Hannah Morgan-Lewis

Mostly when I read books I have some sort of idea where the author is going and what point they are trying to make, but not with this book. It just seems to meander on and on. I felt I had to finish it but was left with a disapointing sense of ‘Is this really it?' I don't have a problem with depressing books or emotionally scarred protagonists but I didn't really find this book had much of an emotional resonance, perhaps because I found the narrator quite annoying, particularly with the ham-fisted philosophy. Theo didn't develop as a character, he just seemed to stay 13 in my head, probably because of all the drug taking. It ended up feeling a bit like reading a rather pretentious YA novel with added drug addiction.

I love this book so much I want to study it and re-read it to pick up on all the nuances I've missed. One of those great books that is both literary and readable. It has great descriptions of the jungle, a good plot with the element of the unexpected and well-written characters who develop throughout the story.

Not bad, although not exactly a popular social history type book. This is mainly an architectural survey of the period with some social history thrown in. I wouldn't say it is as accessible as some books covering the period, and as some reviewers have noted it does seem to list quite a few people at the beginning. I think it's worth persevering though, as I found it an interesting survey with some well chosen illustrations. I haven't read the Kindle version, but I would imagine it would be better to read this in the original hardcover considering the illustrations.