This read like the Talented Mr. Ripley and it was an excellent page turner. Couldn't put it down and the suspense was riveting. In a world where psychological drama can easily be found on the pages of social media, sometimes a good old fashioned novel is what is needed. This was the first John Boyne book I have read and look forward to many more.

John Boyne is one of my favorite authors. When I read his book, The Heart's Invisible Furies, I fell deeply in love with his protagonist, Cyril. Cyril, the kindhearted, the brave, the one we all wanted to see live happily ever after. The one we were rooting for. I can't say we have the same relationship with the characters in A Ladder to the Sky.

However, that does not take away from the brilliant writing and the moral dilemmas that unnerve readers throughout the novel and make this an incredible read. If anything, it's remarkable that Boyne can create two unique characters. One in which we find empathy, and another in which we find rage. 

This novel takes place post-World War II, following several narrations and perspectives, but focusing on the story of our anti-hero, Maurice Swift. Maurice will do anything to take fame as a writer, and he does. His moral and ethical "dilemmas" as we see them seem to be a series of choices that Maurice makes willingly and without remorse, as he climbs the ladder of success in any way that he can (hmm, maybe that's where the title came from...) 

Per usual, Boyne makes references to World War II and Nazi Germany through his characters. Most of his books have some sort of historical reference to the Holocaust, as Boyne himself enjoys and has studied Holocaust literature. He does an incredible job of using his voice and writing to describe a horrifying time in history. His knowledge and background create an imagery unparalleled to other Holocaust writers. 

This novel, which comes out in November, is a must-read for everyone. The book is educational, psychological, and enjoyable. I always look forward to what Boyne will grace us with next!

MFA students at universities across the country devote their life to achieving the goal of writing a good book. A prize-winning book is one of the ultimate goals, and people toil for years striving for that achievement. Some writers have issues with developing plot lines, characters, or just hitting on that magic potion that lights up the reader's mind and makes the book a part of the extended canon we have today.

Maurice Swift lives in the UK. He is a writer, and his ambition is a fire that burns so intensely that he will do anything to find a good idea to shape into an award-winning novel. Maurice happens to be extremely good looking and attracts people wherever he goes. After meeting a famous author and living with him for a time, Maurice finds himself rubbing elbows with many of the greats, including Gore Vidal. Gore sees through Maurice and knows quite well what he wants and what he is willing to do to get it.

As the novel progresses, JB gives us brilliant writing and a plot that surprised me. I shouldn't be surprised in the age of Trump lying, but Maurice is a vile man. He only interacts with people to use them, to find a morsel that he can turn into a novel. The novel turned suspenseful when I least expected, and with a person, I couldn't imagine him betraying. The middle section is JB's gift to the readers. A person he has wronged speaks to us. From that point on, we know what to expect from Maurice until he again surprises us.

John Boyne has written a brilliant novel, sad and ironic. I enjoyed every page.

I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

I couldn't put this book down! Well written with an inside view of the writing and publishing world. It raises the question of who is the owner of intellectual property-the creator or the people who inspire the art? It points out the effects of a person losing his moral compass in the character of Maurice, but also makes one think about how we sometimes use people for our personal gain.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Maurice is an evil sociopath, but I loved his story. He uses and uses and uses people who truly care about him and never demonstrates any regard for the hurt and ruin he brings on others.

The ending is so very satisfying.

I love this novel. John Boyne never fails to deliver.

Maurice Swift has excellent writing skills. The problem is that Maurice has no imagination and writes boring stories. Maurice is well aware that he lacks talent with story telling and so he steals other people’s stories. Maurice’s first victim is a celebrated novelist, Erich Ackermann. He meets Erich when he is working as a bartender in a Berlin hotel that Erich is staying at. Maurice ingratiates himself with Erich and takes advantage of the fact that Erich is gay (but in the closet) by leading him on and making him think that Maurice has romantic feelings for him. While they get to know each other, Erich confesses to Maurice about something horrific he did as a young man that no one knows. Maurice turns around and writes a novel using this confession as the arc of a storyline and becomes a bestselling novelist. Subsequently, when Maurice writes novels using his own storylines, the books are inevitably flops so he just keeps stealing other people’s stories but he does it in such horrible, conniving ways.

Earlier this year, I read my first John Boyne book, The Heart’s Invisible Furies which I loved. While the two books have very different storylines, the story in A Ladder to the Sky is just as compelling. I very much enjoyed this book and will continue reading John’s backlist.

You'll love to hate Maurice Swift--a sociopathic, wanna-be author who can't come up with his own stories but has no problem stealing plots from others. This was a fast read with interesting characters and some clever schemes. The dialogue was not great, and the character does some really stupid things in the end that I didn't find very believable, but overall an enjoyable read.

Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and determined to be a writer.  The problem is that he hasn't had an original thought in his life.
Waiting tables at a West Berlin hotel in 1988, he has a chance encounter with respected author Erich Ackermann.  Realizing the aging novelist is lonely and obviously attracted to him, Maurice uses the man's kindness to his advantage, becoming his assistant on a book tour.

Maurice travels on Ackermann's dime while finding a place in the literary community with his charm before he is even published.  He's surprised during a night cap with his lonely mentor to hear a story from Ackermann's youth in Nazi Germany that is both heartbreaking and shocking ...and perfect for a novel.
With the publication of his first novel based on the story told to him by Erich Ackermann, Maurice refuses to let go of his first taste of fame. He doesn't care that he's ruined the name and career of his former mentor in the process, he will do whatever it takes to become a legend.

Told in three parts (each from a different character's perspective) with two interludes, A Ladder to the Sky unravels the life (and crimes!) of Maurice Swift as he destroys the lives of many authors, including his own wife's, to maintain his relevance in the literary community.

Boyne moves the story along with the help of different perspectives and has created both heartbreaking and infuriating characters.  I was completely invested in their lives and outraged by the audacity of a few. 

A Ladder to the Sky looks at the concept of literary ownership and if a story belongs to a person through the life of a great pretender who is really a professional psychopath.

Thanks to Crown Publishing/Hogarth and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.  A Ladder to the Sky is scheduled for release in the U.S. on November 13, 2018.

Book Description
Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and hungry for fame. The one thing he doesn’t have is talent – but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own.
Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall…
My Thoughts
This was one of those books that had me wondering how it could possibly be my first exposure to John Boyne's writing. I was intrigued by the book description and from the first page to the last, I was captivated by the train wreck of a character, Maurice Swift. He may be a sociopath, or a psychopath( or perhaps both), but he is most definitely a narcissist. His world revolves around himself and his dream to become a famous fiction writer.
His 'dream' isn't like one of mine though, where I would focus on a talent and work to make my 'dream' reality. Maurice's real talent is his ability to use and discard people who get him closer to his goal. He can write, but he needs ideas and stories and his total lack of imagination means he needs someone else to provide the story. His callous disregard for those who have stories worth stealing is chilling. Whenever I thought, OK, Maurice is going to show me a redeeming quality, he did something more egregious than what he had done before.
I don't want to say much more about the story because I don't want to ruin anyone's reading enjoyment as you peel back his layers. If you read the book description and find it interesting, I recommend A Ladder to the Sky. I loved this book, which would guarantee a shiny 4-star review, except it also checked another box. When I finish a book, I write down my first impressions and then see how I 'feel' about the story in a week or two. Sometimes, I can't get the book or one or more characters out of my head and that is exactly how I feel about Maurice Swift. I could talk about every plot development as if I was still reading this for the first time. I was drawn in hook, line, and sinker and was so engrossed in the story that I may have pushed every responsibility I could out of my way so I could finish. That, to me is a book that deserves praise and 5 shiny stars!
Maurice Swift is unforgettable and I can't wait until more of my book loving friends have read it too. I look forward to John Boyne's next book and lucky for me, this was not a debut, so I have more of his books to add to my TBR pile.
I received a DRC from Crown Publishing through NetGalley.

Author John Boyne is, for my money, one of the most powerful voices in fiction today. In A Ladder to the Sky, Boyne displays how talents for characterization and plotting, along with the historical and emotional development he brings to his work.

Read anything by John Boyne today and, certainly, add this book to the top of that list.

Maurice Swift is a handsome, charing and utterly ruthless character devoid of any moral compass who will stop at nothing to achieve his two goals: the become a famous novelist and a father. Boyne gives us a character in Swift who you'll love to hate. You'll want to stop everything and just read this gripping novel.

My first Boyne that doesn't get five stars. Far from it, unfortunately.

Maurice is an ambitious young man who wants to be famous and to become a father. He's always wanted to write a novel but faces problems creating the story itself, that's when he befriends a famous author and finds out he has a real story that would be perfect to put on paper, even if that could destroy his friend.

The book could actually be divided in three parts, that summary only covers the first, as Maurice's ambition doesn't stop there. It's narrated from various point of views and we just reach Maurice's later in the final third. Even though I found those characters relatable enough, I had issues connecting to the main story. The third narrator, a female writer with obvious issues of Imposter Syndrome, was supposed to be the easiest one to relate, for example. And yet, it was the slowest part of the book. It only really started feeling good after her part. There wasn't improvement enough, though.

