5/5 stars- John Boyne has done it once again. He has written a powerful, character-driven novel that captivated me from the very first page. This book is very different than The Heart’s Invisible Furies, and yet I loved it just the same. The main character, Maurice Swift, is the type of character you absolutely love to hate and wish terrible consequences upon. He wants to be a best-selling, award winning author, but there’s just one problem— he can’t construct an original plot. Maurice is utterly devoid of a moral compass and will do anything, truly anything, to get ahead.

This book is told from multiple points of view, but the plot remains centered around Maurice. I can’t really say much more about it or else I’ll be giving too much away, but suffice it to say this book was satisfying from beginning to end. I have several of Boyne’s backlist I need to read, but having read three of his books so far, I can say with confidence Boyne’s writing is a must read and I look forward to his next book.


Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @hogarthbooks for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

We read A Ladder to The sky by John Boyne with a few of our friends on Instagram. Our main character Maurice sure gave us a lot to talk about.

He is hungry for success, ambitious yet lacks talent, devious and manipulating. Nothing stands in his way of getting what he wants

The Ladder To The Sky is a compelling yet disturbing dark story that explores how far one man will go to achieve success using deceit and manipulation. It has been quoted as a "deliciously dark tale" and I have to agree. Maurice is handsome, charming and not afraid to work that. He is dangerously fascinating yet irresistible. Oh, and he is a sociopath. He had us feeling uncomfortable, disturbed and angry. He shocked us and watching him throughout this story felt like watching a train wreck about to happen in slow motion and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

It's a great one to read in a group as there is a lot to talk about here with this one and if you are like me it's also a great one to get wrapped up in your little thoughts and discussion with the characters. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and John Boyne for providing us a copy to read and review.

This was an incredible, fabulous book, destined to become one of the top books. It follows young writer Maurice as he manipulates his way into literary success. The way ambition, especially young beautiful ambition, is portrayed is never false. Boyne's prose is delicious, I want to live in his world.

It took me a while to get through this one, as you might guess, given that I was granted a galley copy before it published and has since come out. Boyne has a knack for creating great depth in characters, so much so that liking them seems almost irrelevant. Almost. There wasn’t a single character I liked, which is often a great challenge for longer novels, such as this. But the characters are dynamic, the storyline well crafted and researched, and all in all this was a poignant read. I do recommend it, for its literary prowess and historical relevance.

The main character was reprehensible and yet I found myself glued to the pages of this book. It had wit and was very well written.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Another exceptional book by an amazing author. This did not disappoint.

#ALadderToTheSky #NetGalley

Absolutely phenomenal! This is my second book by John Boyne, and his writing just stirs my soul. You can read a zillion other reviews as to the storyline, but let me just say that Maurice Swift as a character is a reprehensible human being and I was glued to the pages waiting for the Karma Bus to show up. All I can add is READ. THIS. BOOK. Read it now. Are you reading it yet?

Even from the time I decided to request a copy of A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne to review I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about it. The fact that the book was described as a "psychodrama" intrigued me, but considering my previous reading experience with Boyne was his popular YA historical fiction The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, it felt weird to pick up this adult novel about an ambitious novelist, Maurice Swift, and the people he takes advantage of to succeed. Honestly, after finishing A Ladder to the Sky, I'm still not quite sure what to think! ⁣
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I really hated the novel's main character, Maurice, and at times, actively disliked reading the book, but I can't help admiring the storytelling that goes into that, even if I'd never want to read it again. This is a novel about a really bad person, and Boyne does a fantastic job capturing the desperation and horror of the situation. A Ladder to the Sky is quiet, unsettling, and evil all mixed together. It starts off not seeming that bad--or interesting--but as time progresses things get worse and worse. The complexities of all the characters are well-captured. I spent much of the novel unable to decide how I felt about it, but ultimately, A Ladder to the Sky is a book I hated so much I ended up admiring it? Honestly, I still can't decide if I could ever pick up another Boyne after this one, but at the same time, I think everyone should give this book a try. Conflicted, indeed. ⁣
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A Ladder to the Sky is a phenomenal character study. The only other author I have read with this much talent to bring a character to life is Tana French (I am thinking specifically of Cassie Maddox in Into the Woods and The Likeness). John Boyne pulls off another feat in this book by thoroughly entertaining me despite the protagonist being utterly unlikeable. After reading The Heart’s Invisible Furies and declaring it to be my top novel of 2019 despite it being the first week in January, I blindly requested A Ladder to the Sky from Net Galley. It was only afterwards that I learned the protagonist is a despicable excuse for a human being, relentlessly driving for success no matter how many people he destroys along the way. I’ve always insisted my protag be someone I could root for so I went into this one with trepidation. Amazingly, the author made it work for me.

