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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I love Nicole Krauss, but didn't love this book. It was good enough, but no where close to the History of Love
I was very impressed with this first novel by Krauss. She is an excellent writer; the sentences flow into one another and pack a punch. Lots of profound observations on man's condition.
The book spends a lot of time saying stuff like, "Samson did this" and "Anna did that," but there really wasn't a whole hell of a lot of anything. Until Part 3, that is, where too much ridiculosity (yes, I'm making up words) occurs and I just want it all to end so that I can start working on the books sitting on my night stand.
It wasn't horrible. There were some moments that were quite beautiful, although I don't feel like taking the time to go back and figure the what and where- normally I make it easy, I dog-ear the pages of a book when a phrase strikes me or a scene really stands out. For this book, I didn't find that there was much of anything I wanted to mark- when I did finally find something, I decided against dog-earing anything so that maybe I can re-sell this on Amazon (as my local bookstore closed a few months back, but that's another story).
Memory is a fascinating thing, so by proxy this book should have been great. It wasn't. A good effort, but, to be cliche (as this book could be), this "misses the mark."
It wasn't horrible. There were some moments that were quite beautiful, although I don't feel like taking the time to go back and figure the what and where- normally I make it easy, I dog-ear the pages of a book when a phrase strikes me or a scene really stands out. For this book, I didn't find that there was much of anything I wanted to mark- when I did finally find something, I decided against dog-earing anything so that maybe I can re-sell this on Amazon (as my local bookstore closed a few months back, but that's another story).
Memory is a fascinating thing, so by proxy this book should have been great. It wasn't. A good effort, but, to be cliche (as this book could be), this "misses the mark."
I wanted to give this book a better review. After a stunning beginning, the book kind of peters out until it gets to the end, which is heartbreaking and had me thinking about it long after I finished reading. I love Nicole Krauss, but it is obvious this was her first book. She gets much better as the years have gone on.
This book is about a man whose brain tumour removal causes him to lose his memory from age 12 onwards. If you leave aside the fact that he's still able to create new memories and is perfectly mentally and physically fine otherwise, I still found it unconvincing. Not only can he understand vocabulary and concepts that he must have learned post adolescence, he seems perfectly well able to function in a world as a 36 year old despite that huge blank space. Sure he has some relationship and career issues, but how does he even understand even a fraction of the conversations he engages in? Given this, the experiment he goes through in the second half of the book seems more than plausible, likely even.
That said, there is some lovely writing throughout, and although it was a bit repetitive and melodramatic, the philosophy and psychology discussed throughout is interesting (and the reason I picked it up in the first place). The ending gets a bit sloppy and over the top, but then again, Vegas does that to you.
That said, there is some lovely writing throughout, and although it was a bit repetitive and melodramatic, the philosophy and psychology discussed throughout is interesting (and the reason I picked it up in the first place). The ending gets a bit sloppy and over the top, but then again, Vegas does that to you.
At the age of 36, what do you have left if you have lost all of your memories beyond your 12th year of life?
This is the premise of Krauss's first novel, as she explores the importance of memory to our individual identity, and the lonely freedom that can come after losing them. Her beautiful prose and ability to develop empathetic characters make this book one that resonates long after you close the book.
Haunting and gorgeous.
This is the premise of Krauss's first novel, as she explores the importance of memory to our individual identity, and the lonely freedom that can come after losing them. Her beautiful prose and ability to develop empathetic characters make this book one that resonates long after you close the book.
Haunting and gorgeous.
Thought provoking. What happened during those 26 years? How can he be a "man" after not remembering so much?
Favorite excerpt:
"He inched towards her until their sides were touching, arm to arm, leg to bare leg. Sam? she whispered. Do you think--- This was Jollie Lambird, whom he had been in love with since the second grade, and he was ready to answer any question she might have for him. But he didn't hear the rest of it because just then he kissed her, a kiss that may have lasted for hours while porch lights shuddered and went out across the neighborhood. While stars themselves lit up or went out, stars that had not yet been given names by which to remember them. It was the last week of summer before the seventh grade, and afterward he walked her back to her house. He kissed her again, shyly and gently, now with the thrill of knowing that he had a small claim on her affections. He ran the rest of the way home, leaping over toys left lying in yards, over rosebushes and garden chairs, running through countless dark yards, his heart pounding in his chest, each step an exercise of joy, and that, really, was the very last he remembered, running through the dark before the world stopped, and in the empty silence all he could hear was the sound of his pulse."
"He inched towards her until their sides were touching, arm to arm, leg to bare leg. Sam? she whispered. Do you think--- This was Jollie Lambird, whom he had been in love with since the second grade, and he was ready to answer any question she might have for him. But he didn't hear the rest of it because just then he kissed her, a kiss that may have lasted for hours while porch lights shuddered and went out across the neighborhood. While stars themselves lit up or went out, stars that had not yet been given names by which to remember them. It was the last week of summer before the seventh grade, and afterward he walked her back to her house. He kissed her again, shyly and gently, now with the thrill of knowing that he had a small claim on her affections. He ran the rest of the way home, leaping over toys left lying in yards, over rosebushes and garden chairs, running through countless dark yards, his heart pounding in his chest, each step an exercise of joy, and that, really, was the very last he remembered, running through the dark before the world stopped, and in the empty silence all he could hear was the sound of his pulse."
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really like this author. Looking forward to "Great House".