The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
A Brief History of Seven Killings – Marlon James
READ FOR BOOKERTHON
Spanning decades and continents with a wide range of characters, A Brief History of Seven Killings is the fictional exploration of the attempted assassination of Bob Marley.
❍ “I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t finish this book. It’s no offence to the author, I have attempted The Luminaries three times to no avail. I was very interested in the storyline however I will just put my cards on the table and say this was at times an intellectually challenging book and I wasn’t up to the task.
With other shortlisters such as The Fishermen or A Spool of Blue Thread I was able to completely lose myself in the story – to be transported into other people’s lives and worlds. With A Brief History of Seven Killings I had to concentrate so hard on the different threads on the storyline I was unable to fully immerse myself in the book. Again, this is a reflection on me rather than any fault of the author’s. I will attempt this book again when I’m holiday-ing and not under the pressure of speed-reading all of the short-listers in a few weeks. Wish me luck!” – Suzy
❍ “Any book that has to include a long cast of characters in the opening pages is an immediate put off for me. And as expected it was the who’s who that slowed me down in my reading. However, the book has an interesting premise, re-living the time Bob Marley was ambushed and shot by intruders. But there were a lot of different styles of narrative used to tell the story and while I enjoyed/understood some of the character’s tales, others I was equally uninterested in/confused by. I do however appreciate what a mammoth task this book must have been to write and enjoyed learning a bit about Jamaican history.” – Rachel
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