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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I mean, it was good? I was just very confused about the main conflict in the story being that everyone had a problem with two widowed people in their seventies having a relationship out of wedlock? The son’s ultimatum was kind of just unrealistic and out of nowhere and it really took me out of it, so it didn’t really have the big emotional impact that it otherwise would have.
Still really well written. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it as much if it weren’t so short. It did really seem to drag in places.
Still really well written. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it as much if it weren’t so short. It did really seem to drag in places.
Rest in peace, Kent Haruf.
It was difficult to rate this book. Three stars on Goodreads means "I liked it," and I didn't. But two stars feels too low.
There are two central issues I have with "Our Souls At Night." The first was the artistic choices. There aren't any quotation marks around any of the dialogue. It wasn't disruptive, but I just didn't see the point.
My second issue was with the narrative, run-on sentences. They remind me of Frank O'Hara's (RIP) "I do this I do that" poems.
This is an example of what the sentences looked like:
"In the evening he showered and went to the kitchen and made a sandwich and drank milk with it and put the dishes in the sink and went to bed."
I didn't understand what the purpose of this was either ... It didn't add anything, artistically, to the text. This is just my opinion, obviously, but nonetheless...
These sentences and the lack of major plot points made the book foggy. Reading this was like staying at my grandmother's house ... nothing happens. The characters seemed to fit one-dimensional molds. I don't think Haruf intended to write something shocking and suspenseful, but "Our Souls" was like one of the flat landscapes the book describes. Featureless and devoid of mystery. It just ... was.
Maybe older people will enjoy this book more than I did. It's not a horrible book but I don't think there was anything special about it.
It was difficult to rate this book. Three stars on Goodreads means "I liked it," and I didn't. But two stars feels too low.
There are two central issues I have with "Our Souls At Night." The first was the artistic choices. There aren't any quotation marks around any of the dialogue. It wasn't disruptive, but I just didn't see the point.
My second issue was with the narrative, run-on sentences. They remind me of Frank O'Hara's (RIP) "I do this I do that" poems.
This is an example of what the sentences looked like:
"In the evening he showered and went to the kitchen and made a sandwich and drank milk with it and put the dishes in the sink and went to bed."
I didn't understand what the purpose of this was either ... It didn't add anything, artistically, to the text. This is just my opinion, obviously, but nonetheless...
These sentences and the lack of major plot points made the book foggy. Reading this was like staying at my grandmother's house ... nothing happens. The characters seemed to fit one-dimensional molds. I don't think Haruf intended to write something shocking and suspenseful, but "Our Souls" was like one of the flat landscapes the book describes. Featureless and devoid of mystery. It just ... was.
Maybe older people will enjoy this book more than I did. It's not a horrible book but I don't think there was anything special about it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fuck that ending! I'm sorry but this has got to be one of the worst endings I've ever read. How can people be recommending this book without even mentioning the shittiest ending I've read in a long time? It completely goes against everything the female character has been written to be for the rest of the story and it just doesn't make any sense. I liked about 85% of this book, even though the writing was nothing that special and it was reminiscent of every Nicholas Sparks book ever written, but that's ok, nothing wrong with a little Sparks variety of corny every now and then. But just NO, no to the stupid ending.
With spare prose, underplayed emotion, and true-to-life dialogue, this brief small-town novel about two older adults seeking companionship is incredibly moving and a pleasure to read. Widow Addie Moore reaches out to her neighbor, Louis Waters—also a widower—with a bold proposition. Might he want to come and sleep over at her house sometime so the two of them could have someone to talk to before bed? As they begin their unusual arrangement, Addie and Louis find real friendship, talking about their lives and their pasts as they fall asleep side-by-side. Then they start spending time together during the day and word spreads in town—and gossip starts circulating. Things get more complicated when their adult children make their opinions known about their friendship. Throughout the book, the dialogue between Addie and Louis is companionably easy yet poignant. They discuss hard memories with frankness and trust. I love how quiet Our Souls at Night is. There is little action, but there is depth and truth.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel, which I highly recommend. It is read by a gentleman with an even, kind of grandpa-like voice. The narrator, Mark Bramhall, could not have done a better job. As the novel is mostly dialogue, it is an ideal book to listen to and is only three and a half hours long.I really enjoyed this short novel. Mostly dialogue, this simple, touching story about about two older adults finding companionship in each other is lovely.
I listened to the audiobook of this novel, which I highly recommend. It is read by a gentleman with an even, kind of grandpa-like voice. The narrator, Mark Bramhall, could not have done a better job. As the novel is mostly dialogue, it is an ideal book to listen to and is only three and a half hours long.I really enjoyed this short novel. Mostly dialogue, this simple, touching story about about two older adults finding companionship in each other is lovely.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This book made my heart explode. How does such a simple story do that to a person? THE WRITING. So beautiful and careful, the book sucks you into possibilities and assumptions before saying something else completely.
My heart actually ached more with every single line I read.
Was it the characters? Was I so wrapped up in their lives and their stories and the gorgeous writing that described them that they made my chest hurt?
Yes, but more likely it was the possibility - no, perhaps the probability - that I will end up here someday. I will be lonely. I will lie in bed alone, whether it's being alone because my partner is no longer with me or feeling alone because we have drifted so far apart. I will think of better days that are deep in my past and I will wonder if any just as good days are ahead of me. Will I be bold enough and brave enough to change it and to put pride aside and not give a damn what anyone else thinks? I hope so.
Although the ending was such a disappointment and seemed so mismatched to the message in the other pages, I'm giving 4 Stars for this seemingly nondramatic and quiet novella that I could not put down and cannot get out of my mind.
Was it the characters? Was I so wrapped up in their lives and their stories and the gorgeous writing that described them that they made my chest hurt?
Yes, but more likely it was the possibility - no, perhaps the probability - that I will end up here someday. I will be lonely. I will lie in bed alone, whether it's being alone because my partner is no longer with me or feeling alone because we have drifted so far apart. I will think of better days that are deep in my past and I will wonder if any just as good days are ahead of me. Will I be bold enough and brave enough to change it and to put pride aside and not give a damn what anyone else thinks? I hope so.
Although the ending was such a disappointment and seemed so mismatched to the message in the other pages, I'm giving 4 Stars for this seemingly nondramatic and quiet novella that I could not put down and cannot get out of my mind.
3,5 ⭐️
Questo libro è una tenera carezza.
Ci vuol ricordare che si fa sempre in tempo a trovare la ricetta della felicità, meglio ancora se con pochi e semplici ingredienti.
Questo libro è una tenera carezza.
Ci vuol ricordare che si fa sempre in tempo a trovare la ricetta della felicità, meglio ancora se con pochi e semplici ingredienti.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated