2008-05-07 Beautiful in parts, average in others

After reading a little of this novel, I was not hugely impressed or intrigued by it unfortunately. But I wasn't going to give up on it, something spurred me on to continue, and on balance, I am glad I got to the end, and feel fairly rewarded for sticking with it.

I felt it really improved towards the end in both stories, but the sections which tell the story of Moritz and his experiences and courage during and after World War One are, to me, by far the stronger and more compelling part of this novel, and I was engrossed in them, willing him on in his journey. Whereas, in the sections with Leo, I felt that the style was a little 'basic', and could have been improved. The two men, separated by the years but linked as is revealed at the end of the novel, are both separated from the loves of their lives. I know little of physics but enjoyed the brief elements that were discussed in the novel, in interesting ways but never too complex for a beginner to grasp the ideas raised.

Lovely to read at the end that the author has used part of his own family history here.
A good debut taken as a whole, but could have been even more amazing.