Clíona Agnew

It’s very rare that I don’t finish a book, but If I’m really not enjoying a book within the first few chapters I put it down and don’t pick it up again. Life if too short to waste time on books we don’t enjoy. This book was hard to read. The writing style more than anything was an issue for me. The sentences were drawn out, splattered with commas and made the story impossible to follow. Richard Osman is very clearly a smart person but it felt like he was as trying to be too smart with his writing, adding unnecessary detail and flowery language that really made it unbearable to read. I picked this book up because of the reviews and advertising it had been receiving but was really shocked when I started reading to find it was one of the worst books I’ve ever read. And I don’t use that term lightly, some of my favourite books are books that are not necessarily deemed to be good books. I’m sure that many people read and enjoyed it but it just wasn’t for me.