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jr2234's review against another edition
5.0
Well, this was fantastic. I was shocked to see this was a slightly controversial pick on Goodreads. I don’t understand how anyone could not be head over heels for the fantastic prose this author so marvelously writes with. I’ve marked all her other books as to-read.
The only thing I didn’t love was that the plot line of this book jumped feet first into the completely implausible pool by the book’s end. I didn’t need so much drama and unfolding intrigue to make me invested, and I think the book would have been better suited to a quieter, softer end. I still like the parallels with Shakespeare and I want to read the book again as I’m sure the novel is full of Shakespearean imagery that I missed the first go around.
Note to future self: if you read a book’s premise and feel as though you’ll love it, read on regardless of what others say.
The only thing I didn’t love was that the plot line of this book jumped feet first into the completely implausible pool by the book’s end. I didn’t need so much drama and unfolding intrigue to make me invested, and I think the book would have been better suited to a quieter, softer end. I still like the parallels with Shakespeare and I want to read the book again as I’m sure the novel is full of Shakespearean imagery that I missed the first go around.
Note to future self: if you read a book’s premise and feel as though you’ll love it, read on regardless of what others say.
mlm7's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A marriage built on secrets, the difference between who we really are and who we appear to be. It sometimes got a little artsy and I lost the plot, but for the most part I enjoyed it
beckchicken's review against another edition
2.5
The whole idea of this book seems to be retelling of various mythologies using the same set of characters throughout the book, told from two perspectives. I think the idea is cool, but this book didn't quite do it for me for a few reasons.
The language is very flowery and at times very nice, but it is so overly descriptive of certain things at the expense of sometimes describing basic elements of the setting. For example, you'll know what a character's skin smells/feels/looks like before you know the basic layout of a room during scenes when it matters or before you know if two characters are even interacting in the same room.
Also some of the writing is just really cringey. There's a very erotic way of describing every character in the book, lots of licking random things/people or having a character describe that they want to lick random things/people. Lots of hair and skin sniffing and overuse of the word "stink" and almost every scene between our two main characters ends with them having sex. Characters are constantly defined or described by their sex life, or how they seem they would be in bed. "She'd be good at sex, he understood, without knowing how" (page 18).
The scenes are also not quite descriptive enough to be smut either, so the whole style is just a bit confusing and by the end I was cringing and eye-rolling. There's also this theme in the book that leads us to believe the worst thing you can be is fat. Characters are basically described at their rock bottom when they become fat, which felt dumb.
Overall, I liked what this book was trying to do. A relationship told from two sides with two different, valid, perspectives, and two characters enabling each other's toxic traits in a way that keeps them both satisfied is a story I would have loved to see told with depth and nuance. In some ways this was explored, and in some ways it was even achieved.
The language is very flowery and at times very nice, but it is so overly descriptive of certain things at the expense of sometimes describing basic elements of the setting. For example, you'll know what a character's skin smells/feels/looks like before you know the basic layout of a room during scenes when it matters or before you know if two characters are even interacting in the same room.
Also some of the writing is just really cringey. There's a very erotic way of describing every character in the book, lots of licking random things/people or having a character describe that they want to lick random things/people. Lots of hair and skin sniffing and overuse of the word "stink" and almost every scene between our two main characters ends with them having sex. Characters are constantly defined or described by their sex life, or how they seem they would be in bed. "She'd be good at sex, he understood, without knowing how" (page 18).
The scenes are also not quite descriptive enough to be smut either, so the whole style is just a bit confusing and by the end I was cringing and eye-rolling. There's also this theme in the book that leads us to believe the worst thing you can be is fat. Characters are basically described at their rock bottom when they become fat, which felt dumb.
Overall, I liked what this book was trying to do. A relationship told from two sides with two different, valid, perspectives, and two characters enabling each other's toxic traits in a way that keeps them both satisfied is a story I would have loved to see told with depth and nuance. In some ways this was explored, and in some ways it was even achieved.
kecb12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
What a book. There is SO MUCH in this book that speaks to the reality of being married—what it means to know someone, to choose someone, to be with someone. But there is also this beautifully-rendered picture of how to continue to be yourself, an individual, in the midst of also being in a marriage of two. It’s a complicated question—how to maintain selfhood and autonomy when eternally attached to another person—and I so appreciated Groff’s take on it. This feels like the more well-written, thoughtful, reality-based version of Gone Girl. I will think about this book for a long time.
jlk64's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
catbrigand's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to give this an additional star because I loved the second half and the writing, though heavy handed with metaphors, swept me away at times. But alas, I loathed and was let down by the ending.
kdawn999's review against another edition
3.0
A bit too gross and sex-centric for me to really like. The value here is in the imagistic and non-linear narration.
cmccotter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bywell's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written…. loved the opera, wish there was someone with the talent and interest to take it to production. I will be first in line to buy a ticket.
booksandlists's review against another edition
I think I just picked this up at a bad time - I wasn’t looking for something serious, so this book wasn’t what I needed.