I'm embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this. Yes, the constant, heavy-handed mentions of the mysterious barbecue were infuriating, as well as comI'm embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this. Yes, the constant, heavy-handed mentions of the mysterious barbecue were infuriating, as well as completely unnecessary, and it all wraps up way too tidily, and it does plod. But I found the characters completely convincing! And I've been thinking about them a lot since finishing this a week ago. ...more
I get the intention with the first-person narrator—she’s writing the story of her friend in the same way she used to write magazine profiles—but for mI get the intention with the first-person narrator—she’s writing the story of her friend in the same way she used to write magazine profiles—but for me it’s a miscalculation, especially when the last chapter rolls around, the predictable meta stuff gets trotted out, and the narrator unfurls a fiery essay about how mistreated women are (and they are! I agree!) and how therefore she refuses to keep caring about Fleishman, and is going to stop thinking about him and regain interest in her own family. OK, and great, but then why did we, the long-suffering readers, have to spend 300 pages in his company?
You could easily trim 100, maybe 200, pages from this novel with no effect. The repetition is nuts. Get rid of all the graphic T-shirt mentions, the complaints about NJ, and every single reference to Toby’s dating app (not a single one of which advances the plot or adds new insight) and you’d trim fat and lose nothing important.
Not that I have any business mentioning this, since I do exactly the same thing, but TBA really leans on repetition, lists, and compound sentences. They do provide momentum, but they also feel cheap and cheat-y.
In an interview, TBA said she kept the doc of her ms open on her computer all the time, and jumped into it when she had a few minutes, and it really shows; the novel is disjointed and messy. (And riddled with nonsensical sentences like “Sexual awakenings were not supposed to extend beyond what was merely an upgrade in enjoyment for men.” Not exactly Updike, contra Elizabeth Gilbert’s blurb.)...more
DeWitt has Donna Tartt disease: all of his characters, including doormen from the outer boroughs, talk like something out of Dickens. For me, this makDeWitt has Donna Tartt disease: all of his characters, including doormen from the outer boroughs, talk like something out of Dickens. For me, this makes him unreadable. ...more
The more commercial aspects of Moriarty‘s work really eat into the pleasure she gives me, but I burst into noisy sobs while reading the last pages of The more commercial aspects of Moriarty‘s work really eat into the pleasure she gives me, but I burst into noisy sobs while reading the last pages of this book, and I can count on one hand the number of authors who can get me to do that. ...more
**spoiler alert** Really loved it and then suddenly had had enough and couldn’t make it through one more page. Moshfegh is intimidatingly cool—the pre**spoiler alert** Really loved it and then suddenly had had enough and couldn’t make it through one more page. Moshfegh is intimidatingly cool—the premise, the brand names, the poker-faced jokes. I skipped to the last page, found a cheap 9/11 ending, and was so glad I’d bailed. ...more
**spoiler alert** Erin Somers is SHARP and smart. I almost loved this book, but here were my problems: 1) What’s the point? Money doesn’t buy happines**spoiler alert** Erin Somers is SHARP and smart. I almost loved this book, but here were my problems: 1) What’s the point? Money doesn’t buy happiness? That’s not interesting enough. If an older man brings you to his country house, he expects sex? That’s too obvious, and acknowledging that it’s obvious doesn’t get you out of your pickle. 2) The cool, cynical tone, which I found forced. 3) If June has a crush on Hugo for years, why is she being so cool and cynical around him? Would she really be able to manage the rat-a-tat banter she pulls off? 4) Why does Hugo invite June out in the first place? The premise only makes sense if she’s a knockout, but we’re not led to think she is. I want to read Somers’s next book, but I hope she puts down her chisel and dares to be earnest. ...more
The tone is amused, but Halliday has an unspoken and impassioned thesis: yes, it's possible to write convincingly from the point of view of someone whThe tone is amused, but Halliday has an unspoken and impassioned thesis: yes, it's possible to write convincingly from the point of view of someone who's unlike you in nearly every way. Twitter says you can't? "Hold my beer," says Halliday. And she really does pull it off. Admittedly, the second third of the novel (told in close third-person from the POV of an Iraqi-American man) isn't nearly as sparkling and jaw-droppingly perfect as the first third (told in close third-person from the POV of a young white American woman), but I don't think anyone could argue successfully that Halliday/her fictional stand-in is appropriative or tone deaf. If I have a complaint, it's that the spoiler although the second third of the book is written by the protagonist of the first third, that's where the connection between the two stories ends. There's no thematic or plot overlap—which is part of the point, that you can escape your own world entirely when you're writing fiction. This makes you feel, though, that you're reading two novellas that are technically but not actually related. ...more
