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Potentially very interesting subject: the building of a stone bridge in 14th century Balkans is almost a very simple chronicle with a few considerations about mythology and beliefs. This seems to me the opposite of the last book I read, which took a trivial anecdote and turned it into something magical, this one takes a very potentially rich subject and turns it into nothing.

Challenge for any writer: create an incredibly interesting novel from an absolutely trivial anecdote. I fell like a child reading a fairy tale, enchanted from beginning to end! Most young readers will not understand how it is possible for someone, apparently ordinary, to take almost mythological proportions in the eyes of others. Not so long ago, specially in smaller communities this happened sometimes which makes this book perfectly credible for me. And again, enchanting.

I'm no expert but I have the feeling that what he describes of the American penal system is not totally fiction. Interesting book, forces you to look differently at the beauties of business and the availability of the law (everybody should know about the law but one doesn't get that konwledge for free).

This, apparently, belongs to the category of literary thrillers. The author has obviously made extensive research about the city and while this really plunges us decidedly in the atmosphere it also has the downside of often stalling the action with long, elaborate descriptions. I'm not against descriptions, but the author has to keep in mind that these should be generated by the internal needs of the work, not by any external goal to provide atmosphere.

More or less what you would expect from a end of times novel...

According to other sites most people didn't like this one very much. I, on the contrary loved it. The tone reminds one of Chandler's novels, although this one is taking place in NY around 2005. Also reminded me a lot of the movie Chinatown without the cynicism. The intrigue goes nowhere, we're talking long walks in various NY neighborhoods and meeting all kinds of interesting characteers, reminding me so much of the 2 years I worked there and did more or less the same. Incredible town, where you stop at any jazz joint and hear people jamming, for a handful of listeners the best music I've ever heard.

Literary thriller which is interested more in demonstrating a (often boring) mastery of English than anything else.
For example:"The fug of evening heat, deoxy genated by too much conversation, was now crackling above the chocolate and the olive oil parfaits." This emphasis on language makes it tediously heavy with the intrigue starting well, getting lost in the middle to make a comeback for the last section.

L'intrigue principale devrait, et nous raconte, les événements qui ont conduit à l'assinat de Heydrich en 1942.

Laurent Binet inclut les détails importants mais c'est dommage de voir qu'il inclut également ses propres commentaires sur ce qu'il devrait inclure et ne pas inclure pour finalement inclure ou exclure, peu importe ce qu'il en a dit auparavant.

Je suppose que ses réflexions personnelles, toujours présentes, sont censées alléger quelque peu le ton du roman, mais dans mon cas, elles n'ont réussi qu'à rendre très irritante une histoire qui autrement m'aurait beaucoup intéressé.

This is a 110 pages book of metaphors, long metaphors, short ones, tortured ones and blistered ones.

Disappointing, I've been to Africa in the 60s and it's a beautiful but sometimes really hard world that is certainly worth much more than obscure metaphors.

For those interested in gaining a more insightful vision I highly recommend Romain Gary's Les racines du ciel.

Reading the blurb on the cover, one has the impression that this is going to be a revenge thriller or at least some kind of thriller. But not at all, this is a novel. For the first half of the book, one is intrigued, wondering where this is going to lead to. Then one becomes clear that this is not a revenge book, it's something else. Interesting nevertheless...

One has the feeling that this was, for the author, an assignment. Long stretches of text which seem obviously to be written to fill space, to reach the number of pages required by the teacher.

Not really my type.

the premise of the story should make for interesting reading, but in my opinion the author uses such a casual and plain writing style that it quickly becomes somewhat boring. He catches up a bit on the ending that is quicker paced but a bit too late for me.

Rien de transcendant mais bien écrit avec une intrigue qui se défend bien.  Tous les clichés du genre y sont, y compris la finale pendant l'orage mais on pardonne volontiers à l'auteure car elle nous a fait passer un bon moment.