Reviews - Dept. of Speculation

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2.65k reviews for:

Dept. of Speculation

Jenny Offill

3.79 AVERAGE

nic_mort's review against another edition

4.75

emotional hopeful sad fast-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

Hard to believe I used to think love was such a fragile business. Once when he was still young, I saw a bit of his scalp showing through his hair and I was afraid. But it was just a cowlick. Now sometimes it shows through for real, but I feel only tenderness.

beautiful sad gorgeous funny lovely

tbarger's review against another edition

5.0

I finished Jenny Offill’s excellent novel Dept. of Speculation yesterday. I suppose I’m giving away the meat of the review, calling it “excellent” in the first sentence, but it was such a joy to read – sad, funny, intense, and suspenseful. At only 160 pages, I read it in one commute (round-trip). I might read it again before returning it to the library.

(More at Blue Fish Two Fish)

aynatalie's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny reflective

jill_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Tender, gentle, and light. The kind of book that makes me feel like I should write more – inspiring?

eryn's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

sqneu's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is like a long and moving poem, and even when I get a little lost in its shifting timeline, I can always emotionally connect with it. It’s like a meditation on the complex evolution of adult relationships juxtaposed with one’s own private experience of love, purpose, and identity. This book gives me a spark of humanity even when/if I’m feeling numb to most other things, so it’s one I’m sure I’ll return to many times in my life.

mirandadarrow's review against another edition

4.0

This book accomplished more in 187 pages than many did in multiple times that page count. I loved the brevity, the terse, short sentences and abruptly ended scenes and chapters. After the verbal diarrhea that was Jonathan Strange and Dr. Norris, to have someone just make a point and be done was it was a breath of fresh air.

But, this wasn't a light and breezy book. The author explored tough, thought-provoking subject matters. And she didn't pull punches.

Personally, I thought the main character tried too hard to save something that was already gone. But, that's me, and everyone needs to live with their own choices. The feelings portrayed were raw and real, but without the too many words wallowing of so many other books about the dirty underbelly of things that can go wrong in a marriage.