I went into the reading of this novel relatively blind; I knew it had been highly praised, and I knew it took place in Italy, and that was about it. II went into the reading of this novel relatively blind; I knew it had been highly praised, and I knew it took place in Italy, and that was about it. I confess to being somewhat bewildered by the depths of its praise. It’s a fine enough portrait of a mercurial young woman as she’s making her way through he childhood and adolescence in a working class neighborhood of Naples. But for me, the narrative voice was a bit too distancing and obtuse, and the stream of names of neighborhood kids often failed to distinguish them from one another in a vivid manner. Eventually, some characters emerged more clearly than others, but the insularity of Ferrante’s approach left me a little cold.
I imagine that its HBO adaptation might help in that regard; perhaps I’ll check it out sometime.
At any rate, I’m unsure whether or not I’ll continue with the series that this novel began. My first read of 2021 was decidedly underwhelming. ...more
This is a fascinating thought experiment, with some beautifully considered ideas about the ways in which beauty can arise from the ashes of tragedy, aThis is a fascinating thought experiment, with some beautifully considered ideas about the ways in which beauty can arise from the ashes of tragedy, about how generational trauma is passed down, and about what it means to be both alone within — and connected to — a community.
I just wish that the ideas landed a bit more viscerally and with more immediacy in the execution of telling the story.
But I love how much the very gifted Rivers Solomon is willing to delve into adventurous, difficult territory in their writing, and I look forward to continuing to follow their work, after being very impressed by their first novel, An Unkindness of Ghosts. ...more
This is another fascinating, strange, absorbing work by the fiercely intelligent Arkady Martine. She once again displays some quirks that are perhaps This is another fascinating, strange, absorbing work by the fiercely intelligent Arkady Martine. She once again displays some quirks that are perhaps a bit too ubiquitous — a prevalence of both a lot of italics and many parenthetical interruptions — but I also can’t help but admire her commitment to her idiosyncratic style. Her characters are vividly drawn — although sometimes her dialogue feels a bit too hyper articulate, a la Aaron Sorkin — especially, in this installment, the child Emperor-in-waiting Eight Antidote and the second-in-command Swarm. And she is able to dramatize in very convincing fashion the complex, horrible truth that the fates of entire civilizations rest on flawed, lonely individuals and their whims.
I know folks who bounced off of A Memory Called Empire, and I can understand why, but I’m glad to have read these two novels, which I found to be quite satisfying and evocative....more
This is another shining example of Anne Tyler’s ability to craft a richly human, keenly observed, bittersweet portrait of ordinary folks muddling throThis is another shining example of Anne Tyler’s ability to craft a richly human, keenly observed, bittersweet portrait of ordinary folks muddling through their lives. It has a welcome darkness flitting through its pages, and her typical compassion for her quirky and complex characters emanates throughout.
She was one of my late mother’s favorite authors, so spending time with her work feels like I’m spending time with my mom, for which I am very grateful. ...more
This is a fun, diverting, pulpy work of a fertile imagination. A pleasant treat between more substantive, lengthier books. My 3-star rating is not at This is a fun, diverting, pulpy work of a fertile imagination. A pleasant treat between more substantive, lengthier books. My 3-star rating is not at all grumpy. ...more
This is an excellent, sprawling — and intimate — portrait of four generations of a Korean family, before and after they emigrate to Japan in the earlyThis is an excellent, sprawling — and intimate — portrait of four generations of a Korean family, before and after they emigrate to Japan in the early 20th Century. I had been unaware of the complicated, painful colonial chapter of Japan-Korea relations until I worked in Seoul a number of years ago, and I met an older Korean translator who shared with me some of the history. This novel is the first work of art I’ve found that attempts to explore and bring to life this history, and Min Jin Lee’s compassionate approach does a beautiful job of making the history personal and specific.
She works in what has become a very unusual style: her third-person voice is omniscient, in some cases inhabiting the thoughts of two or more characters on a single page. She pulls this off seamlessly and effortlessly.
She also brings a welcome subtlety and precision to her writing, and that subtlety and control allow her to run a wide gamut in her depictions of scenes and moments.
I really admire this book very much, and I felt quite drawn in and compelled by it. But I was only rarely moved, and that’s the factor that keeps it from rising to 5 stars. But it really is an excellent novel, well worth reading. ...more
This was a wonderfully surprising, gonzo, strange, funny, and very absorbing novel, and is one of the most out-and-out enjoyable reads I’ve had in quiThis was a wonderfully surprising, gonzo, strange, funny, and very absorbing novel, and is one of the most out-and-out enjoyable reads I’ve had in quite some time. I had been wary of diving into this book over the past couple of years; more than once, I’ve bounced hard off of other popular, super-hyped contemporary SFF literature I’ve read. But Tamsyn Muir writes with bucketloads of confidence, verve, wit, imagination, and even a welcome dash of heart, and from page one, she had me eagerly devouring chapter after chapter, along for every twisty inch of her wild, fascinating, goofy, and disturbing ride.
What keeps my rating from reaching 5 stars for me — it is truly *thisclose* — is that not all of Muir’s emotional beats resonate quite as much as I think they could have if there was just a bit more care taken in earning them. But over all, the fact that Muir can walk a line of convincingly rendering many genuinely comical scenes, and then swiftly and effortlessly pivoting into darker moments that feel truly harrowing, is quite impressive. I’m sorry I took so long to join the hype train, only because I’ve missed out on earlier enjoyment, and I am looking forward to continuing this series....more
Carmen Maria Machado’s voice is wholly original: sensual, angry, muscular, surreal, and deeply intimate. She admirably leans into the mysterious terriCarmen Maria Machado’s voice is wholly original: sensual, angry, muscular, surreal, and deeply intimate. She admirably leans into the mysterious territories of madness and desire with a bracing urgency, and fearlessly allows her imagination to take her to wonderfully surprising places. I’ll definitely continue seeking out her disturbing, haunting, and beautifully composed work. ...more
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