate star wars and star trek, so I'm not a really big fan of sci-fi, but I fully enjoyed this book. I suggest you give it a go!
I definitely think that this book should be strictly young adults-adults, purely because of some of the sex scenes that are in this book, and although they are not as disturbing as other books are, they are diminutive and a child shouldn't be allowed to read those types of books. Again I'm not going to put an age limit to this, as I think every person is different, and some people can read things at a certain age, whereas others can't. I personally think book should have an age rating like DVDs do) but then again it would be difficult to decide what the ratings should be, but then again, it would be up to the parent or guardian to decide if the child should read this, like they do with DVDs.
There is a few bits in this book that people may find dislike, as I have mentioned before, which are the intellectual debates that appear here and there, personally I found them enjoyable to read, and extremely interesting, although a few people I know really loathed those bits and thought that they really weren't needed in the book. I have to admit that they weren't necessary for the story line but it did throw up a few interesting points of view, and I was really intrigued when those parts appeared. If they weren't in the book I don't think my rating would be as high as it is, as I think they show the story in a different light, and it helps you to get to know the characters more.
I have rated this book 5 stars (but if Ciao and Dooyoo allowed half stars, it would be 4.5 stars) because it was interesting, intriguing and amazingly good and I couldn't stop reading this book, the half a star I knocked off because of the scientific bits because they re extremely controversial and people are not sure what to think of them.
Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed this review, and I hope I have intrigued a few people into putt this book on their wish list, or even going out to buy it (or using the internet). Thanks in advance for all your rates and comments!
I bought this from Waterstones, with their 3 for 2 offer. Although I am unsure what the other 2 books I got were, but they are somewhere on my shelf, and I don't even know which ones, so I may have read them or I may have not. This book was on the shelf at Waterstones with a big sticker on saying 3 for 2. The whole presentation of the book made me interested in buying it. The cover is eye catching and it stands out compared to the many different covers on the shelves at the moment. The edges of the book is black, which intrigued me more, I have quite a few books, where the edges of the pages are different colours, so by then I knew I was going to buy this book. However, I did decide to read the blurb (back of the book) just in case it wasn't a book for me. Anyhow, I bought it and I'm really glad I did.
Scarlett Thomas is an author I have NEVER heard of before. This is the only book I have read from her so far (although I'm pretty sure that will change in the next year or so.) Therefore she is a new author to me. This doesn't mean she is a new author who's just started releasing books. It means that she is an author I have never come across before and so she is new to me. She has released quite a few books, her latest being "Our Tragic Universe" which sounds really good, and I plan on getting it when I have the money. She has been nominated for a few awards, and she has won an award for this book which was the Orange Prize for Fiction. I love her writing style, but I can also understand how someone can dislike it. I think this author is new and upcoming, and maybe she will get more and more attention the more books she releases. I just hope she just doesn't disappear off the planet, as I really want to read more of her books.
The End of Mr. Y is a really intriguing story. Ariel Manto is the main character and we get to know her in the first few chapters. We learn she is intellectual and has many different ideas. She goes from book to book, in which each one links with the other, whether by subject, author or title. She has been searching for the book "The End of Mr. Y" for ages but when she uncovers it in a second-hand book shop, she cannot believe her eyes. She quickly buys it and she cannot wait to get home and start reading it.
The End of Mr. Y is extremely rare, even Ariel knows this, and she's really interested in wondering why it is so rare. But when her professor goes missing, she's on the case of finding out why. She decides to follow Mr. Y's footsteps, and creates this potion, then drinks it, and then stares at a black dot. This black dot increases and she is transported into the Troposphere, a world which has its own rules that Ariel has to discover. But what does it do? And who are these nefarious men in grey suits, who are trying to find her and possibly kill her? And why do they want "The End of Mr. Y" so badly?
