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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
As an avid reader of Moore's short stories, I was skeptical picking up A Gate at the Stairs. I enjoyed but didn't love the other novel of hers I read, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital. Ten, fifty, seventy-five pages into this novel I was sure it would be the same case. But then around page 80/100 everything lifted. The plot began moving forward, the characters who were indistinct to start began forming defined lines and the sharp dialogue and crafted metaphors singular to Moore's writing came out in full bloom. The story follows a twenty-year-old college student called Tassie who is hired to babysit the (mixed race) baby after being adopted by the suspicious but endearing Sarah and Edward. I really enjoyed how the narrative dealt with race, racism and cultural identity. It criticizes "white savior" adoption parents who claim "color blindness," but it doesn't let the more culturally aware parents off the hook either. The main conflicts are those of race, religion, liberal city vs. small midwest town, and reckoning with the world in post-9/11 America.
Brilliantly crafted, with a bright, playful (if, at times, intentionally naive)narrator, I highly recommend Moore's novel. Although slow in the beginning, the ending of the novel makes the wait well worth it.
Brilliantly crafted, with a bright, playful (if, at times, intentionally naive)narrator, I highly recommend Moore's novel. Although slow in the beginning, the ending of the novel makes the wait well worth it.
This was another book I found frustrating...On the one hand, I found the characters, especially Tassie and Sarah, both quirky and compelling. There were some good twists, including those with Tassie and Reynaldo and the Thornwood-Brinks' history. I also felt that Lorrie Moore wrote some beautiful, fascinating prose.
Then, on the other hand, I had some major frustrations with the writing. First, I found myself several times wanting to shake the author and say "no one speaks like that!" The conversations with the support group at the Thornwood-Brinks' house were particularly frustrating, as was the conversation when Tassie learns Reynaldo's secret. No college students speak that way, especially in the midst of upheaval in their personal lives. In addition, I felt that, at times, Moore was simply experimenting with language to see what she could get away with. A better editor was needed in order to assure that these tangents led somewhere (often, they did not).
Yet again, another book that doesn't leave me feeling satisfied. I may have to go for purely pleasurable reading next...
Then, on the other hand, I had some major frustrations with the writing. First, I found myself several times wanting to shake the author and say "no one speaks like that!" The conversations with the support group at the Thornwood-Brinks' house were particularly frustrating, as was the conversation when Tassie learns Reynaldo's secret. No college students speak that way, especially in the midst of upheaval in their personal lives. In addition, I felt that, at times, Moore was simply experimenting with language to see what she could get away with. A better editor was needed in order to assure that these tangents led somewhere (often, they did not).
Yet again, another book that doesn't leave me feeling satisfied. I may have to go for purely pleasurable reading next...
How do you rate a novel in which every page offers something you want to read out to passers-by for its humour, or perception, or, less often, profundity, but whose narrator absolutely, totally, fails to convince? Give it three stars, that's how. Five for the first quality and one for the second. Does that make it worth reading? Absolutely, but read the stories first...
I really liked this book. A lot of the other reviews said that the book was a unfocused, but I thought it was a very nice snapshot of the first time someone leaves their family home and goes out into the world. The narrator, Tassie, is a young college student looking for her first job.
The entire book had a very strong culture clash theme going throughout. It starts off with the shock of moving from a small agricultural town to a more liberal college city. Tassie mostly acts as an observer as she moves through her new city. The difference between the lifestyle of Tassie's family and her new employer emphasises the class differences, and are repeated in Tassie's employer's actions. The strongest theme, almost to the point of being another character in the book, is the casual and overt racism Tassie witnesses. The book is really interesting in addressing racism around the characters, but really showing the privilege that allows them to only engage it when they want to.
The end of the book is a little meandering, but meaningful and important in Tassie's life. I really enjoyed the book and I would highly recommend it.
The entire book had a very strong culture clash theme going throughout. It starts off with the shock of moving from a small agricultural town to a more liberal college city. Tassie mostly acts as an observer as she moves through her new city. The difference between the lifestyle of Tassie's family and her new employer emphasises the class differences, and are repeated in Tassie's employer's actions. The strongest theme, almost to the point of being another character in the book, is the casual and overt racism Tassie witnesses. The book is really interesting in addressing racism around the characters, but really showing the privilege that allows them to only engage it when they want to.
The end of the book is a little meandering, but meaningful and important in Tassie's life. I really enjoyed the book and I would highly recommend it.
Having loved Birds of America, my expectations were high--probably too high--for this novel. The writing vacillated between fantastic and overwritten. The plot had many interested threads but overall I felt they weren't woven into a comprehensible tapestry.
That said, I did enjoy reading it. It just fell shy of my expectations. Worth considering, though.
That said, I did enjoy reading it. It just fell shy of my expectations. Worth considering, though.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think this book was very well written in terms of it's dialogue and prose and did a good job at capturing the post 9/11 confusion in the US and the re-emergence of social justice among the middle class. My favourite parts were the gentle ribbing of the middle class parents talking about their experiences of injustice.
The issue I had was that I did not feel there was a through plotline. It seemed like it at the start with the babysitting and adoption storyline but once this was resolved, I felt it was too late to add in the plotlines of the latter half of the book which hadn't really been given enough attention. It all felt a bit uneven. I can clearly see though that this is a talented author and would be interested in reading more from her.
The issue I had was that I did not feel there was a through plotline. It seemed like it at the start with the babysitting and adoption storyline but once this was resolved, I felt it was too late to add in the plotlines of the latter half of the book which hadn't really been given enough attention. It all felt a bit uneven. I can clearly see though that this is a talented author and would be interested in reading more from her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Grief
Minor: War
Some of the most complex and descriptive sentences I've read. Relatively mundane story with sharp episodes of sadness
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i usually love Lorrie Moore’s prose but this was almost painfully aimless and overwritten and in desperate need of a good editor. the book really stops at page 260, but then just keeps going for another 60. bit of a slog
Ok, so you can describe things with creative language. Show some restraint! Half a dozen similes to describe one flower, snowstorm, or salad is excessive. Worst of all, almost nothing happens in this book. The main character is riddled with insecurities, and there is no warmth or empathy that the narrator shows when looking back at her 20-year-old self. As for "the insidiousness of racism" - the overheard Wednesday night conversations are extremely clever but suffer from the same lack of restraint. We do not need ten pages of overheard remarks, at four different places in the book.
What makes this novel so frustrating is that the author is talented, but her editor collected a paycheck for nothing.
What makes this novel so frustrating is that the author is talented, but her editor collected a paycheck for nothing.