Rating: 
Summary: Sparse prose with poetic elements
Review: This is a most unusual book which deals with a strange topic and has a uniquely bizarre cast of characters who are also rather unlikable right from the start. The subject is euthanasia, now legal in Amsterdam. The book is a case study of how it could potentially be misused to justify and get away with premeditated murder. The protagonists ruminate with pity on the deterioration of Molly, an amazing and unbelievable larger than life heroine who reputedly could still perform age defying cartwheels after 40 , work as a professional restaurant critic and not only bed down the rich and famous, but retain their life long undying affection. The four main characters are all introduced to us in the first chapter in a very interesting setting, as they attend the cremation of Molly, now a deceased former lover they all share in common. It is quite clear from the outset that circumstances make them rivals pitted against each other, even while two former lovers see themselves as friends and allies . Jealousy motivates their interactions with other lovers milling about as well. Twice we are witness to really nasty verbal interchanges. In subsequent chapters the author shows us interesting scenes of the composer and the newspaper editor hard at work. He reveals them both as morally flawed when they fail to live up to the challenging choices they must make and instead choose very self centered options which will ultimately serve to plummet them to their destinies. As some readers have commented this can be a fast read and can be finished in just a few hours. The prose the author uses is a simple and flowing sentence structure. One can rapidly gain an understanding of the plot and grasp the gist of its few central characters. The work is however, intended to be read much more slowly with appreciation for the thoughts in between the lines which are lost if one speeds through. There is a poetic aspect to McEwan's writing and one needs to slow down to appreciate it. One of the book's themes very much concerns jealous rivalry and possession. Early on the composer meditates about Molly and rues: " Now she was fine ash in an alabaster urn for George (Molly's husband) to keep on top of his wardrobe." George who was always forced to share her will ultimately come out a winner. "All in all things hadn't turned out so badly on the former-lovers front." Contemplating finally having a memorial service, George thinks to himself that "he alone would make the speech, and no one else. No former lovers exchanging glances."
I would agree with readers who do not think this novel is on par with some of the other Booker prize winners. It is none the less a worth while read.
Rating: 
Summary: Two thirds of a good book
Review: I greatly enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book. The denouement, however, is highly contrived, with the characters' actions being dictated by the needs of the plot rather than by the personal characteristics which McEwan has attributed to them. McEwan may have intended this as a parallel to a development in the plot, but if he did he's still wasting our time.
Rating: 
Summary: Slick
Review: I whipped through "Amsterdam" in a few hours. It's written in a very deft, elegant style, something not to be taken for granted nowadays, when "literary" novels are often over-written and bloated. It's true, the plot can get contrived and unconvincing at times, but McEwan's gift for observation and detail kept me from minding too much. The characters are generally calculating and nasty, but I actually enjoyed that, as it added to the book's entertainment value--and does anyone deny that there are plenty of people like that? Being both a journalist and a fan of modern symphonic music, I especially liked the newspaper scenes, and the scenes where Linley is composing his symphony. This was my first McEwan novel. Based on my positive experience, I think I'll be looking for more.
Rating: 
Summary: waste of time
Review: This book is terrible. I'm giving the 1 star for the dustjacket on the hardcover edition. Amsterdam reinforces the belief that literary prizes such as the Booker are more about politics than good writing. It was awarded the Booker prize to appease the xenophobic high echelon of the English literary scene who felt that Enduring Love should have won the previous year's Booker instead of The God Of Small Things (after all Rushdie's done India). There is little doubt regarding Ian McEwan's ability to write with wonderful works such as the short stories. The Cement Garden and Enduring Love. However if you are really that struggling to find something of his to read, try his supermarket shopping list.
