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August
Trapped in a car wreck, upside down, bleeding, broken, and in pain, Tristan and Grace are staring at death. As they await their fate, with only a glimmer of hope they might be rescued, we discover the stories of their lives. A provocative new philosophical thriller from the author of Genesis .
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Beckett
20 books201 followersBernard Beckett, born in 1967, is a high school teacher based in Wellington, New Zealand, where he teaches drama, mathematics, and English. Genesis was written while he was in a Royal Society genetics research fellowship investigating DNA mutations. The book has already received international acclaim, including two literary prizes in Beckett's native New Zealand. Rights to Genesis have been sold in twenty-one countries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
August 24, 2011
I feel like I’ve wimped out recently in my review writing, but this book does not lend itself to my usual frivolous highly technical form of analysis.
So I’m going to split up my review into a sort of time frame to explain my feelings and thoughts on this book.
About an hour before I picked up ‘August’.
Wow, I really really love that cover, I can’t stop looking at it. It’s cool, it’s edgy, it’s intriguing and it seems to be relevant to the story.
And the whole premise sounds so amazing. A guy and a girl from different sides of the tracks who fall in love in a life and death situation where emotions and feelings are running high.
While I was reading ‘August’.
And the prize for the most misleading synopsis in the world goes to…..
This book is not about a guy and a girl from different sides of the tracks who fall in love in a life and death situation where emotions and feelings are running high.
AT ALL.
It’s about philosophical, theological and rhetorical questions. And rectors and nuns and prostitutes. All wrapped up in a beautifully written, highly original, thought-provoking, horrendously confusing and random little package.
Which is OK. If you like that kind of thing.
But sometimes, a ball is just a ball.
And, sometimes you should just let the envelope go unopened. That would exercise free will and shut the pushy rector up!
I would also be willing to tip my metaphorical bonnet to anyone who can explain when and where this book was set to me. 'Cos I got nothin'.
Oh and that cool, edgy and intriguing cover?
I felt like I was in chick-flick where the hopeless heroine sees a SEXY MAN and picks up the closest book to her so he doesn’t notice her staring but.. oh gawwwssh it’s upside down and HI-JINKS ENSUE.
Except there was no sexy man and hi-jinks did not ensue and I was just a girl, holding a book upside down, looking like a wally and wondering why I couldn’t understand the words.
About an hour after I put down ‘August’.
I know some people will absolutely love this book and enjoy every single word , every single sentence and every single idea.
But I think, for me, this book would require many re-reads for me to actually understand this book (and I don’t mind saying that about 75% of this book went right over my pretty little head) let alone love it.
So until then….
*Eyes book suspiciously*
You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog here.... when I get round to posting it on there.
So I’m going to split up my review into a sort of time frame to explain my feelings and thoughts on this book.
About an hour before I picked up ‘August’.
Wow, I really really love that cover, I can’t stop looking at it. It’s cool, it’s edgy, it’s intriguing and it seems to be relevant to the story.
And the whole premise sounds so amazing. A guy and a girl from different sides of the tracks who fall in love in a life and death situation where emotions and feelings are running high.
While I was reading ‘August’.
And the prize for the most misleading synopsis in the world goes to…..
This book is not about a guy and a girl from different sides of the tracks who fall in love in a life and death situation where emotions and feelings are running high.
AT ALL.
It’s about philosophical, theological and rhetorical questions. And rectors and nuns and prostitutes. All wrapped up in a beautifully written, highly original, thought-provoking, horrendously confusing and random little package.
Which is OK. If you like that kind of thing.
But sometimes, a ball is just a ball.
And, sometimes you should just let the envelope go unopened. That would exercise free will and shut the pushy rector up!
I would also be willing to tip my metaphorical bonnet to anyone who can explain when and where this book was set to me. 'Cos I got nothin'.
Oh and that cool, edgy and intriguing cover?
I felt like I was in chick-flick where the hopeless heroine sees a SEXY MAN and picks up the closest book to her so he doesn’t notice her staring but.. oh gawwwssh it’s upside down and HI-JINKS ENSUE.
Except there was no sexy man and hi-jinks did not ensue and I was just a girl, holding a book upside down, looking like a wally and wondering why I couldn’t understand the words.
