The Russian Girl

Rating:
Summary: entertaining, not involving
Review: A decent novel but nothing spectacular. Amis is (wordily) witty as always, but the conflict here seems contrived and the whole thing runs out of energy near the end. Too much dialogue with the prof's various friends, most of it repetitive. After reading five Amis novels I'm beginning to think his Lucky Jim was a bit of a fluke.

Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: Well-written, entertaining, and a bit surprising. I've read almost all of his novels ... most are good, a few are great, a couple are marginal. This is a good one. It is not at all obvious that the hero is better off at the end than at the beginning. Thinking is required of the reader so if that isn't your thing, don't bother.

Rating:
Summary: Another good one
Review: Well-written, entertaining, and a bit surprising. I've read almost all of his novels ... most are good, a few are great, a couple are marginal. This is a good one. It is not at all obvious that the hero is better off at the end than at the beginning. Thinking is required of the reader so if that isn't your thing, don't bother.

Rating:
Summary: Kingsley Amis - in a world of his own
Review: What does this writer intend exactly? Hollow charcters you would personally boot out of a dinner party, plus linguistically dubious attempts at Russian double talk. An utter bore this book: God! I'm beginning to sound like Sir Kingsley himself.