There are many pleasures here: the World War II setting, the old-timey Brooklyn stuff, the sex scene and all the ocean scenes, the restraint around deThere are many pleasures here: the World War II setting, the old-timey Brooklyn stuff, the sex scene and all the ocean scenes, the restraint around detailing Dexter Styles's crimes, the occasional glittering perfect metaphor. There are also a LOT of metaphors, so so soooooo many. Other problems: the plot hinges on unlikely coincidences, the two central male characters are ciphers, and sometimes Egan drops a bunch of research onto the page and it lands like a brick through a greenhouse roof (usually it's worked in seamlessly, though). I'm sure some readers have a problem with the happy ending, but I don't: it made me happy to read it. And whatever this novel's imperfections, I couldn't wait to dive back into it every night. ...more
It's no Love, Nina, which I'm constantly rereading, but it's dry and unsentimental and funny in a very Stibbean way.It's no Love, Nina, which I'm constantly rereading, but it's dry and unsentimental and funny in a very Stibbean way....more
When I read Penelope Fitzgerald, I think, "How is she doing this???" From a craft point of view, I cannot understand how she stuffs so much meaning anWhen I read Penelope Fitzgerald, I think, "How is she doing this???" From a craft point of view, I cannot understand how she stuffs so much meaning and intelligence into her tiny little novels. This book is particularly irresistible to me because of its setting in the world of a shabby theater school for child actors. I was happy that Hannah, one of the teachers, (view spoiler)[ doesn't wind up marrying sad-sack Pierce merely because he was in love with her. Fitzgerald understands all the shifting dynamics of that upsetting situation, the way you feel pity, frustration, affection, and rage toward the person who adores you so hopelessly. About halfway through the novel, I started feeling nervous about the fate of Jonathan, and sure enough, we learn in the last paragraph that he inadvertently kills himself while practicing for a scene (well, we don't "learn" it, exactly; we can surmise it, which is the way a lot of Fitzgerald's writing works). Jonathan an artist and a genius, and I think we're meant to feel that he died a noble death, for his art. And also that while Freddie was busy consolidating power, she was neglecting the children in her charge. (hide spoiler)]...more
Lanchester follows a large cast of diverse characters, all of whom have some connection to one posh street in London. There's an old lady, a soccer plLanchester follows a large cast of diverse characters, all of whom have some connection to one posh street in London. There's an old lady, a soccer player, an anonymous art star, a deli owner, a finance guy, and more; there's a death, a harassment campaign, a romance, and more; a lot happens, and there are a lot of laughs, which I wasn't expecting. Lanchester is a confident writer, and he's empathetic and respectful to all of his characters. When he's setting up the story, you get that "Ahh, this is going to be good" feeling. That feeling lasts almost until the end of the book, when some of the plotlines wrap up too neatly, others drop away completely, and there's a sense that maybe none of it added up to much. ...more
I do appreciate that this is less a spy novel and more a meditation on the roles we all play and the impossibility of ever truly knowing another persoI do appreciate that this is less a spy novel and more a meditation on the roles we all play and the impossibility of ever truly knowing another person. I also appreciate how effectively Atkinson gave me the creeps and made me mistrust every character she introduced. But there are some technical difficulties here I couldn't get over. None of the male characters are clearly drawn, and they all blend together into one deceitful blob. The big twist at the end falls completely flat, I think because it hadn't been set up and didn't particularly make sense to me given what we knew about Juliet's character. And I kept picturing how each scene would look in the adaptation, which is never the effect you want when you're reading. Not her best, IMO. ...more
An eerily prescient alternative history in which Nazi-sympathizer Charles Lindbergh wins the presidency and nearly takes the country down in a matter An eerily prescient alternative history in which Nazi-sympathizer Charles Lindbergh wins the presidency and nearly takes the country down in a matter of months, encouraging anti-Semitism and feeding his base lies and conspiracy theories. The prose style hasn't aged well—it's hoary—but the insights are evergreen. Roth shows you how easily a charismatic figure can harness latent bigotry and turn a citizenry into a mob. What I really wasn't expecting, and what moved me very much, was Roth's respectful, empathetic depiction of Bess, the narrator's stay-at-home mother. I can't think of another writer who sees heroism in a woman's efforts to give her children a happy life, and make them feel safe. ...more
