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Whichever one of Manthorpe or Smith who did the research on Neitzsche for this book deserves a huge pat on the back; at times I felt I was reading Neitzsche: a guide. I don't mean that in any way negatively, I actually found it quite interesting.



Confidence had me reminiscing of my time at university, yes it was far too many years ago than I care to remember, but the issues and insecurities obviously don't seem to have changed very much, if at all. What should be halcyon days invariably have the overwhelming shadow of what on earth you're going to do when you leave, or whether you've actually made the most of your time there.

It did feel just a little disjointed at times, whether that came from the dual authorship I don't know. The Neitzsche references didn't always appear to fully marry with the rest of the story, and at times seemed to overwhelm it.

The characters were quite likeable, and I could have transposed their names onto several of the characters I knew. Obviously the same groups of students are universal wherever you are studying.

It had me chuckling aloud at time, and the situations and events of the novel were totally believable. It's a good read and I did enjoy it, though obviously I'm unfortunately not raving about it. It would be good if you are hunting for a slightly more cerebral read.