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knuckledown's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes there comes a book that gets me completely stuck, and Joyce Carol Oates’s new novel The Accursed was one of those books.
My problem with The Accursed is similar to that of The Casual Vacancy. It’s long, and it feels long. Like, “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading this book” long. Both novels are written on an epic scope, with many intertwining characters and plotlines. When epic novels work, they are extremely satisfying to read. The problem comes when I’m interested in some characters and plotlines, but others not so much. It’s like the novel that you want to read is constantly being interrupted by a novel that you probably wouldn’t pick up.
The Accursed is set in 1905 when a series of tragedies befall the elite families of Princeton, New Jersey. Annabel Slade, granddaughter of a prominent Presbyterian minister, is abducted on her wedding day by a demonic character. The Slade grandchildren are a central focus of the curse, but other Princeton families are afflicted as well. The fictional Slades are supplemented by historical figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. I enjoyed the playful mixture of fact and fiction, although Upton Sinclair felt tangential to the main plot.
Oates made the interesting choice to have the narrator be a historian two generations removed from the events of the novel. This device appealed to my inner nerd, and I enjoyed the historical footnotes sprinkled throughout. However, the narrator purposely deflates the suspense on several occasions by revealing the outcome of conflict before it would come chronologically. It may be unique to have a narrator more concerned with historical accuracy than narrative structure, but what purpose does novelty serve if it makes the story less compelling?
In college I admired Joyce Carol Oates for her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Within her extensive catalog, I’m sure there are many other novels would be more satisfying to me.
More reviews and pop culture musings can be found on my blog: Courtney Coherent
My problem with The Accursed is similar to that of The Casual Vacancy. It’s long, and it feels long. Like, “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t reading this book” long. Both novels are written on an epic scope, with many intertwining characters and plotlines. When epic novels work, they are extremely satisfying to read. The problem comes when I’m interested in some characters and plotlines, but others not so much. It’s like the novel that you want to read is constantly being interrupted by a novel that you probably wouldn’t pick up.
The Accursed is set in 1905 when a series of tragedies befall the elite families of Princeton, New Jersey. Annabel Slade, granddaughter of a prominent Presbyterian minister, is abducted on her wedding day by a demonic character. The Slade grandchildren are a central focus of the curse, but other Princeton families are afflicted as well. The fictional Slades are supplemented by historical figures such as Woodrow Wilson and Upton Sinclair. I enjoyed the playful mixture of fact and fiction, although Upton Sinclair felt tangential to the main plot.
Oates made the interesting choice to have the narrator be a historian two generations removed from the events of the novel. This device appealed to my inner nerd, and I enjoyed the historical footnotes sprinkled throughout. However, the narrator purposely deflates the suspense on several occasions by revealing the outcome of conflict before it would come chronologically. It may be unique to have a narrator more concerned with historical accuracy than narrative structure, but what purpose does novelty serve if it makes the story less compelling?
In college I admired Joyce Carol Oates for her short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Within her extensive catalog, I’m sure there are many other novels would be more satisfying to me.
More reviews and pop culture musings can be found on my blog: Courtney Coherent
honnari_hannya's review against another edition
4.0
This is either a 2-star or a 5-star, and for lack of a better system of rating I'm just going to put it at a 4-star because I can't say that I enjoyed any particular part of this book but I was riveted.
We follow members of the very insulated, posh town of Princeton, New Jersey—in particular, several old families that have very deep roots in the area. There isn't much of a straightforward plot in this novel, though I'm not sure I would say it is necessarily character driven. We are being told a story in hindsight, from a member of the community who is connected to the characters in a very ambiguous way that the readers do not discover until well into the book. The sequence of events all stem from a "curse" that has gripped the community—driving people into fits of madness, adultery, and the like—and the readers are left to parse for themselves whether the curse is real or simply a product of mass hysteria that took over the town that year.
Everyone in this book is awful. Hands down. If you have to connect with a character in order to enjoy a book, this is probably not the story for you. Oates delves deep into the psyche of her characters in order to explain their connections to the curse, and most of these people are not pleasant. In fact, they are the height of privilege, classism, and racism to varying degrees—some more overt than others. And these views are not explicitly challenged in the text by any characters; rather, Oates leaves the interpretation of whether this community "deserved" these tragedies up for the reader's interpretation.
It was honestly gripping, though likely for a very specific reader. If you enjoyed THE STRESS OF HER REGARD or THE HISTORIAN, this might be a book for you.
We follow members of the very insulated, posh town of Princeton, New Jersey—in particular, several old families that have very deep roots in the area. There isn't much of a straightforward plot in this novel, though I'm not sure I would say it is necessarily character driven. We are being told a story in hindsight, from a member of the community who is connected to the characters in a very ambiguous way that the readers do not discover until well into the book. The sequence of events all stem from a "curse" that has gripped the community—driving people into fits of madness, adultery, and the like—and the readers are left to parse for themselves whether the curse is real or simply a product of mass hysteria that took over the town that year.
Everyone in this book is awful. Hands down. If you have to connect with a character in order to enjoy a book, this is probably not the story for you. Oates delves deep into the psyche of her characters in order to explain their connections to the curse, and most of these people are not pleasant. In fact, they are the height of privilege, classism, and racism to varying degrees—some more overt than others. And these views are not explicitly challenged in the text by any characters; rather, Oates leaves the interpretation of whether this community "deserved" these tragedies up for the reader's interpretation.
It was honestly gripping, though likely for a very specific reader. If you enjoyed THE STRESS OF HER REGARD or THE HISTORIAN, this might be a book for you.
merrmerrs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nicohusko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
pbraue13's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting Gothic novel that is the final one in Joyce Carol Oates' proposed "Gothic Quartet" that mixes real life historical figures like Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Mark Twain, Jack London, and Upton Sinclair into a fictional world set on Princeton campus in New Jersey. It is a sprawling familial saga in ways and also a horror story which uses the "curse" on the people in it as a metaphor for the coming sociopolitical change in the United States at the time. It was an interesting romp and the historical figures were fun to toy with (especially since many of them I believe were caricatures of themselves behaving in the most over-the-top or melodramatic of ways), but I had a bit of a problem in how the story was told as it hindered my reading process; thus, making what would have been a four or even five star review a 3.5/5 instead. It is told from the perspective of a historian compiling information on the events which transpired and the meandering (oft times unnecessary) footnotes and details about people or events that had nothing to do with what I was reading had my eyes sometimes glazing over. Again, Oates tends to overwrite and loses the plot/reader at points. But it was blurbed by Stephen King so I thought, "it cannot be all bad" and I/Stephen King was right. Like "Bellefleur", Oates blended magical realism in easily with demon lovers and fairy kingdoms easily finding their way into this supposedly historical text. That element had me enraptured, helping me plod through the less fun sections. If you want an atmospheric, gothic, historical novel set against the autumn of academia this is one for you.
neon_angel666's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
anniebh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eleishabrianne's review against another edition
3.0
What did I just read? What a bizarre 667 pages. I was compelled to finish this book, and it was, incomprehensibly, engaging. If I were to read this book for an interdisciplinary lit/history course, it would consume me. As I read this for some sort of 'pleasure,' however, I am left unfulfilled and confounded.
jmcdonal77's review against another edition
4.0
if this wasn't so long i'd make it 5 stars.. Mega description which I haven't encountered in a long time and a very different style with multiple viewpoints to the story.