The plot is masterful and very ingenious despite not being inordinately complex. And I have to say there cannot be many that write dialogue better than Mr. Boyne. I love that because excellent dialogue increases the capability of the author to show rather than tell. And show he did. The tale takes us from sometime in the 1980s when our gorgeous leading man is 21 all the way to the present time when he is “on the wrong side of 50” and not quite so gorgeous. As the years go by, his goals have remained the same although he has to change his game plan. Props to Mr. Boyne for keeping the guy in character all the way to the end. The last line brought a slow, but very wide smile to my face.

The downsides of the book are minimal. I found the section featuring Gore Vidal on the slow side. I also was not fond of the switch into 2nd person narrative (I think that’s what it was) for a few dozen pages. These issues are nowhere near enough to make me drop my rating from 5 stars—the author’s strong development of multiple side characters and overall outstanding writing skills more than make up for them.

Again on the up side, I was awed by Mr. Boyne’s ability to impress me with two widely different extraordinary plots in The Heart’s Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. Moreover, these two novels evoked powerful yet exceedingly disparate emotions in me. And I loved both books. I cannot wait to explore more works by this author.

I highly recommend A Ladder to the Sky to all fans of strong character studies. Don’t be afraid to hate the protagonist, as there is a solid chance you will love the book anyway.

My thanks go to Net Galley, Crown Publishing/Hogarth Press, and John Boyne for an advanced review copy of this book. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

If anyone could write a character I hate as much as Maurice Swift and yet I’d still give the book 5 stars, it is John Boyne. Boyne has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors. He has this ability to write fully fleshed out characters, placing them in compelling and interesting contexts.

A Ladder to the Sky is the story of Maurice Swift. As he rises to fame as an author, he will stop at nothing to ensure his career. This book pulled me in almost immediately, as I was surprised over and over at the lows Maurice would reach. He was truly a despicable character. There was not one redeemable quality about him. And yet I loved this book. Pick up a copy of this book. And if it’s your first Boyne novel, let me suggest his others as well!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

A Ladder to the Sky received such amazing reviews and due to that I had very high expectations. John Boyne is a master when it comes to his craft. I was wowed by the amount of emotion this book made me feel. I was angry, curious, enraged and mostly on the edge of my seat. Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride. You may laugh even if you don't think it is possible. A Ladder to the Sky exceeded my expectations and I know I am not alone in that.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hogarth Books & John Boyne for the free digital review copy!
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🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
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▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I LOVED this book! I wasn’t sure about it at first but 10 pages in I was hooked! I just couldn’t stop reading it! Any chance I got I read. I’ve never hated a character more than Maurice Swift, he was conniving, manipulating but also so brilliant. In his twisted way he earned the trust of others and took advantage of them all. This is probably the first time I’ve ever despised the main character this much! The writing in true Boyne style was ridiculously good! He just knows how to tell an amazing story. I was so angry at times while reading that I had to put the book down! That didn’t last long because I just had to find out what happened next!
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▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
Overall this was one of the best books I’ve EVER read! I felt anger, rage, sadness, pity and so much more! Warning to all my family and friends - I will be recommending this book to you all!!
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▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
Arrogant
Liar
Anger
Deliberate
Dangerous
Evil
Resentment
Terrifying
Original
Talented
Horrific
Excellent
Super
Killer story
Yelling
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▪️STAR RATING
✔️🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

I was a little bit late on reading this, but when I finally did, I named it my first 5-star read of 2019. There are so many good things to say about this book that I struggle to articulate them all. I've never wanted to murder a character more, but it was so compelling, had such witty dialogue, had such well-drawn characters, and I couldn't put it down. I read it in a single sitting and John Boyne is fast becoming a favourite author. READ THIS.