Boyne's writing style is fabulous, it's incredibly pleasing, and that's what saves the book from being actually bad. But the plot... it talks so much about writers it felt a little embarrassing wondering how much that wasn't from Boyne's own experience or even a self insertion.

For a while, before the final third, I was wondering if Boyne took one character from The Heart's Invisible Furies (the adoptive father) and transplanted here to be Maurice. This is only my third book by him so maybe that's just his pattern for character—very probable—, but I couldn't not comment this thought. I don't know why I loved the former and never really got to care enough for the latter. Not even enough to want him damned in hell for his actions—though he deserves it.

The thing is that this isn't that bad. The writing is great, as mentioned. The characters are round and diverse. We have a female character and I didn't see any of the usual "this is a woman written by a man" irritating quirks. There's lots of food for thoughts, as all Boyne's books. We have plot twists, ironies etc, you'd also expect from Boyne. It's just not interesting enough. Definitely not one I'll recommend to those who don't know this author.

Of course, as I reached the middle and still felt unamused, I did what I rarely do—I checked the reviews. I'm aware most fell in love with this book, so there's a high chance you will, too. But I don't recommend it, unless you're a fan. I love Boyne and I don't regret this.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

John Boyne's novel The Heart's Invisible Furies was one of my favorite books of 2017. If the protagonist of Furies was sympathetic, the main character in Boyne's new book A Ladder to the Sky offers readers an entirely different type of character. For Maurice Swift uses everyone to advance his obsession to become a lionized writer of prize-winning books. On his way to the top, he breaks hearts and ruins and even ends lives. We despise him while finding him fascinating.

The story has a noir quality as Swift's crimes become darker. I was reminded of The Talented Mr. Ripely by Patrician Highsmith. One feels almost guilty about how enjoyable it is to read about very bad people.

The people Swift has used as rungs up the ladder tell their stories, until the end when we finally hear from a declining Swift. It is a compelling story.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I have been hearing so many wonderful things about John Boyne.. and I am pleased to say that I can definitely see why!

John Boyne is quite the storyteller! Boyne's talent shines brightly through this piece of beautiful literature!

Can I just say... oh my Maurice Swift... you are one character that we hate to love. In a nut shell.. Maurice Swift is an ass and can I say a tad.. just a tad bit cocky. But, somehow Boyne makes it work!

I usually am for characters that tug on my heart strings.. and am rooting for them. But, this was the complete opposite for me. I couldn't wait to see the absolute train wreck that would arise with Maurice Swift.

Have you ever met someone that wants nothing but to get to the top with his or her career and want to slide by with beauty or attraction? Can Maurice climb his way to the top and knock out every person that he comes across? I Know you're intrigued now ;).

I would have to say the less I say about the plot the better. I am very impressed with this author and look forward to seeing more of his talent in the future.

4 strong stars!

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Expected publication date: 11/13/18
Published to GR: 10/6/18

My thought
A ladder to the sky is an extraordinary read. The writing flows, the prose is beautiful, the characters are well developed.
Elegant comes to my mind, an elegant delivery of words.
The ruthless driven protagonist Maurice, is a joy to behold, watching him play his victims without scruples, helpless in his greedy youthful fingers. No doubts hinder his way to become the next literary genius. In a chapter which takes Maurice to La Rondinaia. an exchange between Gore Vidal and Maurice is pure genius in the hands of John Boyne author of A ladder To the Sky.

This is my first novel by this author and definitely not my last.
An absolute must read

Thank you to Crown Publishing for allowing me the opportunity of an early read.
Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy

I am probably one of the only readers on this site that hasn’t read John Royne before. This was a Traveling Sister read and I thank them for bringing this book to my attention.

This book is about writers, the publishing industry, how different people get their ideas to write a novel,etc, but it revolves steadily around the main character Maurice. We are taken back to 1988 Berlin where an illustrious and recently well published author, Erich Ackermann is eating at a restaurant and can’t take his eyes off of a particular waiter, we later find out this is Maurice. Erich is a homosexual who hasn’t had any physical relationships since he was young and apparently Maurice is extremely handsome. Erich is so entranced with Maurice from the start that he asks him to travel with him on his book tour through Europe and Maurice accepts.

Erich is no match for the manipulating, seducing Maurice who remains just out of reach physically to pretty much drive Erich crazy. After the book tours are completed Maurice leaves Erich, he has gotten all he wants from Erich, basically his life story which he will turn into a well received novel. Next is Dash whom he has met through Erich, he is also very attracted to Maurice and they do have a relationship, starting with Dash being a mentor to Erich into being subservient to him, it is not a pleasant thing to read about. Are there really that many people out there that would give away their stories or ideas over an infatuation with a young man? Is the author telling us through this story that there are a lot of homosexuals in the writing field, which I have no problem with but am just interested if this is his intent.

