THE HOUSE OF SLEEP: Amazon.ca: JONATHAN COE: Books

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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars not the best by Coe, Dec 10 2003

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"g-dog-star" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House of Sleep (Paperback)

This book is obviously pleasant to read and even captivating. However the slightly cheesy romantic undertone and some very obvious, easy-to-guess, twists of the plot are truly disappointing; the witty political criticism that enlights 'what a carve up' or 'the rotter's club' is diluted here, reduced to the caricatural Dr Dudden, a too-gross-to-be-true maniac character. Also here the subtle intertwining of histories and timeframe so typical of Coe's style appear heavy and systematic. If you're new to Coe, I'd recommand his more ambitious first novel.

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2.0 out of 5 stars A resoundingly okay read, Dec 4 2001

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Jonathan Rimorin (Cormorant Island) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House of Sleep (Paperback)

The descriptions of college life and young love are well done, though no more dicey or cutting-edge than "St. Elmo's Fire." The "surprise" that the narrative hinges upon, however, is not much of a surprise -- the only reason my jaw dropped in astonishment was because Mr. Coe actually had the cojones to employ such a hoary conceit. (He also uses the letter-stuck-in-a-book-and-reappearing-at-a-pivotal-moment-twenty-years-later trope, with greater result; but without a trace, a smidgen of the wicked irony that dripped from "What A Carve Up!")

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5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written British narrative, Nov 27 2001

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Carol Gancia (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House of Sleep (Paperback)

The House of Sleep is a well-written novel that is hard to find these days, especially in Asian bookstores where variety is confined to books with Hollywood plots. This book stirs the mind like no other novel I have encountered in the recent past. I was in awe about how the writer was able to spin a most interesting and insane story about old friends in a college boarding house in Britain. The characters are very intriguing. And the book, which goes back and forth through time alternately per chapter, was seamlessly written. Writer Jonathan Coe manages to make the story move forward with his brilliant and very imaginative writing. Truly worth your time! A refreshing read for people who enjoy wild surprises!

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A snooze
Jonathan Coe's books are usually vividly witty, biting and occasionally outright scathing, with characters that are usually either very human or distant and weird. Read more

Published on Sep 21 2003 by E. A Solinas

1.0 out of 5 stars House of Sleep - - no kidding!
The title says it all! This book completely put me to sleep. I read it because of the amount of great reviews that it got, but I think I must have been reading a totally... Read more

Published on Aug 16 2001 by J. Young