About an hour after I put down ‘August’.
I know some people will absolutely love this book and enjoy every single word , every single sentence and every single idea.
But I think, for me, this book would require many re-reads for me to actually understand this book (and I don’t mind saying that about 75% of this book went right over my pretty little head) let alone love it.
So until then….
*Eyes book suspiciously*
You can read this review and other exciting things on my blog here.... when I get round to posting it on there.
February 16, 2013
Amazing novel that is really hard for me to describe. A Distopian tale that includes studies of philosophy and physics. Very well written and thought provoking. The book is somewhat misleading in that it appears from the cover and description to be a short quick read but it is not. Probably best read in chunks so that you can digest the thoughts and ideas presented. Give yourself time to consider the ideas before moving on and reading more. Highly recommended read.
March 23, 2015
I’ve been looking for books for our deeper thinkers. August is one.
Unfortunately, the cover description says it’s a “philosophical thriller” and also gives the reader the impression that it will be a love story. And this makes lots of readers jump to the conclusion that it is a romance. And then they hate the book, get online and say that August is neither a romance nor a thriller.
And, of course, they are right, technically. Because the love story here is not like a formula romance at all. And the thriller aspect of the book is not like a murder mystery. This is the story of a couple of teens–Tristan and Grace–who, after veering off the road and landing upside down over a cliffside, contemplate their very serious injuries, the possibility of death, and the circumstances that brought them together in this tragedy.
They seem to be an unlikely pair. Raised in a dystopian world where people are either within the walls of the City of God or struggling for survival outside of them, the two shouldn’t have met. Tristan has been raised in a ‘grand and cold’ monastery, schools by severe monks on thinking about theological questions of free will and predetermination. Grace is a prostitute from outside the city walls. They don’t even appear to know one another. And yet a chance meeting, in which they didn’t speak a word, has delivered them to this precipice of pain and questioning.
After their car crashes, in order to survive through the night and be seen in the morning by a passerby, the pair discusses the events that led them to their fractured ribs, dislocated shoulders broken teeth and glass-pocked faces. Tristan has been raised to absorb the tenets of St. Augustine, to believe that submission is salvation. He’s the smartest boy in his class. So while this means he can recall best what the monks teach the classes, it also means that he is the likeliest to question what he is taught. Grace,too, has had a strict upbringing by convent nuns who teach her not to question their mode of salvation. But question she must. and it costs her dearly.
The big questions in life–whether humans have free will, whether they are directed by God’s hand, or whether they are damned from the beginning, seem only to be intellectual exercises. But once Grace and Tristan are trapped upside down over the side of a cliff, the answer becomes a matter of life and death.
High school housekeeping: This really is a book for the teen who wonders about the existence of God–and more specifically, the existence of a loving God, whether all human actions are predestined, and other philosophical conundrums. While it takes place in a dystopia, it’s not a future one. There’s no science fiction element to August. The setting is modern. Yet the upbringings of both Grace and Tristan are almost medieval in their exquisite mental torture and physical torment. There is the question not just of whether a supernatural power is out there pulling strings, but whether Grace and Tristan can be manipulated by those that insist on a specific worldview. As they tell one another what they’ve been through in seeking answers and fighting back against those who would control them, you realize that love does mean a great deal in the struggle. As the reader feels the couple’s desperation and flies through the pages, seeking the answers to questions about free will, chances of the couple’s survival are becoming mighty slim. So, yes, this is a philosophical thriller. The prospective reader just has to realize what that means. There’s no formula plotline here. But in a very short space (200 pages), the author gives the thoughtful teen a crazy ride that plummets off the edge of the typical-teen-novel landscape.
Unfortunately, the cover description says it’s a “philosophical thriller” and also gives the reader the impression that it will be a love story. And this makes lots of readers jump to the conclusion that it is a romance. And then they hate the book, get online and say that August is neither a romance nor a thriller.
And, of course, they are right, technically. Because the love story here is not like a formula romance at all. And the thriller aspect of the book is not like a murder mystery. This is the story of a couple of teens–Tristan and Grace–who, after veering off the road and landing upside down over a cliffside, contemplate their very serious injuries, the possibility of death, and the circumstances that brought them together in this tragedy.