This is definitely a pure escapism book, it's there to entertain and throw up new ideas. I've always thought about a story in a story or a book in a book, and that is exactly what Scarlett Thomas has done, which is pretty amazing since you can make the characters do anything they want, and go straight out of their comfort zone, if you so wanted to. This book was definitely intriguing all the way through! However, there were a few bits that people may consider boring and unnecessary, whereas I thought of them as interesting and clever. Scarlett Thomas has used this book to show interesting points of view, that I'm forever arguing with my friends and family about. And there are some points that I have learnt and decided to use when arguing and it never fails. So thank you Scarlett Thomas. But I do understand how people may just want a simple, normal, enjoyable book to read rather than it being intellectual.
This book is pretty difficult to put under a normal genre. My first instinct is science-fiction novels (otherwise known as sci-fi) however there is many sub-genres this can fit under, such as erotic (as some parts are) there is some romance, there is some adventure, there's some sort of detectiveness about this book. It basically fits into every single genre I can think of, well apart from Children's fiction.
Personally I think the story stands out, there is no book I have ever come a crossed so far (and that is a lot of books) that is even similar to this book. Basically, this book is out of this world (ha I've thrown in a little joke there). And I don't think there is any other book that is similar to this at all.
This book has a lot of interesting and intriguing parts, although people may say some of the parts are really boring. And I totally understand why they would say that. The book gripped me in seconds and it was easy to get into, although some bit (which people like to refer to as the boring bits) may make the book difficult to get into. The ending was amazing, I didn't see it coming, and it left it at a CLIFF HANGER and it leaves you wanting to know more and exploring your own ideas and seeing if you can make up your own ending. It is a fun read, especially when Ariel is transported into the Troposphere, but some of this bits definitely makes you think and you tend to agree with what they are saying (well I tend to agree with what they are saying, I'm not sure about others thought). I do think the emotions occasionally run through it, especially the ending, and some bits in between, but sometimes they aren't displayed as well as they could be, and that could be an off-putter or makes you more intrigued, it just depends on what sort of reader you are. After finishing the book, I think it did make me reflect on what the book was about, I don't think there is a hidden message behind the book, but I think that it shows that some books can change your life upside down. It also made me think about the little scientific arguments in the book, and made me reflect on how real they seemed and it made them sound like Scarlett Thomas had had these arguments in the past, and that could be the reason why they are displayed so accurately and so detailed. It is definitely a book I would consider re-reading, but I am afraid to pass this on to friends and family, as they may not find it as enjoyable as I did, and they might not get the whole scientific side. So I may just pass it on and see what they think, or hide it somewhere and re-read it in a few years.
This book will definitely appeal to the sci-fi books, but as I always say, if you don't like that kind of genre, this still could be a book for you. I fully enjoyed it, and I hate star wars and star trek, so I'm not a really big fan of sci-fi, but I fully enjoyed this book. I suggest you give it a go!
I definitely think that this book should be strictly young adults-adults, purely because of some of the sex scenes that are in this book, and although they are not as disturbing as other books are, they are diminutive and a child shouldn't be allowed to read those types of books. Again I'm not going to put an age limit to this, as I think every person is different, and some people can read things at a certain age, whereas others can't. I personally think book should have an age rating like DVDs do) but then again it would be difficult to decide what the ratings should be, but then again, it would be up to the parent or guardian to decide if the child should read this, like they do with DVDs.
There is a few bits in this book that people may find dislike, as I have mentioned before, which are the intellectual debates that appear here and there, personally I found them enjoyable to read, and extremely interesting, although a few people I know really loathed those bits and thought that they really weren't needed in the book. I have to admit that they weren't necessary for the story line but it did throw up a few interesting points of view, and I was really intrigued when those parts appeared. If they weren't in the book I don't think my rating would be as high as it is, as I think they show the story in a different light, and it helps you to get to know the characters more.
I have rated this book 5 stars (but if Ciao and Dooyoo allowed half stars, it would be 4.5 stars) because it was interesting, intriguing and amazingly good and I couldn't stop reading this book, the half a star I knocked off because of the scientific bits because they re extremely controversial and people are not sure what to think of them.
Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed this review, and I hope I have intrigued a few people into putt this book on their wish list, or even going out to buy it (or using the internet). Thanks in advance for all your rates and comments!
Summary: a book that is interesting, intriguing but intellectual!
