Luke reviewed Solar by Ian McEwan
Meh
2 stars
Cover quotes talked of humour and being funny but didn’t find it at all amusing. Ok story but meh
Paperback, 288 pages
English language
Published Oct. 28, 2011 by Vintage.
Solar
by Ian McEwan
3 stars
(12 reviews)
Solar is a novel by author Ian McEwan, first published on 18 March 2010 by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House. It is a satire about a jaded Nobel-winning physicist whose dysfunctional personal life and cynical ambition see him pursuing a solar-energy based solution for climate change.
Jonathan Arnold reviewed Solar by Ian McEwan
Review of 'Solar' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Solar was a very strange book. It tells the story of Michael Beard, a dissolute former Nobel Prize winner late in life, just floating along between speaking gigs, government panels and spots on company boards. He's gaining weight, getting divorced (for the 5th time) and finds it impossible to get motivated. A few things happen (good and bad) and his life is chronicled. I almost gave up on this book, deciding to follow Hank Stuevers' 50 page rule but before the 50 pages were up, he traveled to the Artic for some pretty interesting comic (mis)adventures and so I stuck with it. Still not sure why, as Beard isn't that attractive, interesting or clever a character. I guess I just wanted to see what happened to him next, and was wondering if it would ever be explained why an aging, overweight, egotistical blowhard like Beard could keep finding women, especially …
Solar was a very strange book. It tells the story of Michael Beard, a dissolute former Nobel Prize winner late in life, just floating along between speaking gigs, government panels and spots on company boards. He's gaining weight, getting divorced (for the 5th time) and finds it impossible to get motivated. A few things happen (good and bad) and his life is chronicled. I almost gave up on this book, deciding to follow Hank Stuevers' 50 page rule but before the 50 pages were up, he traveled to the Artic for some pretty interesting comic (mis)adventures and so I stuck with it. Still not sure why, as Beard isn't that attractive, interesting or clever a character. I guess I just wanted to see what happened to him next, and was wondering if it would ever be explained why an aging, overweight, egotistical blowhard like Beard could keep finding women, especially attractive women (it wasn't).
Applemcg reviewed Solar: a novel by Ian McEwan
Review of 'Solar' on 'LibraryThing'
3 stars
disappointed. while the credits on the jacket testify to McEwan's deft use of the tongue, it took until page 150 before he gave us a glimpse of the title's import. and while the finale is thrilling and fast-paced, it's largely predictable. it's intriguing that our protagonist's name is conflated with Einstein's, and his project has something to do with the implications. i'll await the judgment of physicists, not for the efficacy, but any contact with reality. if there is light at the end of the tunnel, please don't shroud it. apart from raised expectations, it may be a good novel.
Laura Lemay reviewed Solar (Biblioteca Mcewan) by Ian McEwan
Review of 'Solar (Biblioteca Mcewan)' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I'm OK with books that have completely detestable main characters, although I
Mostly what annoyed me about this book was that if felt strained and obvious. The metaphors and imagery paid clunky service to THE MESSAGE throughout the book. It's terrifically written, and terribly funny in places, but it's definitely not his best work.
