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cassandralovesfeta's review against another edition
4.0
I grew attached to the main character of this novel and miss him already. Its an entertaining read that is worth your time.
lisawhelpley's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. The characters, the drama, and the comedy.
paigee245's review against another edition
3.0
Weird, a bit pointless, but an easy read and a pretty nice ending
danyul's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
claudie_fm's review against another edition
3.0
Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction.
cain/abel /bldg fam /nixon
Well written but problematic in places; idealized bourgeois notion that a life of stagnation can be stirred by opening one's heart; to family; to emotionalism; to romantic love however unorthodox-all this while luxuriously housed in the suburbs of New York, unemployed but unfazed because of wealth (however misbegotten), divorced unfaithful but relatively unscathed but for guilt within & accumulation of black sheep's progeny who despite their misgivings build the perfect family even ludicrously adding a practical stranger's senile parents into the mix. Denouement includes a self-revelation, hi-jink filled trip to South Africa with do-goody children, presence of magical person of color-mystically sees the problems in the families psyches. Along with the cliched/stereotyped/quasi-offensive portrayal of the Chinese family full of embraces and pigeon English and welcoming the protagonist into their fold as easy as 1,2, 3.
Not sure that the children are fully formed characters as damaged and broken as they were portrayed-they are still life saving, brilliant, articulate, paradigms of what a child should be.
I liked the theme of forgiveness; self and otherwise. I related to the midlife angst. The disconnect from what we expect out of our lives and the reality of our situations-to be present and engaged emotionally, internally. The disappoint of our selves of our families.
These paragraph:
I am sitting on the floor weeping. What happened? What is happening now? I sit on the floor hating everything, hating myself most of all-that's the truth of it, more than anything else I am so fucking disappointed in me. How's that for the Me Generation coming to a crashing halt?
It's as though I've been waiting for my life to rev up and get going for years. Sometimes I thought I was making progress, getting closer; other times it was like I was simply waiting to be discovered-by who? Looking at myself, my half-spent life, I find it unbearable that this is where I have ended up. Is my life over? Did it ever begin.
cain/abel /bldg fam /nixon
Well written but problematic in places; idealized bourgeois notion that a life of stagnation can be stirred by opening one's heart; to family; to emotionalism; to romantic love however unorthodox-all this while luxuriously housed in the suburbs of New York, unemployed but unfazed because of wealth (however misbegotten), divorced unfaithful but relatively unscathed but for guilt within & accumulation of black sheep's progeny who despite their misgivings build the perfect family even ludicrously adding a practical stranger's senile parents into the mix. Denouement includes a self-revelation, hi-jink filled trip to South Africa with do-goody children, presence of magical person of color-mystically sees the problems in the families psyches. Along with the cliched/stereotyped/quasi-offensive portrayal of the Chinese family full of embraces and pigeon English and welcoming the protagonist into their fold as easy as 1,2, 3.
Not sure that the children are fully formed characters as damaged and broken as they were portrayed-they are still life saving, brilliant, articulate, paradigms of what a child should be.
I liked the theme of forgiveness; self and otherwise. I related to the midlife angst. The disconnect from what we expect out of our lives and the reality of our situations-to be present and engaged emotionally, internally. The disappoint of our selves of our families.
These paragraph:
I am sitting on the floor weeping. What happened? What is happening now? I sit on the floor hating everything, hating myself most of all-that's the truth of it, more than anything else I am so fucking disappointed in me. How's that for the Me Generation coming to a crashing halt?
It's as though I've been waiting for my life to rev up and get going for years. Sometimes I thought I was making progress, getting closer; other times it was like I was simply waiting to be discovered-by who? Looking at myself, my half-spent life, I find it unbearable that this is where I have ended up. Is my life over? Did it ever begin.
meghan111's review against another edition
2.0
Here's my faint praise: it certainly is...propulsive. I mean, I read the entire book, the plot rocketing on and on like a...rocket (?), even though I didn't care about what happened. And I was...entertained, by the writing. But I won't say it's good, I didn't like it, and I wouldn't recommend it.
It's this odd mix, the main Don DeLillo-esque character of a failed Nixon scholar who unexpectedly gains custody of his brother's preternaturally wise-talking children, after an unfortunate accident. It escalates and escalates, culminating in a magical trip to South Africa, but there aren't any stakes and it doesn't feel real. It surprised me how much I wanted the happy ending, but it reads like a writing exercise by a very talented writer.
It's this odd mix, the main Don DeLillo-esque character of a failed Nixon scholar who unexpectedly gains custody of his brother's preternaturally wise-talking children, after an unfortunate accident. It escalates and escalates, culminating in a magical trip to South Africa, but there aren't any stakes and it doesn't feel real. It surprised me how much I wanted the happy ending, but it reads like a writing exercise by a very talented writer.
nemtynakht's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5