ARTFUL READERS CLUB: A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

Maurice Swift is one of THE most devious protagonists I can ever remember in my readings. His goal is to be a great writer…to win the most prestigious literary prize. Unfortunately, he has no imagination, can’t decide on a theme or plot, and he’s unable to create interesting, believable characters. So, he uses his charm and good looks to extract stories from others, be it an author whom he admires, a wife who can write brilliantly, a son who needs his help…he’ll sell out anyone and everyone to climb that ladder of success. Maurice is an utterly amoral character and as much as I disliked him, I had to admire his cunning, ambition and his absolute dedication to achieving fame. We can see trouble ahead long before his marks do, and even get a pretty good idea of how he’s going to get what he wants…and we wonder just how long he can keep getting away with it. If you find this unrealistic, I recommend, for your consideration, the question of why Donald J. Trump has not seen the inside of a jail cell for his lifetime of criminality. Sometimes monsters walk free, regardless of what they’ve done!

A LADDER to the SKY is an exhilarating, unsettling and invigoratingly original read. It’s dazzling in its complexity, astounding in its fiendishness and astonishing in its absolute audacity!! John Boyne has given me a character that I love to hate. The book is COMPULSIVELY READABLE…I highly recommend it!