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Amsterdam: A Novel (Man Booker Prize Winner) Paperback – November 2, 1999

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 3,927 ratings

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BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A sharp contemporary morality tale, cleverly disguised as a comic novel, Amsterdam is "a dark tour de force, perfectly fashioned" (The New York Times) from the bestselling author of Atonement.

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a London crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence: Clive is Britain's most successful modern composer, and Vernon is a newspaper editor. Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers, too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister. In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact with consequences that neither could have foreseen…
"Layla" by Colleen Hoover for $7.19
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love. | Learn more

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Editorial Reviews

Review

WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE

"A dark tour de force, perfectly fashioned." —Michiko Kakutani,
The New York Times

"A well-oiled machine.... Ruthless and amusing." —
The New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully spare prose, wicked observation, and dark comic brio." —
The Boston Globe

"At once far-reaching and tightly self-contained, a fin de siécle phantasmagoria." —
New York

"Ian McEwan has proven himself to be one of Britain's most distinct voices and one of its most versatile talents.... Chilling and darkly comic." —
Chicago Tribune

"By far his best work to date ... an energizing tightrope between feeling and lack of feeling, between humanity's capacity to support and save and its equally ubiquitous penchant for detachment and cruelty." —
The San Diego Union-Tribune

"You won't find a more enjoyable novel ... masterfully wrought, sure to delight a reader with even half a sense of humor." —
The Atlant Journal-Constitution

"McEwan writes the sort of witty repartee and scathing retort we wished we thought of in the heat of battle. On a broader scale, McEwan's portrayal of the mutually parasitic relationship between politicians and journalists is as damning as it is comic." —
The Christian Science Monitor

From the Inside Flap

On a chilly February day, two old friends meet in the throng outside a London crematorium to pay their last respects to Molly Lane. Both Clive Linley and Vernon Halliday had been Molly's lovers in the days before they reached their current eminence: Clive is Britain's most successful modern composer, and Vernon is editor of the newspaper The Judge. Gorgeous, feisty Molly had other lovers, too, notably Julian Garmony, Foreign Secretary, a notorious right-winger tipped to be the next prime minister.

In the days that follow Molly's funeral, Clive and Vernon will make a pact with consequences that neither could have foreseen. Each will make a disastrous moral decision, their friendship will be tested to its limits, and Julian Garmony will be fighting for his political life. A sharp contemporary morality tale, cleverly disguised as a comic novel,
Amsterdam is "as sheerly enjoyable a book as one is likely to pick up this year" (The Washington Post Book World).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (November 2, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385494246
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385494243
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 0.55 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 3,927 ratings

About the author

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Ian McEwan
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Ian McEwan is a critically acclaimed author of short stories and novels for adults, as well as The Daydreamer, a children's novel illustrated by Anthony Browne. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His other award-winning novels are The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award, and Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3,927 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the writing quality and humor of the book. They describe it as well-written, easy to read, and witty with irony. Many find the book short and enjoyable. However, opinions differ on the plot and readability. Some readers appreciate the mature insight into the twists of fate, while others feel the plot is flawed and rushed toward its ending. There are also mixed reviews regarding the character development, with some finding them amazing and sharply drawn, while others consider them annoying or shadowy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

62 customers mention "Writing quality"45 positive17 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book. They find the language delightful, the plot engaging, and the writing tight. The book is easy to read with satisfying pacing and a satisfying conclusion. Readers appreciate the passages about music as among the author's best.

"...Well-written, with a dark humor pervading its pages, Amsterdam is a good, brief read." Read more

"...Despite the beautiful prose, the terse writing style, and the wonderful mature insight into the twists of fate, there was too much symetry and a too..." Read more

"...It was easy to see how the pivotal moments after Molly's death transformed them toward their darker sides...." Read more

"...is set at the core of a cultural elite who enjoys expensive wine, produces art and makes decisions that can change the future of a nation,..." Read more

22 customers mention "Humor"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book witty, ironic, and well-written. They describe it as a good, brief read with dark realism and a biting commentary on literary/artistic pretensions. The wit and irony keep the book light without being superficial, making it quirky and entertaining.

"...Well-written, with a dark humor pervading its pages, Amsterdam is a good, brief read." Read more

"...McEwan themes such as fidelity, politics, writers as characters and irony...." Read more

"This is certainly a well written short novel. It is clever, bitter, witty, and moves at such a quick pace that I suggest reading it in one sitting..." Read more

"...level, and it ruined what had, up till then, been a highly enjoyable, witty and insightful work...." Read more

18 customers mention "Short novel"14 positive4 negative

Customers find the book a quick and enjoyable read. They describe it as a good, brief novel, with an excellent title. The author is described as one of the best storytellers around today, never wasting a word.

"...At less than 200 pages of relatively big print, Amsterdam is a short novel that can be read pretty quickly...." Read more

"...Entertaining and thoughtful, this quickly read short book is certainly above average but certainly not great literature." Read more

"...Still, this is a very pleasant, short, brief, light and entertaining read." Read more

"...a good reputation, but this book left you feeling it was a too long short story or a too short novel... interesting characters, a different plot..." Read more

71 customers mention "Plot"47 positive24 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot. Some find it interesting enough, with a mature insight into twists of fate. Others feel the plot is flawed and predictable, with an inherently unbelievable ending.

"...Although it starts slowly, the story soon becomes quite compelling...." Read more

"...There are some lessons without being preachy on 'judge not lest ye be judged.' It is very tongue in cheek, like the very best of Ian McEwan." Read more

"...are not adequately explained, but in more essential ways the plot line is deeply flawed...." Read more

"...beautiful prose, the terse writing style, and the wonderful mature insight into the twists of fate, there was too much symetry and a too tightly..." Read more

49 customers mention "Readability"31 positive18 negative

Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find it a pleasant, light, and entertaining read with seamless transitions between interior and exterior perspectives. Others feel the book is disappointing, overly complicated, and underdeveloped.

"...of his that I've read, and, even if it's not his best, it is still a good book...." Read more

"...however, feels a little unbalanced in this respect, and therefore underdeveloped - one might easily, one suspects, have transcended the doom and..." Read more

"...Entertaining and thoughtful, this quickly read short book is certainly above average but certainly not great literature." Read more

"...dark humor isn’t my type but that didn’t diminish from what was an enjoyable read...." Read more

31 customers mention "Character development"20 positive11 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters amazing and sharply drawn, with great insight into their minds and daily lives. The author is praised for his attention to plot details and talent. However, others feel the rhythm is slow and the characters are not interesting at all.

"...many familiar McEwan themes such as fidelity, politics, writers as characters and irony...." Read more

"...The book has shallow, self-indulgent characters, but that doesn't mean they are not interesting...." Read more

"...as any other contemporary writer, McEwan pays great attention to the intricacies of plot and character...." Read more

"...started plotting, I found the pages turning rapidly; I then engaged with the characters, their vulnerabilities, as well as the streak of evil that..." Read more

11 customers mention "Pace"4 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, with a taut plot and sharply drawn characters. Others feel the story starts slowly and lacks direction, with a slow rhythm and rushed ending.

"...Although it starts slowly, the story soon becomes quite compelling...." Read more

"...It is clever, bitter, witty, and moves at such a quick pace that I suggest reading it in one sitting if possible...." Read more

"...how well the characters have been developed although the time frame is just a few weeks...." Read more

"...is typically McEwan: an intriguing story told in depth, but the extremely slow pace gives it an air of unbelievability...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2006
    Although Ian McEwan has been around for a while, his first really `big" novel was Atonement. For me, as probably with many others, Atonement was my first exposure to McEwan, but I decided it wouldn't be my last. Amsterdam is the fourth book of his that I've read, and, even if it's not his best, it is still a good book.

    There are three principal characters in this novel: Clive Linley, a classical music composer; Vernon Halliday, a newspaper editor; and Molly Lane, who though dead before the book begins (the story starts at her funeral), is the sun around which all the characters orbit. Clive and Vernon have both had love affairs with Molly and still have deep affection for her; despite this (or because of this), they are friends. Generally, they agree in their contempt for two people: Molly's husband George and another one of her lovers, an extremist politician, Julian Garmony.

    Clive, under pressure to finish a symphony he was commissioned to do, takes a vacation to a rural area. There, he witnesses a possible crime and reacts to it an improper manner. Meanwhile, Vernon receives through George some compromising pictures of Julian and is faced with the decision about publishing them in his struggling newspaper. The repercussions of both Clive's and Vernon's actions will affect them in ways they could not have imagined at the outset and the damage to their friendship may be the least of the issues.

