From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

Amsterdam

Ian McEwan

Start date: July 15, 2016

Finish date: August 15, 2016

Discussion: Group Reads Discussions

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Group Reads Discussions

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By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 3 posts · 1370 views

last updated Jan 18, 2013 07:12PM

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last updated Sep 16, 2025 07:57PM

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What Members Thought

Apr 22, 2009 Elizabeth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, england

Written in deft, skillful prose, this is the tale of two successful friends (an editor and a composer) who make an unusual death pact. Although I respect the book, I have a hunch that the ideal reader for this novel is an well-educated man in his late 40s with plenty of ex-lovers...not someone like me!

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Jan 15, 2010 Erin (NY) rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010, book-club

First and foremost, I thought the book was very well written. I like the fact that the author didn't repeat himself, which also meant that a lot of stuff was implicit. Because of that the book left a lot the motivations of the characters to be determined by the reader.

I thought the relationship between the two men was very well developed, and I liked how it came full circle in the end.

This book would get 4.5 stars, but you can't do that here, so 4 stars. ...more

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Aug 26, 2013 Astrid Lim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: twist, literature, bbi, british, second-hand, dramatic, 1001-books, contemporary, man-booker

My first Ian McEwan for BBI reading group. I haven't decided whether I liked his style or not. This book is too short for me to conclude my first impression on his works :) I love how he described in details the professions of the two main characters in this book, Vernon Halliday the veteran journalist and Clive Linley the famous classical composer. The gory details of being a reporter and the crazy process of being a genius composer - those are the masterpiece of this book. But the ending? Uhmm ...more

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