Maurice himself is a writing machine. He knows the mechanics of writing and how to add to an exciting story once he has been given an idea. He also cares not a bit if he hurts anyone in the process. Maybe some of you have encountered the type in the workplace, after all the “Ladder to the Sky” could be many professions besides writing, it could be banking, law, retail etc. Maurice really is a sociopath, maybe a psychopath if his actions really killed someone.
I felt as though the book lagged a bit in the middle, when the second narrator is introduced. For quite a while we don’t even know who this person is until her life and relationship with Maurice are revealed. This is Edith, a fantastic but insecure writer who has married Maurice. Two of Maurice’s goals in life are to be a well reputed writer and to be a father, thus the marriage as Maurice has no real love for anyone. Edith will become another of Maurice’s targets, this one much worse than the last.

The story goes on and has three basic points of view but with some interchanging at times. We learn that Maurice gets that special little one only to find it not what he had hoped. This comes to an unbelievable ending which made me really despise Maurice. But he wasn’t done yet,he manages to “steal” or reimagine books from others ideas, always changing them up just enough so that it couldn’t be proven that he actually stole their ideas.

I did have a problem with the book industry as it is portrayed, but I have no real idea of how it all works. I will look forward to any writers who read this book and their reactions to it. The process of interns reviewing manuscripts possibly to discard a few because they were “too good”, better writers than themselves, was a really scary thought. I hope that the book is exaggerating the general system. I think someone has to be really mentally tough to put a book out there for someone to publish, I know several authors whom I’ve corresponded with who have boxes full of rejection letters before they got their published best seller :)

That is probably quite enough and maybe too much but I’m hoping to get you interested in the book. I was satisfied with the ending, although I had wished it would be a bit more of a balance, equal punishment for what he had done and is about to do again.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley



Also reviewed on Book Bub and Edelweiss, will review on Amazon upon publication.

John Boyne has done it again for me with this story!

Maurice Swift is highly ambitious in his quest to be a great writer... so ambitious, that he really becomes one of the most despicable characters that I’ve ever encountered in a novel!

This is a dark story of seduction and literary theft, that will keep you reading to find out what this guy will do next!
Read it and enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

Wowza!

John Boyne keeps getting better and better! Each time he writes a book, he tops his last. A ladder to the Sky has done just that. This book is beautifully written, tragic, compelling and hard to put down. Boyne has given me a character that I love to hate. Maurice Swift is so deliciously "amoral". Maurice is willing to do whatever it takes to be a bestselling Author. Armed with his youth and beauty, he sets out to achieve his goals, no looking back, no remorse and feeling justified with his actions. He uses what he has to his advantage all the while using the talent of others to further his own career. He takes what he can and moves on. He is ambitious, cunning, calculating, arrogant, and manipulative.

As the book progresses, the reader watches/reads as Maurice moves from one person to the next, using that person, until that individual has nothing else to give and/or Maurice feels he has taken all he can. He will stop at nothing to succeed even if it means destroying lives, ruining careers or worse!

I enjoyed how this book delves into "ownership" There is plagiarism and then there is re-writing someone's work and telling someone's life events. For instance, if someone tells you about a specific time in his/her life and you write about it - have you stolen from them or just profited off their "story”? To what lengths will someone go to achieve success?

"When the gods with to punish us, they answer our prayers."

This book is not only a character study of the main character, Maurice, but to a small degree on the many people in his life. Erich and Dash both came to realize that they were being used and both allowed it for his own reasons. How incredibly sad is it when one knows they are being used and they allow it with the hope of love or companionship. There were the tragic figures who were used by Maurice and had no idea until it was too late. On the other hand, I absolutely loved the passages with Gore. It was nice to see a character who saw right through him and called him on the carpet. Those sections were bliss for me.

This was a very enjoyable read which provides the reader with many characters POV and ending with Maurice's. Will he ever stop in his quest for glory? What happens when you lose your youth and beauty? Will Maurice ever meet his match? Is there a price to be paid for ambition?

Highly recommend!

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

John Boyne is one of my favorite contemporary authors. A Ladder to the Sky is another gripping release. It introduces readers to an untalented writer, who happens to be a talented con man. I found this one hard to put down.

In A Ladder to the Sky, Boyne has constructed a compelling psychodrama of one man's quest for success who will stop at nothing.