Dull on outside, but good on inside...just what good books are like (When We Were Orphans - Kazuo Ishiguro)

Member Name: hashzip

Product:	When We Were Orphans - Kazuo Ishiguro
Date:	05/01/02 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you'll have an enjoyable time reading it, not too long to get boring, makes you indulge in extra facts that you didn't know e.g about the opium trade in china

Disadvantages: Bad cover that puts people off, Not everyone has heard of the author (or at least i didn't), Not really for children

If this book was on the shelf of a shop, many people wouldn't look at it because the cover and there is no colour to liven it up.
The book is about the main character named Christopher Banks who is a very well known detective throughout the whole country and has solved many cases that other detectives haven't been able to, but one thing has still been on his mind all his life; the disappearance of his parents. The book is set in London and Shanghai, and the first half is set in London explaining about his boyhood and going into the past, and the second half of the book is set in Shanghai. The second half is mainly like the investigation where Christopher Banks searches for clues and hopes to actually find his parents. He soon meets dear friends and Christopher Banks at the end finds out whom he can trust and whom he can't.

I started reading it, and at first it was a bit 'dry' or boring but this book, the way it was written had a way of gripping you to it and gives an air of mystery and keeps you in suspense, which always makes a good book. The length of the book was just right; not too long and not too short. I thought this book is suited for teens to adults. The author technique of writing is very good because he give a short introduction and then goes into the past and then suddenly comes into the present again, which takes a good author to do in a style that doesn't make your readers confused. The characters were well described and were presented in a way that made them real and believable and you could easily take this book as a true story and even an autobiography. This book gives lots opportunities to guess what’s going to happen next, which also makes the book into a good detective story.

Overall I thought this book is a very enjoyable read and shouldn't let people be put off by its cover; it’s the inside that counts.

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