They seem to be an unlikely pair. Raised in a dystopian world where people are either within the walls of the City of God or struggling for survival outside of them, the two shouldn’t have met. Tristan has been raised in a ‘grand and cold’ monastery, schools by severe monks on thinking about theological questions of free will and predetermination. Grace is a prostitute from outside the city walls. They don’t even appear to know one another. And yet a chance meeting, in which they didn’t speak a word, has delivered them to this precipice of pain and questioning.
After their car crashes, in order to survive through the night and be seen in the morning by a passerby, the pair discusses the events that led them to their fractured ribs, dislocated shoulders broken teeth and glass-pocked faces. Tristan has been raised to absorb the tenets of St. Augustine, to believe that submission is salvation. He’s the smartest boy in his class. So while this means he can recall best what the monks teach the classes, it also means that he is the likeliest to question what he is taught. Grace,too, has had a strict upbringing by convent nuns who teach her not to question their mode of salvation. But question she must. and it costs her dearly.
The big questions in life–whether humans have free will, whether they are directed by God’s hand, or whether they are damned from the beginning, seem only to be intellectual exercises. But once Grace and Tristan are trapped upside down over the side of a cliff, the answer becomes a matter of life and death.
High school housekeeping: This really is a book for the teen who wonders about the existence of God–and more specifically, the existence of a loving God, whether all human actions are predestined, and other philosophical conundrums. While it takes place in a dystopia, it’s not a future one. There’s no science fiction element to August. The setting is modern. Yet the upbringings of both Grace and Tristan are almost medieval in their exquisite mental torture and physical torment. There is the question not just of whether a supernatural power is out there pulling strings, but whether Grace and Tristan can be manipulated by those that insist on a specific worldview. As they tell one another what they’ve been through in seeking answers and fighting back against those who would control them, you realize that love does mean a great deal in the struggle. As the reader feels the couple’s desperation and flies through the pages, seeking the answers to questions about free will, chances of the couple’s survival are becoming mighty slim. So, yes, this is a philosophical thriller. The prospective reader just has to realize what that means. There’s no formula plotline here. But in a very short space (200 pages), the author gives the thoughtful teen a crazy ride that plummets off the edge of the typical-teen-novel landscape.
September 29, 2011
It seems I've been reading a few of these philosophical narratives lately, and this is another excellent example. This time, Beckett considers questions of free will, predestination, and omniscience. The story is simple, yet ingenious, and I really enjoyed getting to know the two central characters, through whose alternate points-of-view the story is told. I also appreciated the ambiguity of the ending and that Beckett did not seem to feel the need to provide neat answers to the various issues he raised.
Although it's really quite secondary to "August", I also very much admired Beckett's world building. The setting is what appears to be an energy-starved, mildly dystopian near future, but he never hits the reader over the head with all the details. Instead, we gradually learn what we need to, so that the story works, but the rest blurs into the background as I think it should.
A short, accessible, easy read that asks big questions. Highly recommended.
Although it's really quite secondary to "August", I also very much admired Beckett's world building. The setting is what appears to be an energy-starved, mildly dystopian near future, but he never hits the reader over the head with all the details. Instead, we gradually learn what we need to, so that the story works, but the rest blurs into the background as I think it should.
A short, accessible, easy read that asks big questions. Highly recommended.
February 27, 2012
This story hinges on the question: Do we have free will, or is everything pre-determined? Main character, Tristan has struggled with this his whole life and is determined to prove.to himself, if no one else, that he is master of his own destiny even if it kills him. The irony, to me at least, is that whether we have free will or not is of little consequence. Still, I enjoyed Tristan and Grace's stories as well as the mental gymnastics of the free will debate.
May 15, 2011
A heart breaking novel that kept me captivated. Thought provoking, uniquely written. Loved it.
May 29, 2011
I was expecting tangled love story, but instead, got a dystopian treatise on free will. But it did tangle my brain. And fry it. And left it messed up.
December 29, 2012
Hmm ... I think my brain is bleeding.
The arguments regarding free will are subtle and complex .. And the small print in the ebook certainly adds seriousness.. I think in future I shall read such a style of book in big friendly print to see if it aids digestion
I enjoyed the book .. I enjoyed the story .. Disappointing as the ending might be, it is clever and apt .. However the heathen in me would have liked something more.