    As is typical of McEwan novels, the book focuses on characters making bad decisions and the effects that these choices have on a number of people. At less than 200 pages of relatively big print, Amsterdam is a short novel that can be read pretty quickly. Although it starts slowly, the story soon becomes quite compelling. Well-written, with a dark humor pervading its pages, Amsterdam is a good, brief read.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2015
    To be fair, I am generally (although not unequivocally) a fan of Ian McEwan. Amsterdam includes many familiar McEwan themes such as fidelity, politics, writers as characters and irony.

    These themes are cleanly entwined in the plot as Clive and Vernon mourn the death of Molly.

    Clive and Vernon each have a past with Molly, but remain longtime friends who lean on each other in their time of grief.

    They also share a strong dislike toward Molly's politician paramour, Julian, as well as her husband, George. They don't understand her choice of Julian or George, as they consider both to be bland in personality and looks. These feelings are acerbated because Julian is shown to be a bit of a political snake, and George keeps his free spirit wife confined and away from her friends as her illness progresses.

    Clive and Vernon ask each other for an important favor, the kind you only ask a dear and lifelong friend.

    Some time later, they each face a moral dilemma. Being as close as they are, they each confide in each other regarding the moral dilemma. They each are able to reason that they themselves only did what they had to in their own dilemma, but harshly judge the other's actions.

    This is where the true irony comes into the story.

    Like all of McEwan's writing, Amsterdam says quite a bit in a few words. There are some lessons without being preachy on 'judge not lest ye be judged.' It is very tongue in cheek, like the very best of Ian McEwan.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2006
    This is certainly a well written short novel. It is clever, bitter, witty, and moves at such a quick pace that I suggest reading it in one sitting if possible. Even though it is pure black comedy, I found it full of dark realism.

    What did I find engaging in the book?

    First, McEwan captured perfectly the tense, rushing, crisis focused, deadline driven world of newspaper publishing in the character of Vernon Halliday. The world of contemporary newspapers is one of balancing entertainment with deliberation, scandal with foresight. Unfortunately the forces of cheap entertainment and contrived scandal overpower careful policy analysis,which usually gets squeezed off the page. Vernon is a survivor in this world and his timing is usually impecible, until the event that brings the politically astute board of directors down on his head and career. He is revealed as calculating opportunist who may be losing his sharp edge.

    Second, the world of the elitist artist is certainly captured in the life of Clive Linley who is so absorbed in intellectual dissection of his every creative impulse that he shows incredible moral cowardice when he fails to save a young women from a rapist on a wooded path. He is revealed as spent and ethically bankrupt.

    Third, the world of the political scandal is captured in Julian Garmony, the conservative politician who engages in cross-dressing. No sooner is the scandal revealed that this politician and his saintly pediatric surgeon wife command the stage, command the issue, and thus control a potentially disasterous event in the life of a politician.

    Fourth, all of Molly Lane's former lovers wonder what she sees in her older rich husband, George Lane. Well, this character emerges as a master manipulator and brilliant strategist who comes out of all the scandals smelling like a rose.

    Fifth, McEwan knows about the twists of fate, how to control them if you can and how to get out of their way if you can't. Poor Molly, the hippie journalist/photographer with her many lovers, had such a twist with her quick death from cancer. However her lovers follow as the fates quickly provide them with their due rewards.

    What bothered me about the book?

    Despite the beautiful prose, the terse writing style, and the wonderful mature insight into the twists of fate, there was too much symetry and a too tightly wrapped up clever ending. Two old friends offer to help kill each other once their ability to fully live is spent. Neither fellow suspects that the fateful date was fast approaching both of them.

    Entertaining and thoughtful, this quickly read short book is certainly above average but certainly not great literature.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy but very entertaining
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2024
    As it says in the title. If you like his earlier, dark writing you will enjoy this
  • Ugam Kumar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great novel
    Reviewed in Germany on September 2, 2021
    The media could not be loaded.

  • KARINA
    4.0 out of 5 stars TIEMPO
    Reviewed in Mexico on February 7, 2020
    Llego en tiempo
    Report
  • preeta kuhad balia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ian McEwan
    Reviewed in India on July 5, 2019
    Stupendous and everything that's essential to good storytelling! As brilliant a work as any, a rare gem! McEwan is a wiz!
  • 眞野
    4.0 out of 5 stars おすすめ
    Reviewed in Japan on December 7, 2017
    ラストが面白いです。
    でもこの作者の一番ではないかな。
    読んでみる価値はあると思います。薄いのですぐ読めるし。