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dcbooklove's review
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
puzzlegirl30's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
khornstein1's review against another edition
3.0
Modern novelists (even successful ones) seem to have great difficulty ending novels. Why?
Remember "A Christmas Carol" when Scrooge wakes up and is a new man? And there is both the excitement of the day, "And the bed was his own!" and an ongoing happily ever aspect--Tiny Tim lives! Scrooge becomes a great Uncle! Or "Rebecca" when Manderley burns down but the nameless narrator and Maximilian presumably have some fairly okay ongoing relationship? (Perhaps that's not the best example because I'm always sad about Manderley burning down...but Max does change for the better.
Modern Lovers has good characters (and they're all Oberlin alums--yay!) I like the realistic depiction of Brooklyn, especially a lesser-known neighborhood and one I worked in years ago, before it became gentrified. And then there's suspense: what will happen to the lost cat? Will Andrew lose all his money in the phony real estate investment?
And then...as is so often the case in novels I read this day....nothing. Why am I reading this? I don't want this to be like real life when I've invested so much time in these characters. Why can't one of them really change? Or do something really unexpected? Worth reading if you accept the lack of a good ending or you're an Oberlin alum.
Remember "A Christmas Carol" when Scrooge wakes up and is a new man? And there is both the excitement of the day, "And the bed was his own!" and an ongoing happily ever aspect--Tiny Tim lives! Scrooge becomes a great Uncle! Or "Rebecca" when Manderley burns down but the nameless narrator and Maximilian presumably have some fairly okay ongoing relationship? (Perhaps that's not the best example because I'm always sad about Manderley burning down...but Max does change for the better.
Modern Lovers has good characters (and they're all Oberlin alums--yay!) I like the realistic depiction of Brooklyn, especially a lesser-known neighborhood and one I worked in years ago, before it became gentrified. And then there's suspense: what will happen to the lost cat? Will Andrew lose all his money in the phony real estate investment?
And then...as is so often the case in novels I read this day....nothing. Why am I reading this? I don't want this to be like real life when I've invested so much time in these characters. Why can't one of them really change? Or do something really unexpected? Worth reading if you accept the lack of a good ending or you're an Oberlin alum.
bentonnnn1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alicebme's review against another edition
4-this book is a meal. That’s how Straub writes, for me anyway. It takes a lot of chewing. I’m an impatient reader, and I force myself to chew, because her books are always satisfying to finish.
lbarsk's review against another edition
5.0
I was skeptical at first but then had SUCH a good time reading this. It’s an AWESOME “post-marriage plot, where are their lives now” musing on aging and the development of relationships over time and midlife crises. Plus the Ditmas Park setting was just perfect and so, so fun to visualize.
Basically it’s like... the Actually Good version of Eugenides’ “The Marriage Plot” and Emma Straub should be congratulating herself every single day. Plus, a lesbian relationship IT’S LIT
Basically it’s like... the Actually Good version of Eugenides’ “The Marriage Plot” and Emma Straub should be congratulating herself every single day. Plus, a lesbian relationship IT’S LIT
caislekyle's review against another edition
4.0
This was cute and fun more than anything and I want to personally thank Emma for this book
abloo17's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
A LOVELY AND MULTI-LAYERED STORY ON WHAT IT IS TO BE HAPPY WHERE YOU ARE WITH WHO YOU WERE BEFORE. SUCH A WELL WRITTEN STORY WITH MANY TURNS AND DECISIONS THAT MAKE YOU QUESTION A RESOLUTION FOR THE CHARACTERS. HONESTY AND LOVE AND SELF-REALIZATION ARE LEADING THEMES.
DOCKED DOWN BECAUSE THE PACING WAS CONFUSING.
DOCKED DOWN BECAUSE THE PACING WAS CONFUSING.
carolyn0613's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book well enough but I found some of the strands of the plot strange and they felt like mere plot devices used to move the story along. Some parts of the backstory were clunkily inserted and disrupted the flow. I also didn't really warm to the characters and wondered what they saw in each other. Their relationships felt quite claustrophobic.