Rating: 
Summary: This is a must for anyone who manages/supervises employees!
Review: For the lover of the type of English wit and humor that Monty Python or Fawlty Towers might stir to mind. Mills' departure on the daily duties of a fence foremen in Scotland, and the mishaps and misfortunes that he faces as only an Englishman can, are fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Mad Cows and Scotsmen?
Review: Having worked in a business that did installations (carpeting in this case), I certainly recognized the characterizations of Tam and Richie. The author did such a good job with these two that I could feel his narrator's frustrations with his charges. Although the ending initially left me hanging, I eventually began to see how it offered the opportunity for speculation and discussion. Kudos to Magnus Mills for writing a very good book.
Rating:
Summary: A standout for the characters and humor
Review: I absolutely loved this well-written glimpse into the life of 3 fence builders and their adventures in Scotland and England.I was laughing throughout this book, but readers should be forewarned that the humor isn't for everyone (it is a very dry humor, even a black humor) and the plot, such as it is, tends to ramble, meander and go in anything but a straightforward direction. Still, I couldn't put it down, riveted by the lives of these three men, the various crises that came up and their way of bumbling through each day as best they could. It was obvious that the author know about the life described here.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast reading entertainment
Review: I bought this book because of it being shortlisted. It was funny and a fast read, but in the end it was disappointing, or shall I say the ending was a disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: strangely compelling
Review: I can't say what attracted me to this book. Having read it, I can't quite put my finger on why I found it such a pleasure. It has a dark underbelly and a lingering menace which simmers in the back of one's mind. Magnus Mills has a real talent and I look forward to watching him nurture that talent in future novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-rated first draft with a weak ending
Review: I could see where the book was going about 2/3 of the way through and was tremendously disappointed to find that my suspicions were correct. If it wasn't such a quick read I would have given it up earlier. The same raw materials in the hands of Tom Sharpe would have been better crafted.
Rating:
Summary: Hynotically compelling
Review: I have a weakness for dark comedies about average people just trying to get from day to day while retaining grasp of their pride and sanity, and this book fits into the surreal end of that category. The pace is slow, the action is monotonous, the characters lack insight into their own actions--yet I found myself far more engaged in a novel revolving around fence post driving than I ever expected to be. The languid predictability of day after day of work becomes hypnotic, until jagged reality asserts itself. An excellent afternoon's read.
Rating:
Summary: Left empty by the ending
Review: I loved All Quiet on the Orient Express by Mills but I must say I was disappointed by Restraint of Beasts. The characters were good but the ending was abrupt and without closure. I was even wondering whether the last pages were missing (unfortunately, no). It is a quick read so I don't feel it was a waste. Take from it what you can and then pick up All Quiet on the Orient Express.
Rating:
Summary: Left empty by the ending
Review: I loved All Quiet on the Orient Express by Mills but I must say I was disappointed by Restraint of Beasts. The characters were good but the ending was abrupt and without closure. I was even wondering whether the last pages were missing (unfortunately, no). It is a quick read so I don't feel it was a waste. Take from it what you can and then pick up All Quiet on the Orient Express.
Rating:
Summary: Good sense of humour and easy reading
Review: I loved it.. it was amusing and had the occasional unexpected moment. I read the entire book in 4 hours and was quite enthralled by it. It certainly stopped me thinking about other things as I concentrated on the characters and wondered how they would end the novel. If you're british, read it!
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