An honest opinion that has nothing to do with an ARC of the book
933203
Why is it that everybody who received an ARC of the book, "for an honest review" gushed on and on about how great this book is while many of the rest of us, who actually paid for it, have posted similar reviews about our disappointment?
I get it, people are happy that they got a free book, and maybe want another one, but.. really?  It's disgusting.
I enjoyed the books, until the end of this one, but there were no tears or belly laughs. It was simply an easy read that kept me occupied. There was no cheering for the heroine. In fact, at times she comes across like a jerk.
There are far too many sub-plots that lead nowhere, and combined with the "cliffhanger" ending, I feel like DGS is simply trying to rope people into buying her next book. Had there been a legitimate end, I'd have bought the next one, but it's really not worth it. I suspect the next book will also end at an attempted hijacking of readers to sell more books, and I'd rather the author keep me coming back again and again because the story line and characters are Just That Great.
2733671
I have actually read this book, unlike a lot of the one star reviewers, and it is wonderful and honest.
4726609
I usually refrain from outright criticism, which is why you will hardly ever see 1 or 2 star reviews by me, as I do realize how much effort goes into a book, and believe me, I can appreciate that, but after going through a book like this and frying some of my precious brain cells, I feel like I am entitled to some therapeutic venting, so thats exactly what this review is.

Though I must mention something here, before any of you jump to conclusions about negative bias, and elitist tendencies, as I know this author elicits strong, yet contrasting feelings of admiration & hatred from diverse groups of people.

So here goes.. While its true that Ive never been a Chetan Bhagat fan, I am not a hater either. For all these years, I was just a non-partisan observer. I had read a couple of his books in my teens, and vaguely remember liking 5 Point Someone. But after that, I never read anything by him for the last decade, though I was very curious about his writing as I had witnessed his rise to popularity.

So I went into this book with an open mind, and not with ginormous expectations either. But somehow this book managed to fall short of my already-low expectations.

In-fact, if I am really honest, I don't even think of it as a real book. Because its more like an overly-detailed draft of a commercial Bollywood movie, which I believe is the authors ultimate (if not the only) aim these days. And speaking of which, this time he has done one better  he has even managed to incorporate himself into the story-line (dont ask, its all pretty lame, but what can we expect?), so he even gets to act in the movie.

Which is fine (I mean the whole Bollywood sell-out thing), if thats what he wants to do, but then why go through the whole charade of being an author? Why not just write the script and submit it directly? I am sure that will make him tons of money as well, because I believe most (if not all) his movie adaptations have been commercial successes. I personally have liked them all  from 3 Idiots to Kaipoche to 2 States.

But wait, I am getting ahead of myself here. Lets back up a bit, and talk about the book first.

My thoughts on the blurb & supposed main themes of the book -

As far as the blurb goes, I don't even want to get into the level of expertise displayed in writing it, for now lets only focus on the message.

So when I read this blurb, I felt the books main themes were the language divide in the country, and the concept of Half-Girlfriend. But boy was I mistaken!

The truth  the language divide is addressed, but isn't a central issue between the protagonists. They had other demons to fight, ones which were rooted in their respective pasts, and the language thing was only a tiny hiccup on the way.

Sure, the male lead would constantly spout gyaan on how English is overrated, but his actions never backed this up. The book essentially chronicled his journey as he perfected his English, and tried to neutralize his accent, all while spouting the above-mentioned gyaan (the irony!).

Now as far as the concept of Half-Girlfriend is concerned, before I read the book, I assumed it was a Friends with Benefits kind of situation. But of-course that would have been too mainstream for Mr. Bhagat. So what does he do instead?

He picks up a string of two words, which was mentioned all of ONCE by the female lead, that too in the form of a crazy convoluted arrangement, which did not make sense in the first place (but okay), and makes it the title. Done. Just like that.

I mean it does sound kinda cool and intriguing, and significance is overrated, right?

