Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
“Everything is still in front of you.”
When I started this novel, I expected it to be about a torrid affair between two professors. It’s so much more. It chronicles the experiences of an aging woman who is held responsible for her husband’s action. It tells the story of a relationship between a mother and a daughter, a teacher and her students.
I did not see where this was going- the ending shocked me. I thought it was a pretty jarring choice, and I may need to think on it much longer to really understand the depth of what the book is saying.
There’s a passage in this book that discusses the morality of art- I found it enlightening and refreshing.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I was never bored and the characters were sophisticated and well discovered.
When I started this novel, I expected it to be about a torrid affair between two professors. It’s so much more. It chronicles the experiences of an aging woman who is held responsible for her husband’s action. It tells the story of a relationship between a mother and a daughter, a teacher and her students.
I did not see where this was going- the ending shocked me. I thought it was a pretty jarring choice, and I may need to think on it much longer to really understand the depth of what the book is saying.
There’s a passage in this book that discusses the morality of art- I found it enlightening and refreshing.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I was never bored and the characters were sophisticated and well discovered.
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very reluctant three, because I kind of hated this. For most of it I just kept thinking, what the fuck is this lady's problem? I hate this narrator. But the writing was good and the story was interesting, then it really fell apart for me at the end. But a book that makes me this mad feels like it has something going for it. I don't know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Until a certain point this was a 5. The writing is great. And the unreliable narrator was super fun ….for a while. And the story was an opportunity for an investigation of post #metoo and a generated an internal dialogue about young women’s agency, independence and ability to make choices and the gen y assumptions and expectations….. but the narrator makes decisions that are absurd-I more easily sit with my conflicting opinions about the young women complainants than with the bizarre decisions made by and separately the more readily understandable self loathing of an aging woman.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited to give this a 5* rating in the first 2/3rds, I loved how it made me question my own opinions and feminism. But the last third in my opinion was a mess of confused ideas and really annoyed me.
Witty, biting, surprising, and somehow both relatable and deranged. I'd read it over and over again.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had this book on mg shelf to read for some time, and after reading that it was going to be adapted into a screenplay I moved it to the top of my list.
Overall, I found it to be exhausting, but I’m not sure that wasn’t the author’s intention. The majority of the plot is emotional, so by the end I felt like I’d been hanging on the ride the whole time with the main character. I found the writing to be good, and the plot interesting, but I did feel like it dragged on at times.
Overall, I found it to be exhausting, but I’m not sure that wasn’t the author’s intention. The majority of the plot is emotional, so by the end I felt like I’d been hanging on the ride the whole time with the main character. I found the writing to be good, and the plot interesting, but I did feel like it dragged on at times.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury
I definitely thought this book was going in a different direction, and it delightfully (or depressingly? darkly?) differed from the expected path.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a find idea that falls flat
for me, the main character’s narrative and the author’s voice were in conflict. it seems Jonas had Points to Make and Ideas to Explore but found it difficult to portray these through the main character. any vaguely interesting ideas felt accidental.
there waw some exploration of aging & womanhood but nothing particularly enlightening. i think in the hands of a more skilled author these concepts could be handled with a lighter touch.
regarding the plot itself, the end third/quarter was rushed and obvious.
for me, the main character’s narrative and the author’s voice were in conflict. it seems Jonas had Points to Make and Ideas to Explore but found it difficult to portray these through the main character. any vaguely interesting ideas felt accidental.
there waw some exploration of aging & womanhood but nothing particularly enlightening. i think in the hands of a more skilled author these concepts could be handled with a lighter touch.
regarding the plot itself, the end third/quarter was rushed and obvious.