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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book is clearly very long and takes a long time to read. The writing is more like what you might find in short stories: focused on word choice and experimental in nature. The themes discussed (addiction, warped perceptions of self and others, American hungers) really resonated with me. The characters are interesting, authentic, and lovable.
God damn, it really is a journey to get through, yet now I already miss the cast. 4.5 at least. The book is brilliant, it is prophetic, it is important, I however just didn't jive with some of the repetitive motifs and facade or humor. Impressive from many perspectives, to write that much alone and have it both make sense and come together, for example, and yet to write so much so well and be insightful - truly well done, even if I would have preferred the abridged version.
Words cannot express how wild and entertaining this journey was
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
My first reaction on finishing this novel was ... disappointment. Like the whole thing was really a huge joke (see title). Are you going to leave us there? In a scene that isn't even part of the main story but is a flashback? But if you disregard the way that the story ends before the two narrative threads can close together then you are left with the experience of living a whole world for a month or however long it takes you to read it. The denizens of the ETA and of Ennet House have taken up residence in your mind for a while and you start wondering just who is more screwed-up.
So the mystery of what The Entertainment contains is cleared up ... but maybe it makes more sense in context (don't forget JOI was more an optical technician than a film director - was the technique used the important bit?). And; is the reason J v D veils herself possibly because she would otherwise be ID'd as the protagonist of The Entertainment?
I finished this on the day that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships ended so there is going to be a lot less tennis in my perception than there was. The background of this novel reminds me heavily of John Brunner's 'The Sheep Look Up'- I wonder if anyone has ever compared the two? This took me exactly a month to read - started on a Greek island, finished on a train between London and Birmingham. Apparently you're not allowed to like this novel any more though because of the people who like it. One day I may write a piece called "SJWs tell me who I'm allowed to like." Sounds about right.
So the mystery of what The Entertainment contains is cleared up ... but maybe it makes more sense in context (don't forget JOI was more an optical technician than a film director - was the technique used the important bit?). And; is the reason J v D veils herself possibly because she would otherwise be ID'd as the protagonist of The Entertainment?
I finished this on the day that the Wimbledon Tennis Championships ended so there is going to be a lot less tennis in my perception than there was. The background of this novel reminds me heavily of John Brunner's 'The Sheep Look Up'- I wonder if anyone has ever compared the two? This took me exactly a month to read - started on a Greek island, finished on a train between London and Birmingham. Apparently you're not allowed to like this novel any more though because of the people who like it. One day I may write a piece called "SJWs tell me who I'm allowed to like." Sounds about right.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
good, long but it doesn’t feel like a line could be cut. the explorations are in depth and the way foster wallace paces the narrative makes it desire more length. the ending is vastly disappointing, feels like it ends in the middle of a sentence. gately is almost over focused on and his character almost deserves its own book because the ennet house narrative is so far from the ETA narrative it’s done a disservice in comparison to the ETA plot. it seems like the sprouts of an exploration of class that goes in explored. happy i read it i understand why it’s a classic but at the same time finishing it doesn’t feel triumphant, it feels mediocre.
Perfect allegory to suffering from iodine deficiency caused agoraphobia. (More common than you'd think!)
There are parts of the book that are very well written and some of the characters are very fun, but unless you are specifically interested in DFW's takes on media theory and/or postmodernism then this book is not worth reading.
There are parts of the book that are very well written and some of the characters are very fun, but unless you are specifically interested in DFW's takes on media theory and/or postmodernism then this book is not worth reading.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
I was listening to the audio version and couldn't stay focused.