Customer Reviews
The best modern novel I have read in ages - By: Maeve Kenny, 30 Sep 2008 
I just loved this book. I agree with the reviewer who said something like clear the decks & just read this book, because when I wasn't reading it I just wanted to get back to it. I was so pleased it was 600 pages long as I just didn't want it to end.
I thought it was so well planned, beautifully written & clever. I enjoyed Lionel Shriver's deep delve into relationships. The basic concept of the book is that in life, a crossroads may just appear - & the choice you make at that crossroads can totallly change the course of your life.
You reallly wouldn't have to be into snooker to enjoy this book - but as I am, it enhanced my enjoyment of it even more. I loved the inclusion of real life snooker players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan & Stephen Hendry. It made me wonder what they thought of their portrayal in this book.
One tiny reservation - the cockney dialect was rather dodgy to say the least - but I could forgive Lionel Shriver anything in this book!
The ending - understated though it was - was thought provoking. I sat for a long time after I had finished the book, just pondering the way it ended.
Thank you to Lionel Shriver for writing this book - & I hope other readers will enjoy it as much as I did.
Started well, but became tedious and flawed... - By: sam155, 09 Sep 2008 
I bought this book because of Lionel Shriver's reputation, not having read "We need to talk about Kevin". It was an interesting concept to split the story into two & I was intrigued. However, several things spoilt it for me.
Firstly, as many other reviewers have so rightly commented- what on earth is going on with Ramsay's ridiculous cockney accent? Nobody in the world speaks like that. Its as if Shriver watched a few early Ealing Comedies or some Harry Enfield sketches & assumed cockneys still calll each other "ducky" & say things like "I'll wager that..". If you can't "write" an accent, then give your character a different accent that you CAN do! In the final chapter (its OK, no spoilers) it mentions that Ramsay's parents are middle class & he therefore picked up the accent along the way. This is a very flimsy, glued-on sort of explanation for a badly written accent & made me think her editor made her write that as she couldn't be bothered to go back through & inject some authenticity to the dialogue. All she had to do was watch Eastenders for goodness sake! The problem with this flaw is that I then lost faith in the author, as if my suspension of disbelief was interrupted with every word Ramsay spoke. It ruined many a scene, Ducky.
After that constant irritation, I must say I didn't warm very much to Irina. After alll, she lied to Lawrence when seeing Ramsay & then lied to Ramsay when seeing Lawrence. Her sense of justification is a bit overdone & the navel gazing became tedious & obsessive. The prose was otherwise excellent & raised some interesting points. Mainly that the grass isn't greener, just different & that you may not find your entire wish list of qualities in one man. It also points out that rituals & routine are lodestones which bond & comfort in a long term relationship. However, she then goes & spoils it by practicallly changing Lawrence's character over halfway through.
All in alll, it took me so long to plough through this book with its over heavy littering of Russian phrases & Snooker-loopiness that I was relieved when it ended. I won't give it away but the ending disappointed me. It may not disappoint everyone, but it did me. Overalll, an interesting read, but heavy & dark & contains Irina's every cough & spit & is about 150 pages too long!
A brilliant, moving read - By: DS, 15 Aug 2008 Like other reviewers I wasn't sure about the "Sliding Doors" type plot device. However, I enjoyed this book immensely. Using this format alllows the author to explore so many different avenues, & the two paralllel story lines, with their similarities & differences, are very cleverly crafted. She seems to come to the conclusion that there are no right or wrong turns, or choices, in life, only different routes through it, & that some outcomes are inevitable whatever we decide. An extremely thought-provoking & accomplished book. Can't wait for the next one!
A marathon but thought provoking read - By: Russell Turner, 20 Jul 2008 
Its a long read but ultimately worth it as it shows what an elusive thing "perception" is - how you could come to totallly different conclusions, choices & opinons about your life because of what happens in one moment in time when you have to make a choice about something. I must admit to be an alternate universe fan so the format & content of this novel attracted me (I also enjoyed Sliding Doors & GroundHog Day. After about 100 pages I thought "Well thats it, why do we need another 300 pages of the same" - but in fact I enjoyed the last 100 or so pages as much as the first 100. Although on the face of it a romance type book, I feel its much more than this, Shriver is a very fine writer & a keen observer of life. 7 out of 10. For another take on how lives can go in different directions try reading "Replay" by Ken Grimwood
Loved it..... - By: Angel, 12 Jul 2008 I absolutely loved this book. I had reservations to begin with; I didn't like that the author seemed to have stolen the 'Sliding Doors' idea, I found the first few chapters very slow, & I didn't warm to the character of Irina (and to be honest, never did). However the more I read the more I became engaged with the 'idea' of the book & whilst I skipped over many passages of dialogue (I grew up in Northern Ireland & reallly can't be bothered with endless debates about the politics!) I was fascinated by the emotional dilemmas the book triggered. It was one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read. Highly recommended (despite the truly terrible 'Cockney dialogue'!!!!).
