Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
I have to admit that this was one of the most unusual books that I've ever read. Offill has a very unique writing style. It's almost like stream of consciousness. There most definitely is a storyline but interspersed within the story are interesting trivial facts, speculation and self analysis. Like I said, it's very unusual and I'm not even sure how to describe it. I did enjoy this book and I even enjoyed the disjointed style of writing once I got used to it, which didn't take very long.
The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed woman simply called "the wife". It's pretty much a story of her life, particularly her marriage which may or not be falling apart. It's a rather mundane story, very workaday. The thing that makes it interesting and holds the story together are the little vignettes woven throughout.
The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed woman simply called "the wife". It's pretty much a story of her life, particularly her marriage which may or not be falling apart. It's a rather mundane story, very workaday. The thing that makes it interesting and holds the story together are the little vignettes woven throughout.
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This is a very short book, so you can (and probably should) read it in one gulp. The plot is nothing new: is a story of a marriage, or at least a slice of the marriage, and it is a story of a woman setting aside her idealized version of herself to be a grownup, and it is a story of artists in modern America, and it is a story of how the city makes you crazy and how motherhood is soooo hard. These are blog topics, Lifestyle-section topics, John Updike and John Cheever stories, late-millenial/GenX movie plots. It is hard to make the daily angst of educated city dwellers fresh. Offill refreshes by playing with form--she takes from the memoir, and she crafts like a journal, except both are starting points rather than the actual form.
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
tense
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
offill has a very unique writing style. it had me confused for the first 20 or so pages but i think that was the point. the blurriness of the details and storyline in the beginning and how it got polished over time.
the portrayal of emotions and character is phenomenal to say the least. i felt everything with the wife as i read it. it was chaotic and incoherent in the most beautiful way possible and i had many "big thoughts" while reading it.
i will be recommending this to any and everyone who will listen. 100% worth the read. will be rereading it.
the portrayal of emotions and character is phenomenal to say the least. i felt everything with the wife as i read it. it was chaotic and incoherent in the most beautiful way possible and i had many "big thoughts" while reading it.
i will be recommending this to any and everyone who will listen. 100% worth the read. will be rereading it.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated