I loved Tom Rachman's first novel The Imperfectionists so much that I gave copies of it as gifts so I was eager to read this, his follow up...And I have to say that I was sadly disappointed by it.
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers tells the story of Tooley, a 30 year old bookshop owner and her childhood. Brought up by her Father and a series of shadowy so called guardians she has an unconventional childhood being constantly uprooted and moved from country to country. In 2011 Tooley begins to use social media (?!?) and reconnects with four of these people - her Father, her Mother, an elderly 'Russian' emigre called Humphrey and the mysterious Venn.
On paper it seems as if it could be a good read right? but I found this book to be dull and uninspiring. Nothing of great interest happens or is revealed. I found Tooley to be an annoying, manipulative, priggish character who I had no sympathy with (even the name 'Tooley' annoys me!) and the other characters I found to be depressing and underdeveloped by the author.
This was a very slow read for me. I kept on reading it hoping that something great would happen and turn the book around for me but it never did. A very dissatisfying read.
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