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2Deern
I am a ridiculous 8% into this long book, but find it extremely gripping. I hope it holds and the split into 4 seperate books won't generate too harsh breaks.
I bought the complete Kindle edition as the 4 parts were not available for me separately (therefore the option of getting part 1 for free made no sense for me, I wouldn't have been able to buy the remaining 3). The media links can also be found in this omnibus version, but from my keyboard kindle they don't work. The link leads to the respective site, but the contents can't be watched.
From the Kindle reading apps on my notebooks however they work fine. I haven't made my mind up yet though if I need them or if they add anything important to the story. I guess not.
Reading this book is an interesting experience because it is (so far) such a decidedly male book. Iraq war, military conspiracies, blood, dust, sweat... absolutely not my cup of tea usually. It's also not all easy to get into the story, the reader is thrown right into the middle of it and I guess I'll get some background information about the various characters and corporations involved later on.
I bought the complete Kindle edition as the 4 parts were not available for me separately (therefore the option of getting part 1 for free made no sense for me, I wouldn't have been able to buy the remaining 3). The media links can also be found in this omnibus version, but from my keyboard kindle they don't work. The link leads to the respective site, but the contents can't be watched.
From the Kindle reading apps on my notebooks however they work fine. I haven't made my mind up yet though if I need them or if they add anything important to the story. I guess not.
Reading this book is an interesting experience because it is (so far) such a decidedly male book. Iraq war, military conspiracies, blood, dust, sweat... absolutely not my cup of tea usually. It's also not all easy to get into the story, the reader is thrown right into the middle of it and I guess I'll get some background information about the various characters and corporations involved later on.
3kidzdoc
Good to hear that you're enjoying The Kills so far, Nathalie. I bought the hardcover edition last week, and I'll read it during my week of vacation in the second half of August.
4Cait86
I think it is interesting that The Kills has electronic content, but that the judges are only judging it based on its paper components. Also kind of odd that it is an omnibus... I wonder if this type of book, which is really four separate novels, has ever been longlisted before?
The Kills still isn't available in Canada. If it makes it to the shortlist, or if the reviews are good, I might break down and buy it from the Book Depository.
>2 Deern: - I'm glad to hear that you are finding The Kills gripping, Nathalie, particularly since it isn't the type of book you normally read. That gives me hope!
The Kills still isn't available in Canada. If it makes it to the shortlist, or if the reviews are good, I might break down and buy it from the Book Depository.
>2 Deern: - I'm glad to hear that you are finding The Kills gripping, Nathalie, particularly since it isn't the type of book you normally read. That gives me hope!
5Deern
My reading is very slow currently, I am only at 43%, well into book II "The Massive". But there's something I'd like to ask those who will be/ are reading as well.
It's a spoiler for book II, so please don't read unless you've already made it through that part!!
Those people are working on open burn pits. They burn excrements, dead animals, building materials, all types of plastic and surely much worse stuff. In open pits. With the ashes raining down. While I already didn't get why they don't wear the protective clothes with the filters (yes, it's hot, but otherwise you will be constantly breathing poisonous fumes!!!), now I am outraged at the answers Cathy receives for her e-mail from the other families.
Sorry, this might be a cultural thing, but I don't know a single person who'd react that way, saying "but they wouldn't send them there if it was dangerous for their health and now please don't contact us ever again, you liar!".
The guys lose their appetites, they feel sick, they are coughing, get rashes, and no-one suspects the fumes?? Just because you were told to do that job you go and do it no matter what, because you believe your government/ employer will look out for you?
I'd just like to know if that is realistic.
It's a spoiler for book II, so please don't read unless you've already made it through that part!!
Those people are working on open burn pits. They burn excrements, dead animals, building materials, all types of plastic and surely much worse stuff. In open pits. With the ashes raining down. While I already didn't get why they don't wear the protective clothes with the filters (yes, it's hot, but otherwise you will be constantly breathing poisonous fumes!!!), now I am outraged at the answers Cathy receives for her e-mail from the other families.
Sorry, this might be a cultural thing, but I don't know a single person who'd react that way, saying "but they wouldn't send them there if it was dangerous for their health and now please don't contact us ever again, you liar!".
The guys lose their appetites, they feel sick, they are coughing, get rashes, and no-one suspects the fumes?? Just because you were told to do that job you go and do it no matter what, because you believe your government/ employer will look out for you?
I'd just like to know if that is realistic.
6Deern
Just finished book III, "The Kill" and started no IV "The Hit". 22% to go.
I hope some people will read it and we can have a discussion... about what actually happens in this book for example. It reminds me a lot of 2666 by now with the linked but sometimes independent parts (book III so far is a stand-alone, but its story is shortly mentioned in I and II) and with the overall atmosphere of doom. I am undecided if it is a good book or a book that desperately tries to be good and above all to become a cult object.
For myself I can definitely say by now that it won't reach the level of the Bolano, hard as it tries.
People do stupid things sometimes. But here too many people have to do too many stupid things too often just to make the story work.
I hope some people will read it and we can have a discussion... about what actually happens in this book for example. It reminds me a lot of 2666 by now with the linked but sometimes independent parts (book III so far is a stand-alone, but its story is shortly mentioned in I and II) and with the overall atmosphere of doom. I am undecided if it is a good book or a book that desperately tries to be good and above all to become a cult object.
