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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent contemporary story telling that was refreshing, honest, fun, and relaxing while being profound.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5/5
I think this is what Franzen (or at least Franzen in The Corrections) tries to accomplish and ultimately fails. This attempts to capture the heart of Middle America, the "average" American, while touching on a whole wide range of themes: immigration, family, the girl-next-door trope, the anti-war movement of the 60s, the recession of '09, addiction to video games....the list goes on. Some are done better than others (my least favorite being the young student who goes to great lengths to avoid punishment for her plagiarism). But ultimately this was engaging and accomplished its project.
I also think Hill does some interesting things in the different chapters on a structural level that I appreciated. They are subtle enough to go unnoticed if you don't really care, but writing a particular section with a nod to the Choose Your Own Adventure stories the main character loved as a child is the kind of creative stuff I can get behind. Not too far fetched but it does keep it fresh.
There's a lot to love about this book. Its weak point was perhaps the didactic turn the final 20 or so pages took. I agree with the sentiments but the wrap up was too long winded to feel natural. Although there were some great quotes there, the final chapters of the book felt more like an essay on identity and family than the resolution of a multi-POV, dual timeline historical fiction novel.
I think this is what Franzen (or at least Franzen in The Corrections) tries to accomplish and ultimately fails. This attempts to capture the heart of Middle America, the "average" American, while touching on a whole wide range of themes: immigration, family, the girl-next-door trope, the anti-war movement of the 60s, the recession of '09, addiction to video games....the list goes on. Some are done better than others (my least favorite being the young student who goes to great lengths to avoid punishment for her plagiarism). But ultimately this was engaging and accomplished its project.
I also think Hill does some interesting things in the different chapters on a structural level that I appreciated. They are subtle enough to go unnoticed if you don't really care, but writing a particular section with a nod to the Choose Your Own Adventure stories the main character loved as a child is the kind of creative stuff I can get behind. Not too far fetched but it does keep it fresh.
There's a lot to love about this book. Its weak point was perhaps the didactic turn the final 20 or so pages took. I agree with the sentiments but the wrap up was too long winded to feel natural. Although there were some great quotes there, the final chapters of the book felt more like an essay on identity and family than the resolution of a multi-POV, dual timeline historical fiction novel.
620 pages of pure literary delight. Wow! What an incredible debut novel.
This book is way too long and disorganized. Also the repetition of sentence structure (short sentences, excessively descriptive) drove me nutso. This is honestly a story that I could see doing much better on a screen. Especially the wrap up, which feels like it was written as a film. There's plenty of drama here, which keeps the pages turning. I didn't hate it, but I do feel a bit frustrated that Hill or his editor couldn't pare this thing down.
Brilliant! I can't remember another book that caused me to have as many out loud reactions as "The Nix."