For the full review, where I talk about other aspects of the book - from the relatively minor issues with the writing, characters etc to the major issues of love & consent, check out my blog.
781831
If you judge a book by its cover, you'll either think to disregard this book because A) you're not interested in religious mumbo jumbo, or B) you're so religious you are afraid that the story will be blasphemous. You'd be wrong regardless. In fact, you don't need to have a solid opinion on God and Satan to read The Second Coming: A Love Story.
Let's just remember one thing before you read further: no matter how much research went into this novel, it is fictional. You don't need to study all of its implications to enjoy the tale.
That being said, as a Roman Catholic-raised girl, and still liberal Christian, I enjoyed the heavy homework that Mr. Pinsker must've done to make this book as well-rounded and interesting as it is. When you know an author took their time when writing, to ensure that they got everything right, you also know that the book will be a great one. Passion is key in writing, just like religion, and we see Mr. Pinsker's passion plainly on the pages.
The tale of Jesus's second coming is an old one, as is the belief that Satan already walks the earth and they will inevitably meet and cause the Apocalypse (see Supernatural season five). What we usually don't get is a detailed analysis of the implications of two people claiming they are the Second Coming, and how it effects humanity. There are socio-political, pseudo-religious and sociological humanities issues tackled here, as Republicans and Democrats are pitted against each other under a guide who could turn out to be the Enemy. I won't give too much away, but I've had long political talks with many different people, and I've always heard a popular opinion on just who the Devil is. This author seems to share in this view, which is quite interesting. (Yes, I am a believer in the true second coming and that the Devil will try to lure us all away before then. Don't judge me.)
I read this twice: once as a serious novel to study, and once purely for entertainment purposes. Both times I read a different, but no less interesting, book. It takes a lot of talent to do that, and I can honestly say that I recommend this book to everyone. Not all of you will like it, but I think you should at least try to read it, no matter your beliefs and background.
1171122
Most reviewers of political books seem to forget to review the book outside of their own politics.  It seems ridiculous that all of you are either bashing the writer for his opinions or praising him for them.  The important thing for open minded people is if he has stated his argument well and written a good book.  I think he has, although not a great book. His argument seems accurate  As for all the pro-this or that folks who jump into the fray here on Amazon I'll save my arguments for a more meaningful and valid forum than trying to get people to not read a book by posting a review.  So to all you republicans in kansas, read this book with an open mind.
2834236
I can't honestly say that I agree with everything, but it is a well written book for the intended audience.
2112447
(The four-out-of-five stars rating has to do with the book, not the subject I will be discussing.)

First of all, this is not a full review. I'd have to REread this book to write a full review, and I don't think I liked it enough to do that. Instead of writing a full review, I just want to discuss a scene from this book that bothered me. (Slight spoilers will follow. Also, I read this more than six months ago, so forgive me if all of the details are not correct.)

There is this one part, possibly near the middle of the book, where Tris and Four are sitting near the waterfall. I forget why they're there, or what they were talking about, but then I think Tris might be asking Four why he cares for her, and she says something like "you can't deny that I'm NOT pretty". And Four says "no, you're not pretty". That bothers me. I don't remember if it bothered me when I first read it, but it sure does now. If Four cares for Tris so much, wouldn't he be attracted to her? Wouldn't he think she was beautiful, in her own way? "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and all that? Like, he would recognize that she has flaws, or isn't the popular definition of beauty, but wouldn't he personally think she's pretty, just because he cares for her? For example, even if you're a truly unattractive girl, your mother will still say that you're beautiful, and mean it. Her LOVE makes you beautiful, in her eyes. It's all personal opinion. People have different ideals of beauty, and so the people you love are the most beautiful people, aren't they? It's like with food. I HATE mushrooms, but to other people they are, like, the best food ever. My favorite food is chicken noodle soup, but my best friend dislikes it. So, in conclusion, what I think Four should have said would be something similar to this: "I'll agree that you're not the ideal beautiful person, but I personally find you more beautiful than any other girl."

Am I wrong in thinking this?
4383638
I find it remarkably interesting that so many of the other reviews for this book discuss the US perspective with regard to this book. Although admittedly something that Niall Ferguson talks about when he's promoting his book on C-Span, there's precious little reference in the book to the US and their position as the world's preeminent power at the moment. Just a few pages at the end. It seems clear to me that my fellow Americans do have a bit of a chip on their collective shoulder with regard to this issue. However when it comes to the US sending its army around the world to reinforce its own national interests, that's a different matter. Hmmm.
I would agree that this is not the heaviest, most detailed book on such an immense topic but all-in-all I think the author does a most creditable job. I liked the way he drops in the occasional promotion of his birthplace, Scotland, although not always entirely relevant to the overall story. Also the book is beautifully illustrated and I didn't realize until perusing the acknowledgements that there was a TV series made from the book (or maybe the other way round).
Basically the book confirmed my opinion, that like it or not, the British Empire had many very positive aspects to it rather than pure negatives (which seems the fashionable (hypocritical) opinion these days). And although some people like to think that Great Britain was rejected in rebellions throughout the world in a blaze of civil rights uprisings, the truth is that envy paid a much greater part. That is certainly something the US needs to be aware of for the future.
3788401
Yes, the book, like others have mentioned, is not unbiased. You'd be advised to go into it knowing that you're going to have to read around the bias to get something out of this book. However, I imagine that if you already realize that this book is biased then you won't drink the Kool-Aid.

