Customer Reviews

Goodbye Lemon

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought and read "Goodbye Lemon" during its first week of release because I loved Adam Davies' previous novel, The Frog King, SO much and couldn't wait to read the characters he was going to create next. (Regrettably, I forgot to post a review immediately after.)

While I did again love Davies' conversational writing style, I never connected and bonded with the characters and story as much as I did with his first novel. However, my curiosity was piqued as to what exactly the meaning of the title was and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it. I think, though...I wanted "more." I wanted to like the main character more and I wanted to feel more emotionally attached and laugh.

I look forward to Davies' next novel and hope it contains the same spark and charisma of "The Frog King."

I loved The Frog King, and liked *parts* of this book but not the sum of its parts. The writing and descriptions are artful and I like Davies' use of language, although he takes the 'list' concept a little too far in the beginning. In the second half, however, the book falls apart as does the main character. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I found the resolution of the book's central conflict to be utterly unsatisfying and left me wondering what exactly the author was trying to convey. The main character's contemptible self-pity got so tiring that I was actually annoyed that things worked out for him in the end...

If you are looking for a good read and haven't read this author before, get The Frog King instead.

Alas, the beauty of Adam Davies' youthful voice as an author was too often tinged with show-off-iness. Too bad. The story is compelling. The brothers in the story are touching and tender. It's a shame that Davies got carried away with his own facile wit and glib repartee in a number of places. When this happens, we suspect that he is showing off more than telling a story. It's distracting and disappointing. I wish his publisher's editor had been more discerning about this tendency and insistent upon cuts. I know it's hard for writers to toss out jewels of erudition, but the book would have been incredible with judicious editing. I do believe that as Mr. Davies matures, his writing will get better and better and he will become a twenty-first century talent to reckon with.

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. It is laugh-out-loud funny at times; at other times it brings you close to tears. I love Adam Davies' way with words and his sense of humor. As if all of that wasn't enough, it's nearly impossible to put down once you start reading. I look forward to reading anything and everything else by this author.

"Goodbye Lemon" is one of the best books I've read this year. Adam Davies ability to create such well developed, tragically flawed characters, makes this a truly amazing novel. Davies taps into all the great fears and regrets, confusions and frustrations of mid-life, creating a novel that touches your soul, and makes you yearn to resolve the disfunctions of your own family. This book is "The Catcher in the Rye" for the middle aged.

I randomly found this book at the bookstore, and I am so glad I did! I have not yet read "The Frog King," but I will definitely read it soon! I really enjoyed the writing style, and loved the insight into the main character's feelings and emotions. I thought each character was portrayed very well, and I really understood each personality.

The book was also unpredictable in subtile ways. There were no huge plot turns like in typical novels, but there were little surprising twists in each character's personality. We eventually found out why each character acted the way they did, and each revelation was interesting and surprising. It is also a book about the connections of family. The entire book kept me intrigued, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you appreciate the little things, you will definitely appreciate this book.

This book is so refreshingly NOT another neopostrealist confessional exercise. It's more like a weird fable for grownups. The characters and their predicaments are extreme; the style is constantly surprising and playfully self-conscious; the plot is driven by various kinds of insane guilt, yet it's funny (I laughed out loud often) and charming, and it makes no secret of being good-hearted in teaching lessons in love.

A great read.

Was pleasantly surprised, in a great way. The prose is so quick, so clever that I found myself wishing Jack and co. were more than fiction. To boot, the story is well told and emotionally fulfilling. I'd recommend saying Hello to Lemon with all deliberate speed!

I love Davies' ability to create quirky and endearing characters. I believe in them, cringe when they let me down and continually hope that they will eventually get it right. I deliberately tried to pace myself as I read "Goodbye Lemon," because I wanted to savor every moment. However, it was so good, and the story so compelling that I could not make myself put it down, you won't be able to put it down either.

I feel like I was tricked in to buying this book. It had 5 star reviews and I was looking for something good to read. Once I started to read it became obvious this is a very mediocre book. I went back and checked the reviews and they were all written by people who had never reviewed other books. I suspect they were "planted" to promote the book. Unfortunately this seems to happen quite often on Amazon. Fool me once.......