The arguments regarding free will are subtle and complex .. And the small print in the ebook certainly adds seriousness.. I think in future I shall read such a style of book in big friendly print to see if it aids digestion
I enjoyed the book .. I enjoyed the story .. Disappointing as the ending might be, it is clever and apt .. However the heathen in me would have liked something more.
October 15, 2015
too self-consciously clever and really really irritating.
March 25, 2017
Contar algo de este libro sería spoilear, del mismo modo que hablar de GÉNESIS, otro libro del autor (que sí está en castellano y que recomiendo siempre). El comienzo del libro es el final de la historia, y tanto Tristan como Grace se contarán el uno al otro su historia; su niñez, sus vivencias y, lo más importante, cómo han llegado al coche y, por ende, a la situación en la que están.
Queda claro que los protagonistas indiscutibles del libro son Tristan y Grace. El primero es, en mi opinión, bastante más interesante que ella. La historia de él es una historia de fe, aprendizaje, adoctrinamiento y pérdida. La de ella es una historia de supervivencia, de una lucha continua por vivir en un mundo inhóspito, de soledad. La perspectiva de la muerte hace que se cuenten sus historias para rellenar el silencio y hacer más amena la espera del amanecer. La historia de Grace está bien, pero la de Tristán me ha gustado mucho más. Me parece un personaje mucho más profundo que el de ella; además, su historia me parece que está bastante más desarrollada. Además, hasta casi el final Grace no entra en el gran debate filosófico-religioso del libro, lo que hace que el peso de la historia recaiga más en Tristán que en ella.
No hay demasiados secundarios que mencionar. Todos ellos forman parte de la vida de nuestros dos protagonistas y son importantes, ya que marcan sus historias y repercuten en sus decisiones; pero no tienen demasiada importancia y, Salvo el cura, , quedarán diluidos en la historia.. Las conversaciones entre el cura y Tristán son las más profundas y filosóficas.
Sí que hay una historia de amor, aunque no debería sorprenderos de que sea a primera vista. Pero el amor entre Tristán y Grace no empezara en el coche, no, sino que se remonta a años atrás. Tiene una gran importancia en la historia, pero no tiene demasiada profundidad. Tampoco es que pueda pedírsele más; y es que .
La historia tiene un trasfondo distópico, aunque el autor no se centra en ello: nos habla de la guerra, de la escasez de carburante, de la religión y su implicación. Hay claras diferencias sociales, y una fuerte presencia religiosa que rodea la historia continuamente. Desde la infancia de Tristán y Grace, donde tuvieron sendas enseñanzas religiosas, hasta las historias más actuales, todo está teñido por la religión. La voluntad, la libertad y el alma son los tres temas más recurrentes.
El libro tendría como nota un tres si no fuese por dos factores: el primero es que la historia de Tristan toma un giro interesante hacia el final; el segundo es consecuencia directa del primero. Temía que el personaje de Tristan dejase de ser coherente con su propia historia, pero no lo ha sido. Por eso se queda en cuatro.
Queda claro que los protagonistas indiscutibles del libro son Tristan y Grace. El primero es, en mi opinión, bastante más interesante que ella. La historia de él es una historia de fe, aprendizaje, adoctrinamiento y pérdida. La de ella es una historia de supervivencia, de una lucha continua por vivir en un mundo inhóspito, de soledad. La perspectiva de la muerte hace que se cuenten sus historias para rellenar el silencio y hacer más amena la espera del amanecer. La historia de Grace está bien, pero la de Tristán me ha gustado mucho más. Me parece un personaje mucho más profundo que el de ella; además, su historia me parece que está bastante más desarrollada. Además, hasta casi el final Grace no entra en el gran debate filosófico-religioso del libro, lo que hace que el peso de la historia recaiga más en Tristán que en ella.
No hay demasiados secundarios que mencionar. Todos ellos forman parte de la vida de nuestros dos protagonistas y son importantes, ya que marcan sus historias y repercuten en sus decisiones; pero no tienen demasiada importancia y, Salvo el cura, , quedarán diluidos en la historia.. Las conversaciones entre el cura y Tristán son las más profundas y filosóficas.
