Jasper Fforde Shades of Grey: worth persevering with?

[BellaBearisWideAwake]

NOT FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (wonder if he's regretting the title, in retrospect? )
Right, I loved the Thursday Next books and the Nursery Crimes, but I've started SOG and I'm not feeling it. Is it worth keeping on? Does it get better? It's hard work right now.

It gets better. Rather different to the others, this one gets more serious. still humorous, but serious.

I couldn't finish it - found it absolutely awful. I don't like his other stuff either, though.

Ok will keep going then. Does it spell out what big event took place and what all the colour perception is about?

Ah see I adore this book, but I loved it from the beginning. Maybe it's a bit marmitey?

I really really enjoyed it, but it is very different to his other books which are much lighter in tone.

I read it a couple of years ago (in fact it's next to my bed waiting for a re-read) and I'm not sure about the event, but yes I'm pretty sure that the colour perception thing gets explored in a fair bit of depth. I found it fascinating and funny. But I do like post apocalyptic novels.

I think I'd like it more of I understood what the hell wad going on with all the colour stuff. Would it spoil it if someone explained it to me?
Remus, I rarely don't finish books but this is tempting me!

See, what I liked about his others is that they are light but still intelligent

I loved this book from the start. When's the next one out?

Nothing is spelt out. But a gradual creeping sense of horror dawns.

Arg. That isn't tempting me!
AIBU to ask someone to spoiler it for me now? Or shall i just google it?

I loved it, from the beginning. I like that it doesn't spell out the back story. The colour stuff doesn't get explained as such; but it does become a big plot driver, so it starts to feel more natural.

I read it earlier this year, having read quite a few Thursday Next ones. Took me a while to get into it because it was so different. There is no explanation for a lot of it, so I think you have to take it as face value.
Once I'd suspended any expectations, I did enjoy it and I'm waiting for the next one in this series.

Like a lot of PPs I loved it from the start although I recently re-read it and it made a lot more sense the second time around.

The colour thing doesn't get explained as such but does become clearer as you go along iyswim? The more that gets revealed, the more you understand without it being explained as such. I'm probably not making much sense.....

I'll admit i am in the loved it from the start camp, whats not to like a book in which unicycle hockey is a perfectly normal occupation. It was even better on second reading as I picked up on more of the early hints of the nastiness that lurks beneath the surface.

I didn't love it from the start, but I stuck with it and I want to know what happens in the next book in the series.

PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT!!!!

You don't find out what the Event was (always reminds me of that Mitchell & Webb sketch) but people post-Event are not the same as people today - as you may have gathered people as exist post-Event have no night vision, for a start. Post-event people can only see certain parts of the light spectrum - depending on which part and how many shades you can differentiate between determines your social class, pretty much. People from opposing colours can't marry/breed - the "Apart we are together" caste system is all imposed from that principle, preserving/improving purity of line etc (hence Greys being shunned/viewed as inferior) so trying to breed within your colour to increase your sensitivity within that colour boosts your social standing.

It's not like the other books, it's more Orwellian really. Once you stop expecting it to be a "Jasper Fforde" sort of book, it gets a lot better. It doesn't get "light" though...

Thanks for all replies! I'm sticking with it.

Update, it got much much better, I had a clue what was going on, I enjoyed the twist at the end (red/green related), I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Thank you all for replying