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kaddl96's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
beatrice_k's review against another edition
5.0
A Joan Didion crime novel?
What an unexpected gem! Or expected?
Her style easily lends itself to the genre. Plain, unobtrusive, never overstating or embellishing. It all comes together to create a truly satisfying novel. But beyond just her style, what made this such a satisfying read for me was that it felt like the joining of all things Didion. The house in Malibu, the daughter, the life of a journalist, the knowledge of the tropics and especially the knowledge of the Bay, we've gotten that before in what she's revealed in her previously published nonfiction. It's amazing to be able to trace that back, see what it is to "write what you know."
I would recommend this to any Joan Didion fan. Easily. Enjoy the beauty of her final romance, friends.
"Maybe she told him who she was because he ordered Early Times. Maybe she looked at him and saw the fog off the Farallons, maybe he looked at her and saw the hot desert twilight. Maybe they looked at each other and knew that nothing they could do would matter as much as the slightest tremor of the earth, the blind trembling of the Pacific in its bowl, the heavy snows closing the mountain passes, the rattlers in the dry grass, the sharks cruising the deep cold water through the Golden Gate. 'The seal's wide spindrift gaze towards paradise.'
Oh yes.
This is a romance after all. One more romance."
What an unexpected gem! Or expected?
Her style easily lends itself to the genre. Plain, unobtrusive, never overstating or embellishing. It all comes together to create a truly satisfying novel. But beyond just her style, what made this such a satisfying read for me was that it felt like the joining of all things Didion. The house in Malibu, the daughter, the life of a journalist, the knowledge of the tropics and especially the knowledge of the Bay, we've gotten that before in what she's revealed in her previously published nonfiction. It's amazing to be able to trace that back, see what it is to "write what you know."
I would recommend this to any Joan Didion fan. Easily. Enjoy the beauty of her final romance, friends.
"Maybe she told him who she was because he ordered Early Times. Maybe she looked at him and saw the fog off the Farallons, maybe he looked at her and saw the hot desert twilight. Maybe they looked at each other and knew that nothing they could do would matter as much as the slightest tremor of the earth, the blind trembling of the Pacific in its bowl, the heavy snows closing the mountain passes, the rattlers in the dry grass, the sharks cruising the deep cold water through the Golden Gate. 'The seal's wide spindrift gaze towards paradise.'
Oh yes.
This is a romance after all. One more romance."
julia_marti's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This book was the first hard book I have ever read. I found myself lost and needed to go back to see who the characters are and what is going on often. I really enjoyed this book, I love how Didion’s writing style. I did not want to put the book down.
anderson65's review against another edition
2.0
Very eliptical writer who makes me want to concentrate and stay with her. Challenging style! This is not a book to lay down for a day or two and return later! I had to review to understand where I was, what was happening and answer the question, "Who are these people?"
I do appreciate her device of "may or may not have...". An imprecise memory like mine perhaps? Written in the need-to-know style of a CIA agent. The whole thing does come together in the final pages.
word: treacly:cloyingly sweet or sentimental
I do appreciate her device of "may or may not have...". An imprecise memory like mine perhaps? Written in the need-to-know style of a CIA agent. The whole thing does come together in the final pages.
word: treacly:cloyingly sweet or sentimental
rwilder33's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
therichardexp's review against another edition
4.0
Excellently complex! It’s my first Didion to read, won’t be my last!
kelswid's review against another edition
4.0
https://alittlebookshouting.com/2019/08/28/a-goodbye-to-summer-8-28-19/