Sí que hay una historia de amor, aunque no debería sorprenderos de que sea a primera vista. Pero el amor entre Tristán y Grace no empezara en el coche, no, sino que se remonta a años atrás. Tiene una gran importancia en la historia, pero no tiene demasiada profundidad. Tampoco es que pueda pedírsele más; y es que .
La historia tiene un trasfondo distópico, aunque el autor no se centra en ello: nos habla de la guerra, de la escasez de carburante, de la religión y su implicación. Hay claras diferencias sociales, y una fuerte presencia religiosa que rodea la historia continuamente. Desde la infancia de Tristán y Grace, donde tuvieron sendas enseñanzas religiosas, hasta las historias más actuales, todo está teñido por la religión. La voluntad, la libertad y el alma son los tres temas más recurrentes.
El libro tendría como nota un tres si no fuese por dos factores: el primero es que la historia de Tristan toma un giro interesante hacia el final; el segundo es consecuencia directa del primero. Temía que el personaje de Tristan dejase de ser coherente con su propia historia, pero no lo ha sido. Por eso se queda en cuatro.
January 14, 2022
I’m not sure where to start. I didn’t expect this to be a theological novel, but it is. And it’s so frustrating to watch the character wither under his inability to grapple with the idea of God’s Will and man’s free will working hand in hand. His inability to see how these things (can) work in perfect Union ultimately destroys him.
It’s interesting to hear the arguments made and all the point given as to why man doesn’t have free will, or how there cannot be Divine will and human will without the divine will ultimately ruling over all. The most frustrating part was watching him over think and over think WAY too much, to the point of madness. His questions would have been easily solved in the simple living if everyday life, but because he was in an institution and taught to think and question, it was the only way he knew how to procede. It was very interesting and definitely not AT ALL what I expected.
It’s interesting to hear the arguments made and all the point given as to why man doesn’t have free will, or how there cannot be Divine will and human will without the divine will ultimately ruling over all. The most frustrating part was watching him over think and over think WAY too much, to the point of madness. His questions would have been easily solved in the simple living if everyday life, but because he was in an institution and taught to think and question, it was the only way he knew how to procede. It was very interesting and definitely not AT ALL what I expected.
December 22, 2011
ARRRRRRG! I hated everything about this book. I'm so annoyed that I went in thinking it would be a drama about falling in love after a car accident. What I got was nothing like that. False advertising!!! give me back the time I spent reading this theological crap!!!
grrrrr.
It's ok, I guess, if you like the books about 'why we're here' and questions about God and life, but for me it wasn't worth wiping my bum with. If I'd known what I was getting into I wouldn't have picked it up so I wouldn't have had to review it like this.
grrrrr.
It's ok, I guess, if you like the books about 'why we're here' and questions about God and life, but for me it wasn't worth wiping my bum with. If I'd known what I was getting into I wouldn't have picked it up so I wouldn't have had to review it like this.
November 26, 2015
What a waste of time.
"Part thriller, part love story"? More like total snoozefest with added creepy stalking and obsessiveness.
This wasn't the absolute worst book I've ever read ('Anxious Hearts', I'm looking at you), but it's up there. Or should I say down there.
There were a few moments where I was interested enough to consider giving it two stars, mainly when the focus was on Grace, but then Tristan hoved back into view and I lost the will to live.
Unsympathetic characters. Really no plot to speak of. Bored me to tears.
Completely and utterly pointless.
"Part thriller, part love story"? More like total snoozefest with added creepy stalking and obsessiveness.
This wasn't the absolute worst book I've ever read ('Anxious Hearts', I'm looking at you), but it's up there. Or should I say down there.
There were a few moments where I was interested enough to consider giving it two stars, mainly when the focus was on Grace, but then Tristan hoved back into view and I lost the will to live.
Unsympathetic characters. Really no plot to speak of. Bored me to tears.
Completely and utterly pointless.
October 23, 2017
23/10/2017: I remember that this book really messed about with my mind about. I think it was supposed to. Part of me is tempted to re-read it and see if I can get my head around it a little more five and a half years on (but I doubt it).
https://cookingupatreat.com/2011/11/2...
https://cookingupatreat.com/2011/11/2...
