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veronicacanread's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
francisbru's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't sure about this book at first, but boy did I enjoy it. Solid 4.5 stars for me. A story of trying to make the best of a bad situation, and how we sometimes trip ourselves up in the process.
sohare01's review against another edition
5.0
It’s like a Coetzee novel about Americans. Great read.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
I was reminded throughout of Jonathan Franzen's style and themes - long, sprawling family dramas, with dark humour and families coping with their problems.
This story starts with a corker - a Man kills his wife when he finds her in bed with his brother. The brother finds himself then in charge of the children.
A lot of the story follows Harold and his niece/nephew as they cope with their family situation. But it also looks at Harold's academic job as a Nixon historian/lecturer, his sexual (post-divorce) exploits, and how the one event triggers off a whole set of life-changing others.
The Nixon stuff bored me a little. I just wasn't interested. I wanted to see how Harold's niece and nephew coped, how Harold's life changed.
It was interesting, funny, imaginative, but it WAS sprawling.
One for a patient reader, who likes slow-burn and thoughtful books rather than all-out-action.
This story starts with a corker - a Man kills his wife when he finds her in bed with his brother. The brother finds himself then in charge of the children.
A lot of the story follows Harold and his niece/nephew as they cope with their family situation. But it also looks at Harold's academic job as a Nixon historian/lecturer, his sexual (post-divorce) exploits, and how the one event triggers off a whole set of life-changing others.
The Nixon stuff bored me a little. I just wasn't interested. I wanted to see how Harold's niece and nephew coped, how Harold's life changed.
It was interesting, funny, imaginative, but it WAS sprawling.
One for a patient reader, who likes slow-burn and thoughtful books rather than all-out-action.
esther_a_'s review against another edition
4.0
Wasn’t sure I would like this one, many horrendous events happen in just the first few pages (and more to come)
Very intense.
It does jump about a bit and the text format with no clear chapters bothered me at first but I got used to it.
Very intense.
It does jump about a bit and the text format with no clear chapters bothered me at first but I got used to it.
There was a lot of characters, some not particularly relevant. Such screwed family dynamics and felt like a soap opera with how dramatic it could be.
‘Suburban insanity’ sums it up quite well. Some random parts but it’s a fairly good ending. Not exactly a conventional ‘happy ending’ but you wouldn’t expect that with this book.
Quite an emotional rollercoaster and there are a few beautiful heartwarming parts nearer the end.
I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it but I wanted to finish it, good writing and it definitely wasn’t boring!
‘Suburban insanity’ sums it up quite well. Some random parts but it’s a fairly good ending. Not exactly a conventional ‘happy ending’ but you wouldn’t expect that with this book.
Quite an emotional rollercoaster and there are a few beautiful heartwarming parts nearer the end.
I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it but I wanted to finish it, good writing and it definitely wasn’t boring!
naomihaller's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kind_taylor's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
faeofpotions's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.75
drsldn's review against another edition
4.0
When I started this book I wondered if I would be able to finish it, but its brilliance lies in the the emotional growth of the narrator: a man who is, in the words of one of his lovers a "two-by-four" with no real life to speak of at the beginning, and the centre of a warm, loving, flawed "family" at the end. The dis-connect never entirely left, which partly arises I think from not being sure if life for some people in America really is like this - I was watching Girls at the same time and it had the same tone. Parts of the story (bringing in the Israeli arms-dealer from the open prison in the woods with choc-chip cookies and the fbi for example) exacerbated this. But the chapter set in Kwazulu-Natal and the fact that is it never explicitly underlined that this person learning to be a good homemaker is a middle-aged man balance out the bits I found boring. I am intrigued to read more of this author.