This was the first book by Boyne that I've ever read. I know, I have been missing out. I was completely enthralled with this book since the beginning. I loved following Maurice Swift's story and was so glad to get to the end because I was so ready for him to get his comeuppance. I'm so glad Boyne was the one writing this character because I think if someone else had written it I would have thrown this book to the garbage. The reason I say that is because I was glad that he was able to construct a narrative that gave us glimpses of this character to show just how pathetic and narcissistic he truly was. In anyone else's hands this character wouldn't' have been worth reading two sentences about but the way that Boyne constructed the narrative had you hooked from beginning to end. I will definitely be reading more Boyne and encourage all of you to visit the world of Maurice Swift. I loved the first chapter the best because of the humanity that was given to Erich. It's a controversial viewpoint to give humanity to Nazis and one that not everyone can undertake. Boyne, to his credit, doesn't condone what they have done but it does show you a different layer to them. The last time I had that type of reading experience was with All the Light We Cannot See.

I liked Boyne's previous two novels "The History of Loneliness" and "The Heart's Invisible Furies." In this new tale, John Boyne shifts from his native Ireland for a setting to that of Germany. He tells the saga of identities assumed and discarded. The results are typically entertaining. The dialogue can be expository and after a while the plot lags. However, Boyne's skill at story construction and here multiple points of view enhances a readable adventure. It even takes on speculative, eerie aspects, which is a direction Boyne may find himself following next?

An amazing read, as long as you're not someone who is unwilling to read about unlikeable characters.

I'd noticed GoodReads folks raving about Boyne's last book (The Heart's Invisible Furies) and decided to give this one a try. I went into this book relatively blind and hadn't read the synopsis. And I think that that was for the best. This vile, ambitious, scheming character instead crept up on me slowly, so that I didn't even realize that he was the protagonist in this novel until I was well into the story!

I enjoyed the use of different viewpoints for each section of the book, as it allowed various stages of the protagonist's story to unfold from a distance. My favourite viewpoint was probably Edith, I was sorry when we said goodbye to her.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Wow! This was my 2nd John Boyne book and following The Hearts Invisible Furies, I had high expectations. This book was totally different and the storytelling was just truly impressive. This story follows Maurice Swift and his rise to fame as an "author". Maurice is introduced as a handsome young man who wants nothing more than to be a famous and celebrated writer.

“I think Maurice is whatever he needs to be, whenever he needs to be it. He's an operator, that's for sure.”
― John Boyne, A Ladder to the Sky

Maurice is actually not a likable guy and he does "whatever it takes" to get the story. But this book keeps you hooked through its dark humor and that this story brought to life through the people that guided (and assisted) Maurice along his way.

This story was truly unique and kept me on my toes. The middle lagged for me a bit but the ending was satisfying and I enjoyed when the tables were turned. A big thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book was amazing!! My first John Boyne and it will definetely not be the last.

You will want to both throw this book across the room and never stop reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and author fir providing a free copy of this book.

Oh my Goodness, this book. If I wasn’t a fan of John Boyne before, this certainly would’ve sealed it. "A Ladder to the Sky" has such an interesting perspective. The first half of the book you learn about the main character through the eyes of the people that he is manipulating - which I didn’t expect and was a really smart choice. When the perspective finally does shift you just can not stand the main character. He's one of those individuals you just love to hate. I was surprised how much of this book felt like a thriller - you want the main character to be caught for what he has done and you keep hoping he’ll fall into a trap. I gave this book 5 our of 5 stars, as I gave Boyne’s last novel A Heart’s Invisible Furies - he is just so incredibly talented and keeps me up way past my bedtime with his unputdownable reads!

I can safely say that John Boyne is now one of my new favorite authors. His characters (including the secondary characters) are realistically flawed, he sets his books firmly within their settings, and unlike Maurice Swift, he can write a brilliantly plotted story. I completely fell in love with The Heart's Invisible Furies and couldn't wait to pick this one up. It is totally different.
A Ladder to the Sky follows the life of Maurice Swift, a talented writer on the sentence level, but completely lacking creativity in regard to plot. Everything he writes is boring and not worth reading. He is also a complete psychopath that will go to extreme lengths to steal stories from others, and drop them as soon as they are no longer useful to him. His first victim is Erich Ackermann, a German writer with a secret past that is completely enamored with Maurice. Erich is a complicated character who is blindsided by his betrayal.
He is incredibly attractive to men and women alike, and uses his sex appeal to coax intimacy out of those whose stories he needs. The relationships he develops are solely for the purpose of his own gain. He is calculating, and ruthless.
I resist calling this book a thriller, because it is much more cerebral than thrillers tend to be. There is a lot of talk of the nature of publication, gay romance, and the act of writing, but Maurice will appropriately be compared to Tom Ripley when the book is published, and can rival any other psychopath in literature.