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etierce's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dee9401's review against another edition
1.0
Weak, no commitment to characters. Nice ending, before last few paragraphs, but author waited too long. First novel problems? Here's hoping The Ice Storm us better
nationofkim's review against another edition
3.0
sooo much better than the other book i read by him, 'the diviners'.
jbarr5's review against another edition
3.0
Garden State by Rick Moody
We have traveled to and spent several days in the garden state and wanted to learn more about it.
NJ Alice is a rhythmic guitarist and works at a diner to make ends meet. All done with school they each don't have ambition to do something with their lives.
Dennis is an artist. Neil is a night watchman. Her mother is in the hospital after her car drove itself on the garden parkway and crashed.
Drinking, drugs and sex experimentation are described. Story follows their lives and their troubles and triumphs.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
We have traveled to and spent several days in the garden state and wanted to learn more about it.
NJ Alice is a rhythmic guitarist and works at a diner to make ends meet. All done with school they each don't have ambition to do something with their lives.
Dennis is an artist. Neil is a night watchman. Her mother is in the hospital after her car drove itself on the garden parkway and crashed.
Drinking, drugs and sex experimentation are described. Story follows their lives and their troubles and triumphs.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
nssutton's review against another edition
1.0
mark this date down - i am officially too old for shit like this.
erinray82's review against another edition
3.0
Likes:
The ambiance and mood of this book. It's grungy and dirty, full of problems. The people have depth, they're depressed, they're flawed. I could envision New Jersey and the people it breeds. Moody can sure set a stage. The language was wonderfully descriptive. It was ugly in the ways it needed to be in order to offset the beauty. In the end, it's the chemical beauty of polluted sunsets.
Dislikes:
No connection. The people are interesting enough, but it grows old when they can't connect to one another. Their relationships are shallow, and in the end, sometimes so are they. When all is said and done, I think this is part of the point. This constructs our notion of The Garden State, this disconnect, the ever present void. This lack of the connection feeds the plot and builds character... but characters that don't bond are hollow, vacant beings. It becomes disheartening after a while. One feels less and less invested, because the characters are less invested in their world, and with living.
The ambiance and mood of this book. It's grungy and dirty, full of problems. The people have depth, they're depressed, they're flawed. I could envision New Jersey and the people it breeds. Moody can sure set a stage. The language was wonderfully descriptive. It was ugly in the ways it needed to be in order to offset the beauty. In the end, it's the chemical beauty of polluted sunsets.
Dislikes:
No connection. The people are interesting enough, but it grows old when they can't connect to one another. Their relationships are shallow, and in the end, sometimes so are they. When all is said and done, I think this is part of the point. This constructs our notion of The Garden State, this disconnect, the ever present void. This lack of the connection feeds the plot and builds character... but characters that don't bond are hollow, vacant beings. It becomes disheartening after a while. One feels less and less invested, because the characters are less invested in their world, and with living.
jesszak's review
2.0
Couldn't get into this. Maybe I am past the age of appeal for a book like this, but I found it to be too full of adolescent ennui and angst. I had enough of that in my teens and early 20s, no need to relive it now.
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