October 21, 2011
A book with great potential that draws you in immediately but goes no where fast. I think the author tried to be more intelligent than he is and the language he uses only alienates the reader rather than keeps them connected to the character
November 6, 2012
It was painful to finish. Way to philosophical for my tastes and I didn't like how it was written. It exhausted me and I couldn't stay focused.
June 3, 2017
A bit different...lots of philosophical dialogue...but a few twists and turns.
April 18, 2018
Philosophy and theology aren't really my thing, especially when bundled with with an exclusive male society.
July 22, 2023
Citaat : Alle filosofie die ze je geleerd hebben is maar een spel. Een oefening in slim zijn en je gedachten in steeds ingewikkelder patronen vlechten. Maar die spelletjes horen thuis achter de muren van de kloosters en universiteit. Het is waanzin om ze mee te nemen de wereld in.
Review : Willoos is een filosofische thriller en een liefdesverhaal waarin Grace en Tristan gevangen in een autowrak elkaar hun levensverhaal vertellen, in een wanhopige poging in leven te blijven. Balancerend op de rand van een ravijn terwijl de uren vorderen, ontdekken ze dat hun levens onontkoombaar met elkaar vervlochten zijn.
Tristan, is een briljante student, geboren uit een straatarm gezin, die een bevoorrecht leven mag leiden binnen de stadsmuren op het Sint-Augustinus College. Hij wordt daar betrokken in een gruwelijk experiment op zoek naar het bestaan van de Vrije Wil. Grace groeide op in armoede en leidde een hard bestaan buiten de Stad. Ze moest keuzes maken die ze zelf niet wilde, zonder zichzelf daarbij te verliezen. Waar hebben hun levens hen gebracht en hoe zijn ze samen in deze auto beland? Waar Tristan zichzelf het leven zuur maakt met filosofische redenaties en overpeinzingen, is het Grace die de kwestie van de vrije wil relativeert.
Beckett laat de beide personages hun beider act op voeren en laat de een tegenwicht te bieden aan de ander. De openingsscène van Willoos is indrukwekkend en met vaart geschreven. Het is de proloog voor een heel beklemmend filosofisch verhaal dat heel sterk doet denken aan het vroegere werk van Tahar Ben Jelloun.
Review : Willoos is een filosofische thriller en een liefdesverhaal waarin Grace en Tristan gevangen in een autowrak elkaar hun levensverhaal vertellen, in een wanhopige poging in leven te blijven. Balancerend op de rand van een ravijn terwijl de uren vorderen, ontdekken ze dat hun levens onontkoombaar met elkaar vervlochten zijn.
Tristan, is een briljante student, geboren uit een straatarm gezin, die een bevoorrecht leven mag leiden binnen de stadsmuren op het Sint-Augustinus College. Hij wordt daar betrokken in een gruwelijk experiment op zoek naar het bestaan van de Vrije Wil. Grace groeide op in armoede en leidde een hard bestaan buiten de Stad. Ze moest keuzes maken die ze zelf niet wilde, zonder zichzelf daarbij te verliezen. Waar hebben hun levens hen gebracht en hoe zijn ze samen in deze auto beland? Waar Tristan zichzelf het leven zuur maakt met filosofische redenaties en overpeinzingen, is het Grace die de kwestie van de vrije wil relativeert.
Beckett laat de beide personages hun beider act op voeren en laat de een tegenwicht te bieden aan de ander. De openingsscène van Willoos is indrukwekkend en met vaart geschreven. Het is de proloog voor een heel beklemmend filosofisch verhaal dat heel sterk doet denken aan het vroegere werk van Tahar Ben Jelloun.
December 12, 2018
The book cover has confused me. At first, I thought this book is about a young couple or teenagers facing a life issues that they eventually planned to run away or commit a suicide --- but, I was wrong. Definitely wrong. This book is more about surviving, free will and Christianity (I guess)
Tristan and Grace come from The City, a closed and enclosed society in which religion dominates. Tristan had been an acolyte at St Augustine's. He spent a childhood being drilled in philosophical discussion of free will by the Rector. A star pupil, a single event made him question everything he had been taught. Grace had spent the first part of her childhood in the convent, but a single act of kindness led to her excommunication.