There are things I like about this book. It is straight forward and clear. I like the fact that the author has kept chapter lengths reasonable without a lot of unneeded fluff.
3117551
I'm sure there are many people who don't like this book. But if we are honest about what it states and implies I have a hard time believing a truly open minded person can disagree with much of it.
2893992
Don't mind people who have to rated this book poorly for religious reasons.

I am not a member of the religion whose views this book could be said to espouse, but this did not prevent me from enjoying the book.

After all, I don't believe in Voodoo religions but I can still enjoy zombie books. So if you keep an open mind, you will probably enjoy this one.
4126774
And I'm not just saying that. Although they left a lot out, they really took creative licence with the fight scene. I know there's people who get so mad when writers don't stick to the book. Hey, I get that way sometimes, too. But in this case, they did something amazing with it. It didn't take anything away at all, and it almost adds to the book in a sense. I loved it.
2241482
I've noticed that a lot of reviewers spend more time complaining about aspects of books then answering the simple questions readers have. You will not catch me moaning over the cost, or pretending I am an editor. I gave this book 4 stars for the reason that it is polished, and it is entertaining. Although I don't give spoilers; it is a fun read.
1160913
I thought I wouldn't like the book because it is preachy.  I would have liked the author to include his own personal experiences versus his clients.  It make it impersonal and distant.  I don't find the content to be original because they're similar books.  I do like an author who has a message and stays on point.  It's also a simple and quick read.  It's not offensive at all and it maybe too nice.
4103310
Rather than trash this book because I did not like  it would be unfair,after all I am just one persons opinion
4296465
I'm surprised by the mass of terrible reviews.  I thought the book was a great and easy read.  As a fan of Lena's show Girls, I knew she was quirky and slightly obnoxious, so the book was exactly as expected.  She was open and honest about even the darkest aspects of her life.  She didn't appear to hide much no matter how embarrassing or weird the incident, and I think that's wonderful.  We got to know Lena and as with everyone on Earth, some people are your cup of tea, some aren't, but her life was still interesting and quirky just like her show.  Yes, she had a lot of casual sexual encounters.  Yes, some of the stuff was narcissistic.  So what?  It would have been a rather dull book if it only told of dinners with her friends and watching movies with her parents.  Do people really feel the need to learn lessons from a 20-something?  Learn your own lessons.  Read the book for entertainment, not life advice.
2905466
I'm not a huge KISS fan.  I don't think I've ever seen them in concert.  I appreciate their music and I've read all 4 books.  I think this is the best out of the 4 and this is why.  Paul was very honest about his upbringing, his family life, his hearing problems and the fact that he was bullied.  Bullying seems to be a new phenomenon in the 21st century but it has been going on for years and it affects children in ways that are rarely positive.  The fact that he was able to overcome all those issues is a huge accomplishment.  Many people who go through the same thing don't realize how those experiences affect their lives and the decisions they make in their adult years.

Yes I admit he doesn't have many nice things to say about his bandmates but we must remember that KISS is not just a band -- it's a family -- and I don't think there is anyone in the world who can say 100% nice things about their family.  We all have alcoholics, drug addicts, lazy and egotistical family members.  Peter and Ace had/have addiction problems and unless you've been through that there is no way you can understand how difficult dealing with an addict can be -- regardless of how talented they are.  I found Paul's negative comments about Peter and Ace to be more about the difficulty of dealing with addicts and their sense of entitlement rather than an actual bashing of them.  No one likes to see a family member fall prey to the evils of addiction and it's extremely hard, frustrating and hurtful to see someone you love fall down that dark pit of addiction.

I'm not a fan of Gene Simmons AT ALL so I actually liked all the mean and negative comments written about the King of the Almighty Dollar.

Many other memoirs of rock stars I have a hard time believing because most of them were so stoned there's no way they can actually remember anything.  I feel this one was much more honest and even though there are alot of negative things written about others it's still being honest.  It was refreshing that he didn't feel it necessary to go into details about all the women he banged -- we get the picture -- and I respect him for his honesty. This book left a lasting impression on me and I can't say the same for the other 3 books.  I won't see them in concert though.  I'm a HUGE Def Leppard fan and the concert ticket prices for this last tour were way over-priced.  As stated in previous reviews Paul is 62 years old, doesn't have the same voice and has more money than God.  Cut the fans a break on those ticket prices!