The voice is so good, funny, and original, that it almost carries you along—but only almost. There's no plot here. There are no stakes. Like, zero. NoThe voice is so good, funny, and original, that it almost carries you along—but only almost. There's no plot here. There are no stakes. Like, zero. No tiny moments of conflict, no painful misunderstandings. None of the characters are differentiated. By far the best chapter here tackles the narrator's abusive father. But even there, we get a little slice of life—no plot or story—the curtain goes down, and then it's back to scooping ice cream and aimlessly wandering around town. ...more
The prose is so lean and original. It’s a joy to read and it must have been hell to write (as they say, hard writing makes easy reading). I couldn’t cThe prose is so lean and original. It’s a joy to read and it must have been hell to write (as they say, hard writing makes easy reading). I couldn’t care less about whether a character is likable or not; I only care about whether or not she’s interesting, and Andrea is. Yes, she’s selfish and self-absorbed—that’s the point! Every sentence here is honest: you feel a shiver of recognition on page after page. And I found the novel impossible to put down: I kept sneaking off to read it until I’d gulped down the whole thing. ...more
An office novel, a coming-of-age-in-New-York novel, and a zombie apocalypse novel, all smooshed into one. Ma is incredible at creating images that stiAn office novel, a coming-of-age-in-New-York novel, and a zombie apocalypse novel, all smooshed into one. Ma is incredible at creating images that stick with you: small feet sticking out from underneath a floor-length curtain, Times Square overgrown with palm trees, survivors turning mall stores into bedrooms. I’m not sure the mashup of genres works very well, and most of the characterizations are thin at best. Candace is convincing, and so are her parents, but Candace’s fellow survivors aren’t brought to life at all, which is most problematic in the case of the sinister leader. He’s supposed to be scary, but he’s just a cipher. The editing is sloppy, too: there’s lots of word rep, for example. Still, both the office thread and the apocalypse thread are satisfying, interesting, and insightful. ...more
Molloy is great with tactile details. All the coffees, muffins, lipsticks, breezes: she draws scenes well. I read fast and couldn’t wait to get to theMolloy is great with tactile details. All the coffees, muffins, lipsticks, breezes: she draws scenes well. I read fast and couldn’t wait to get to the end, which was psychologically satisfying, if a bit hokey (11th-hour confession in which the baddie is offering logical explanations in one breath, and breaking with reality the next). If you want to read about new motherhood but don’t want to plod through whiny nonfiction, this is a perfect pick. The exciting plot alternates with pithy, smart insights about parenting a newborn, and the way women exist in the word after giving birth. ...more
A juicy, readable memoir from a lowly stenographer in the Obama White House.
I could not BELIEVE how many times she went back to Jason (who IS Jason? HA juicy, readable memoir from a lowly stenographer in the Obama White House.
I could not BELIEVE how many times she went back to Jason (who IS Jason? Has anyone Googled successfully?) and am worried she still doesn't understand that he never cared about her, and that drinking less would have been a foolproof way to stop sleeping with him. And what about Noah?? Why didn't she give it a shot with good old Noah? I loved each and every detail about President Obama and what it's like to work at the White House. I could have done without the cheesy commencement-speech style passages that crop up at the end of about five chapters. I could also complain about how repetitive the relationship stuff is (how many times does she have sex with Jason after swearing off him forever—eight? Twelve?), or about how many zillions of times she mentions Cape Codders, but I couldn't wait to pick this book up each night, so evidently I was able to look past its flaws. ...more
I really liked Jones's decision to essentially skip over the details of the trial and the incarceration, as in some sense they don't matter to the stoI really liked Jones's decision to essentially skip over the details of the trial and the incarceration, as in some sense they don't matter to the story: what's important about them is the havoc they unleash. As Tom Perotta says in his perceptive blurb, none of the characters are wrong here: each of them has good reason to behave exactly as s/he does, and that's what's tragic: everyone's devastated by the other characters' behavior, but none of them are to blame. America itself is the villain. My major quibble with the book is Celestial, who never came alive for me. Whereas I felt I knew Andre and Roy, Celestial remained a cipher, and for that reason I never felt fully invested in her fate. ...more
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