Rating:
Summary: A light and cleverly written little tale
Review: A thin volume for a Booker Prize winner, this was a clever little mystery - written without a lot of the filler and fluff that sometimes accompanies such tales. A woman named Molly Lane dies and at the funeral her many friends and lovers discuss some of the mystery of her life and her death. Two of those friends, a snooty newsman and pompous musician decide that the most horrible thing would be to find oneself in a vegetative state - and they pledge to "help" the other should something like this befall either one of them. It is with some hilarity that the reader is able to follow the trials of these two men and try to guess which will succumb to the other first, and how the whole series of events are set in motion. Perhaps for some readers there will not be enough character development - although I felt that not much more was necessary - we knew all we really needed to about our various protagonists. It's a short, easy read with an almost lightness of manner. A clever romp
Rating:
Summary: Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Review: Anyone who reads this book is struck by its superior prose; in fact, the prose threatens to supercede the content/characters. Rhis, I believe, was McEwan's intention. His characters are so vacuous, self-absorbed, elite, pompous yuppies, that they cloak their numerous deficient character traits in empty hyperbolic prose. Their descriptions of music, landscape, interior decor, and people are tediously long winded and droll. Ultimately, these descriptions make the reader want to simultaneously yawn and sneer. This is a typical Booker Prize winner: "high literature." It is in the genre of Coetzee's "Disgrace."
Rating:
Summary: Prose over plot
Review: I gave this book 2 start since the nicest thing I can honestly say is that the book is grammatically beautiful...but I found myself umimpressed by the tedious way the story was presented. I cannot believe it won an award...It must have been for prose over content. The writing should not have been so self-important as to alienate the reader from the main characters. We really didn't find out enough about the woman that died in the opening scene, but after a while you figure she was probably better off than dealing with her husband and past lovers. They all had little personality and were self-absorbed. It made me wonder why she should have been involved with any of them. The ending of the book was more of a sigh of relief than a fitting ending. I would not recommend this book...I am glad I got it on sale.
Rating:
Summary: Not a prize winner, for sure
Review: This is a poor, contrived little book that appears to intentionally keep the reader distanced from the characters. Unfortunately, style has triumphed over content. The plot moves along at a reasonable pace in the first half, leaving the reader feeling vaguely satisfied, but the final fifty pages are dreadful. There simply isn't enough depth of characterisation to make us care in the slightest about the two main individuals and to sympathise with their predicaments. The final chapter is painful. Maybe, like one of his characters, Ian McEwan was running out of time. I fail to see any reason why 'Amsterdam' should have won the 1998 Booker Prize. For me, it passed a few hours on a long train journey but don't expect anything deep and meaningful; you'll not find it here.
Rating:
Summary: Surprise Booker winner falls below usual McEwan standard
Review: I see this as one of McEwan's lesser novels. The story is fairly slender, and the ending rather unsatisfying. The characters, mainly politicians and journalists, are rather lifeless too. Whenever I see the grey cover of my UK hardback edition, it seems to echo the contents... But only relatively speaking. After "Enduring Love", what can we expect? In truth, "Amsterdam" is neat and enjoyable, but doesn't have the deliciously shocking moments we've come to expect from McEwan. "Black Dogs" was similarly low key. I'm glad I bought it, but I wouldn't like to think that this is what we can expect from Ian McEwan from from now on. I'm sure it isn't!
Rating: 
Summary: 'Amsterdam' Is A Worthy McEwan!
Review: Preamble: Literary awards and the coffee house/book club literati make for a lethal combination. Every year that old 'snob factor' albatross is pulled down from the attic, dusted off and hoisted over the necks of honest readers everywhere. Please don't let the fact that Ian McEwan won the Booker Prize stop you from reading this book! Ian McEwan's greatest gift as a writer is his ability to pare down the layers and bring us to the essence of the story. There is no other writer alive today who can say so much with so little [David Foster Wallace please take note!] Whether it's unrequited love, secrets in the basement or just plain murder - no one but McEwan can serve it up with such clinically fluorescent sparseness. 'Amsterdam' - a tale of friendship, self delusion and grieving is a worthy addition to the McEwan canon. The reader is invited into a tightly constrained world where frayed interpersonal emotions are hidden, ever so slightly, beneath a shaky facade of civility. McEwan's tale, coming in under just under 200 pages can [if one wishes] be knocked back like a shot of whiskey or enjoyed like a fine port after a sumptuous dinner. I beg you to choose the latter. If this is your first McEwan, 'Amsterdam' will serve well as an introduction. Sympathy is a valuable and scarce commodity in the McEwan universe - but when you find it, usually in the most unexpected of places and actions, it will stay with you and have you coming back hungry for more. Enjoy!
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