The Whale at the End of the World: The major international bestseller

I loved this story from start to end. I was gripped immediately which is always a sign of a good book, and I will be looking at the author’s other books now. He has a superb style. I am not giving the plot away but it makes you think!

I had to keep telling myself that this book was written a few years ago.The author seems to have a remarkable insight into the future.The story is very well told and flows very. easy.I am looking forward to the next book by this author.

I didn't really enjoy the start of this book. There were far too many characters and I found myself skimming over who was who. This didn't matter as they became familiar names as the story progressed. A third of the way into the book, I was hooked and enjoying the story.The main character seemed something of a sucker for a flirty woman - are men really that gullible?I was expecting a light, easy holiday read and was surprised that I found it thought provoking. I was left thinking about our dependency on other nations and oil provision.The book was well written. I enjoyed reading about the research for the book at the end - not something I would usually read.

This book was written several years ago, when a global pandemic was anticipated but not prepared for. It was therefore rather strange to read it now, in a global pandemic. Many themes have been borne into facts, like the resilience of local communities and their willingness to share and help. A very enjoyable read overall.

Interesting story about a man washed up in a small Cornish village and finds himself in very different circumstances than he is used to. Although some of the themes can be found in other novels about the area there were some unique themes here and the story flows well

I found this an enjoyable novel with a slightly clunky message about human nature. The question posed is: are we, when the chips are down, collaborative or competitive beings? In the book, the future of the world, after a perfect storm of globally disrupted oil supply and a worldwide deadly flu epidemic puts this question to the fore. It's all played out in a Cornish village, where a burned out financial analyst/mathematician tries to save the village from doom. A wizard/mentor figure in the guise of the head of a merchant bank pops up at unexpected moments to give the philosophical/moral commentary. In the end a thought provoking read about human nature and the future of capitalism. But the "messages" could have been delivered a bit more deftly. And look. I forgot to mention the whale.

I've never read any of this authors books. It was chosen as a book group read. I braced myself for spending time reading something that I thought might be boring and not my thing. Thinking I could be reading a book of my choosing. I've just finished the book. I loved it. I'm very tired as I stayed up late to read it. I'm definitely going to read more from this author. A great read.

A very unusual take on the breakdown of society as we know it. Totally believable and makes you think about taking everyday consumerism so much for granted. I found myself being much more conscious of water, power and transport for a good while following having read this book. The whale is an incidental story within the story, but adds a further thought provoking dimension.I can thoroughly recommend this book. So real it could be next weeks news.