For myself I can definitely say by now that it won't reach the level of the Bolano, hard as it tries.
People do stupid things sometimes. But here too many people have to do too many stupid things too often just to make the story work.
7kidzdoc
I bought The Kills during my vacation in London last month, and I plan to start reading it later this week. I've briefly glanced at your comments, but I won't look at them closely until I've finished it.
8Deern
Take your time Darryl. I'm just posting here so my thoughts don't get lost and I can enter the discussion again at a later point. I got such a short memory...
I finished the book this morning. While I am convinced it will be a great success with all the multi-media and the extreme darkness, I am not happy with it.
Maybe it will win the Booker, it will surely make it onto the SL. I can also see it as a movie, or maybe one of those better TV shows.
Small spoilers coming:
I shouldn't have expected anything cosy from a book called The Kills, but this was a violence I can't handle well. It plays with our deepest fears (situations of absolute helplessness abound) and is nightmare-inducing, especially parts 3 and 4. The last couple of nights I didn't sleep more than 3 hours, and I didn't sleep well, so I'm glad it's finished now.
The only element that helped was that almost all victims were unlikeable and had it coming in a way.
When I wrote about 'stupid' in my post #6, I have to add that the last part was extreme. Rike is well written in a way (although for a German abroad she is much too trusting), but she acts really unbelievingly and unforgivingly stupid, endangering everyone around her.
The book has "something". I liked the structure, how the stories were linked, the overall idea, the research that clearly has been done. There is much truth in this book.
But I didn't like it enough to rate it with 4 stars. A book of this length and with its premise should leave me more satisfied, the story shouldn't depend on "100 acts of illogic behaviour". A certain number is okay, things happen. But it was just too much here.
The strongest parts for me were 1 and 3. 3 will become "the cult part" I guess. 2 was good as well, but confusing with all those time jumps even into the far future. The last part was good at first and then fell flat for me, I quite hated it. I wanted all of those characters to be gone, without exception, even Isa. I was also disappointed that some threads from part 1 were never taken up again.
Edit 13.09.2013: I let some time pass, and I have to say this is not a book that grew on me with time, on the contrary - it gets worse and worse. When I read it I was a bit influenced by the challenge to get through such a long book quickly + it was #100 in 2013 and I so wanted to like it. Thinking about it now I am mainly angry. The story in parts 1 and 2 was okay, the writing was weak. I liked book 3 as stand-alone, liked the structure and also the dark atmosphere. It's the only part I might revisit one day. Book 4 however was so awful and disappointing in all regards - writing, story, characterisation - that I have to downgrade the whole work below the 3 star mark.
I finished the book this morning. While I am convinced it will be a great success with all the multi-media and the extreme darkness, I am not happy with it.
Maybe it will win the Booker, it will surely make it onto the SL. I can also see it as a movie, or maybe one of those better TV shows.
Small spoilers coming:
I shouldn't have expected anything cosy from a book called The Kills, but this was a violence I can't handle well. It plays with our deepest fears (situations of absolute helplessness abound) and is nightmare-inducing, especially parts 3 and 4. The last couple of nights I didn't sleep more than 3 hours, and I didn't sleep well, so I'm glad it's finished now.
The only element that helped was that almost all victims were unlikeable and had it coming in a way.
When I wrote about 'stupid' in my post #6, I have to add that the last part was extreme. Rike is well written in a way (although for a German abroad she is much too trusting), but she acts really unbelievingly and unforgivingly stupid, endangering everyone around her.
The book has "something". I liked the structure, how the stories were linked, the overall idea, the research that clearly has been done. There is much truth in this book.
But I didn't like it enough to rate it with 4 stars. A book of this length and with its premise should leave me more satisfied, the story shouldn't depend on "100 acts of illogic behaviour". A certain number is okay, things happen. But it was just too much here.
The strongest parts for me were 1 and 3. 3 will become "the cult part" I guess. 2 was good as well, but confusing with all those time jumps even into the far future. The last part was good at first and then fell flat for me, I quite hated it. I wanted all of those characters to be gone, without exception, even Isa. I was also disappointed that some threads from part 1 were never taken up again.
Edit 13.09.2013: I let some time pass, and I have to say this is not a book that grew on me with time, on the contrary - it gets worse and worse. When I read it I was a bit influenced by the challenge to get through such a long book quickly + it was #100 in 2013 and I so wanted to like it. Thinking about it now I am mainly angry. The story in parts 1 and 2 was okay, the writing was weak. I liked book 3 as stand-alone, liked the structure and also the dark atmosphere. It's the only part I might revisit one day. Book 4 however was so awful and disappointing in all regards - writing, story, characterisation - that I have to downgrade the whole work below the 3 star mark.
9kidzdoc
I finished this book yesterday, and reviewed it just now. I am in agreement with Nathalie's opinion of it, and I found it to be almost completely devoid of plot development, character, and cohesiveness. It reads like a hastily written post-postmodern imitation of Roberto Bolaño's 2666, a massive four part work which Richard House said in an interview was an inspiration for this book. I gave it four stars, and at the moment it occupies last place on my Booker rank list, and it is one of the least enjoyable Booker nominated novels I've ever read.