It was quite interesting at first, after two pages discussing which way a ball might roll and why, I started to loose interest. The same applied when Tristan had to undergo test of wills the rector has set with two ‘children of the night’ to win their freedom with no rules. I don't really agreed much of these questions.
And for Grace - She has been raised in convent with a strict and rigorous. Her story is a story of misunderstandings, mistreatment and loss. I don't think she should be punished that much just because her act of kindness. She was whipped badly until she fainted. Because of what? Kindness? Doesn't make sense at all.
Above all, I don't really enjoy this book much. But, I also cannot deny that this book has taught me a lot of life and humanities elements. There are some of the good values you can learn from too.
Tristan and Grace come from The City, a closed and enclosed society in which religion dominates. Tristan had been an acolyte at St Augustine's. He spent a childhood being drilled in philosophical discussion of free will by the Rector. A star pupil, a single event made him question everything he had been taught. Grace had spent the first part of her childhood in the convent, but a single act of kindness led to her excommunication.
It was quite interesting at first, after two pages discussing which way a ball might roll and why, I started to loose interest. The same applied when Tristan had to undergo test of wills the rector has set with two ‘children of the night’ to win their freedom with no rules. I don't really agreed much of these questions.
And for Grace - She has been raised in convent with a strict and rigorous. Her story is a story of misunderstandings, mistreatment and loss. I don't think she should be punished that much just because her act of kindness. She was whipped badly until she fainted. Because of what? Kindness? Doesn't make sense at all.
Above all, I don't really enjoy this book much. But, I also cannot deny that this book has taught me a lot of life and humanities elements. There are some of the good values you can learn from too.
August 7, 2021
3.5 stars. I came across this book in a charity shop and liked the sound of the premise of the story. I’d never heard of this author before and i will most definitely seek other books by him. As others have said there is a lot repeating of the philosophical side of things in this book and yes it can at some points be a little bit grating but that being said i liked the way it was laid out, with Tristan and Grace’s story in different chapters and then one for them both at the end. It’s hard to give the synopsis to this read as i don’t want to give anything away as what i thought was happening at the beginning then transpired that it wasn’t again part of the overall theme also. It’s a short book and packs a lot in to its small form, a lot is said, and described which i find amazing to tell a story it such a shortened way, but I think it for this it gives it gravity. It says on the blurb of the book its a thriller, i wouldn’t come to this book expecting your average thriller because it isn’t what it is though is a clever book to make you think. Give it a try.
January 2, 2022
AUGUST was a book that was fascinating as the situation the main two characters were in at the end was already known. This meant that I was trying to work out how they got to that position throughout the book which was cool and unique to most books. The book asks questions over free will and made interesting points, but became very philosophical at regular intervals in the book which made me lose interest at times. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book as it is unique but a little bit more reader engagement for a teen audience would make it better. 3/5.
June 25, 2018
Certain sections were interesting, particularly the conversations between Tristan and the shadowy rector. Is free will real? How do we maintain free will? Other parts fell flat. I left wanting to read more St. Augustine.
July 25, 2020
A philosophy lesson in a novel. Quite interesting as it delves into God & free will, but with a dystopian bent. Well written - particularly the author's ability to maintain tension & keep both key character's backgrounds interesting. Worth reading.
June 30, 2024
Reviewed 2011 CMIS Fiction Focus 25 (2) 2011, pp. 52-53
Age 15+. A novel set in a dystopian present, featuring religion, philosophy, bigotry, the idea of love, and an upturned car. August is Tristan’s story.
Age 15+. A novel set in a dystopian present, featuring religion, philosophy, bigotry, the idea of love, and an upturned car. August is Tristan’s story.
November 26, 2025
By far one of the best books I've read so far. Resembles stories from Paulo Coelho, and the classic, such as the little prince. Although, the kingdom/holy council did not gain a formative construction, poses a challenge to conventional thinking pathways surrounding the Will.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2018
An original read with a fast pace propelling plot...designed to make you stop and pause for thought.
January 17, 2020
It's January
October 4, 2018
A philosophical treatise on whether or not free will exists dressed up as a novel. If the actual plot had had more substance, I probably would have enjoyed the philosophical meanderings but instead it seemed a pointless exercise in being clever with words.
