Bought at the airport and read whilst I was in England. It was funny to read it whilst in London. Different from other Faulks novels but like this attempts at the 'great novel'. Great characters. 2 of them outstanding for me are the book reviewer and the soccer player. Some truly great funny moments. ( )

"A Week in December" offers a view of life in London over the course of one week in December 2007. There are numerous characters and the reader gets to know them all, some more than others. And chapter after chapter, the links between them come to light, some superficial and obscure, others much deeper than you first thought.

There is a financial tycoon who only lives for the next big deal, a teenage boy addicted to drugs and reality TV, a Polish footballer just starting his career in a London team, a young female tube driver who plays an online game in her free time, a poor lawyer trying to find his way, a young muslim ensnared by a radical group, a literary critic who hates contemporary literature, and so on...
In the beginning it was hard for me to keep the characters straight and to get used to the story which was much more about these characters than about a specific plot. But after some time, I just went along with the ride and the characters grew on me. Each of them, in their own way, is looking for a life worth living, dealing with feelings of loneliness and isolation, trying to find something to hold on to. It is so true to life on the small scale. On the big scale, however, Faulks hits on basically every contemporary topic that was big in the late 2000s: The world of finance, terrorism, TV & online media, the publishing world, the health system, integration. His satire is sharp, yet the strength of the book for me is in the characters and the ties between them. I would happily have read a whole novel about each of these characters, with the exception of the hedge fund manager, because well, there was already more about the finance world than I ever wanted to know in this novel. ( )

It is hard to place this book. I didn't enjoy it very much but it lingered on my mind. John Veals is a memorable character. He enjoys making money that he doesn't need, and the book ends with him having the last laugh. But not without Roger, a rather peripheral character, exposing the sins of hedge fund managers at the finale dinner. This dinner is where many of the main characters come together. Faulks does a good job of centering on the different characters, giving each his or her turn in the spotlight. Parallel to this is Hassan's journey to the hospital where he is supposed to meet up with the other radicals and detonate the hospital. However, somehow along the way, he had an epiphany and changed his mind. This changing of mind is unconvincing, and one of the many odd things in the book. I also find superfluous the story of the Polish footballer. He gets very little mention, and his main contribution is as Olya's boyfriend. Olya, the bombshell, who appears everywhere in the book, even as the device for last-minute hidden messages for the radicals. ( )

Seven days and seven people; a fund manager, a tube driver, a football star, a poor lawyer, a skunk addicted school boy, a hack book reviewer and a student who is committed to the ultimate cause of Islam.

As these characters lives orbit around London and each other, you start to understand what is driving them, the hack who wants to rubbish a fellow reviewers new novel, the fund manager is trying to pull of the biggest deal of his life by pushing a bank into collapse. His teenage son has just obtained the strongest skunk that he can, and the footballer is finding his feet in this new city. The lawyer and the tube driver are beginning a relationship, and the student is sourcing the materials for a bomb.

As the tension builds and the lives of these seven Londoners become more closely intertwined, the student sets off to make his ultimate sacrifice.

Cleverly plotted, Faulks has written these characters with many flaws. Some of them you end up liking, other detesting, but not the one you may think. Has a nice twist at the end. Overall 3.5 stars as it does feel a little overwritten and careful editing would have made a tighter story. Otherwise good. ( )

Really good book following the story of seven characters over a week in December. ( )