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Die Späte Ernte Des Henry Cage (2011)

by David Abbott(Favorite Author)

3.27 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

3423248483 (ISBN13: 9783423248488)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Dt. Taschenbuch-Verl

review 1: I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewer program and I requested it because David Abbott's book was compared to Ian McEwan. I'm happy to report, after reading the book, the comparison stands. The writing style and structure of the book are indeed McEwan-esque. The Upright Piano Player tells the story of Henry Cage, an advertising executive trying to deal with an estranged son, the terminal illness of his ex-wife, the end of his career, and a stalker. Each of these sub-plots is told in beautifully restrained prose that I ate up. All of the characters were well-drawn and interesting. I breezed through the book, truly not wanting to put it down. I will admit to a very American reading of the very English book. There were certain aspects that confused m... moree at first reading--some words and places I didn't understand, like thinking that Norfolk was in Virginia rather than in the U.K. (Hey, they were also in Miami so give me a break!) The frustrating thing about the book was its structure. The book opens with a scene in 2004 and then jumps back to 1999. I assumed that the rest of the book would bring us back to 2004, but it didn't. As I got close to the end, I kept feeling the number of pages because I couldn't figure out how Abbott was going to wrap all of this up in the few that were left. And then he didn't. I was really looking for an Atonement-type ending and when it didn't happen, I felt cheated. All these beautiful threads and no tapestry.
review 2: I really enjoyed this. I didn't think I'd want to read or care about the main character, but it opens with a recent tragedy that sucks you in, and then the rest of the novel details the main bits of his life up to that point. There are a few gaps which I'd've liked a few more details about, but it's a good enough read despite this. A good first novel and recommended. I'll definitely look out for anything else he may write. less

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