September 15, 2015
Bei August hatte ich das Gefühl, der Autor wolle eigentlich eine wissenschaftliche Abhandlung über große philosophische Fragen (Kann man Gedankenlesen?) schreiben und habe beschlossen diese mit einer fiktiven Geschichte zu verkleiden, um sie der breiten Leserschaft besser bekömmlich zu machen. Hat nicht so richtig geklappt.
Nach 40% Lesefortschritt habe ich mich immer noch gefragt, worauf dieses Buch eigentlich hinauslaufen soll. Es ist so unglaublich undurchsichtig. Wie man auf dem Cover erkennt haben ein junger Mann und eine junge Frau einen Autounfall. Zu Beginn des Buches hängen sie kopfüber im Autowrack fest und beginnen sich zu unterhalten. Dadurch startet der zweite und dritte Erzählstrang, in dem man von der Vergangenheit der Protagonisten erfährt und Stück für Stück erkennt wie diese miteinander verstrickt sind.
Den Wechsel der Erzählungen fand ich gelungen, die Erzählungen selbst eher weniger. Tristans Vergangenheit auf einem sehr strengen Internat (und fragt mich jetzt nicht zu welcher Zeit, das erfährt man nirgendwo, auf jeden Fall nicht besonders modern) ist eigentlich ganz interessant. Genau wie das Experiment, das der Schulrektor mit ihm betreibt. Leider werden diese Geschehnisse immer wieder mit endlosen philosophischen Gesprächen zwischen Tristan und dem Rektor unterbrochen. Das war mir einfach zu hoch. Wenn ich Lust auf so was hätte, würde ich mir ein Fachbuch dazu besorgen, aber in unterhaltender Literatur will ich sowas nicht vorgesetzt bekommen. Nicht, dass ich es nicht anspruchsvoll mag, das kann es gern sein, aber das hier war eher “info dumping” auf höchstem Level.
Auch bei den beschreibenden Sätzen nimmt der Autor den Mund gern mal voll:
Insgesamt eine ganz interessante Geschichte, die definitiv die Gedanken provoziert, das aber auf eine teilweise sehr anstrengende Art und Weise praktiziert.
Nach 40% Lesefortschritt habe ich mich immer noch gefragt, worauf dieses Buch eigentlich hinauslaufen soll. Es ist so unglaublich undurchsichtig. Wie man auf dem Cover erkennt haben ein junger Mann und eine junge Frau einen Autounfall. Zu Beginn des Buches hängen sie kopfüber im Autowrack fest und beginnen sich zu unterhalten. Dadurch startet der zweite und dritte Erzählstrang, in dem man von der Vergangenheit der Protagonisten erfährt und Stück für Stück erkennt wie diese miteinander verstrickt sind.
Den Wechsel der Erzählungen fand ich gelungen, die Erzählungen selbst eher weniger. Tristans Vergangenheit auf einem sehr strengen Internat (und fragt mich jetzt nicht zu welcher Zeit, das erfährt man nirgendwo, auf jeden Fall nicht besonders modern) ist eigentlich ganz interessant. Genau wie das Experiment, das der Schulrektor mit ihm betreibt. Leider werden diese Geschehnisse immer wieder mit endlosen philosophischen Gesprächen zwischen Tristan und dem Rektor unterbrochen. Das war mir einfach zu hoch. Wenn ich Lust auf so was hätte, würde ich mir ein Fachbuch dazu besorgen, aber in unterhaltender Literatur will ich sowas nicht vorgesetzt bekommen. Nicht, dass ich es nicht anspruchsvoll mag, das kann es gern sein, aber das hier war eher “info dumping” auf höchstem Level.
Auch bei den beschreibenden Sätzen nimmt der Autor den Mund gern mal voll:
"It was a scream not of pain but of fear. The hysterical caving-in of the walls every mind recognises as its fate: bewilderment at the accumulation of the past, the impermanence of the body, the bloody-minded insistence of death."
Insgesamt eine ganz interessante Geschichte, die definitiv die Gedanken provoziert, das aber auf eine teilweise sehr anstrengende Art und Weise praktiziert.
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