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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
The first 200 pages were so solid, but the final 75 felt like I was reading a different book. Every decision and every reveal just left me thinking “oh okay.”
This book is fascinating and diverges from most of what I read. I understand the disparity in ratings, because this book hardly has a plot. It’s mostly the inner workings of the main character. BUT the reason I truly loved it is because it’s a MASTER CLASS in excellent writing.
First, let's start with the cover. I was embarrassed to read this one in public because I didn't want people to think I was reading some cheesy romance novel. This looks like a romance novel, right? It's not really. But also kind of.
It's about infidelity and lust and sex and...bondage. Kind of. Well, not really. It's about so much more than that...identity, gender, power, aging, love, desire, success, shame.
Described as "literary fiction," this novel is beautifully written, smart, provocative, and thought-provoking. There is much here to tug at the heartstrings of any English major/teacher/book nerd...an unreliable narrator, poetic wording, dark humor, complex themes, and a plot twist (I still have questions about the ending).
Overall a good read. Recommend.
It's about infidelity and lust and sex and...bondage. Kind of. Well, not really. It's about so much more than that...identity, gender, power, aging, love, desire, success, shame.
Described as "literary fiction," this novel is beautifully written, smart, provocative, and thought-provoking. There is much here to tug at the heartstrings of any English major/teacher/book nerd...an unreliable narrator, poetic wording, dark humor, complex themes, and a plot twist (I still have questions about the ending).
Overall a good read. Recommend.
Good read. The narrator is a sharp-witted academic who battles with self-hatred. She's deeply insecure and uses those insecurities to fuel fantasies. Once she pursues them she realizes maybe she doesn't want those after all. She's insecure, jealous, indifferent, tries to be a good mother, a good professor, a decent and supporting (at times) wife.
This book made me question if every married woman has felt this way at some point--resentful of their husbands, grateful for their security, yet still long for a life apart from what they chose and cling to on a daily basis. Jonas grasped something I've read in different ways from women's experience and this approach shows this internal conflict well.
This book reminded me of the esoteric nature of academia and higher ed. Reminded me of the complex brains of incredibly smart people. Clued me into the realistic but secret dialogue of faculty at a college who are both respectful, resentful, and fearful of their students.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the thoughts it brought me. I also loved how the narrator's reliability grew, then turned incredibly unreliable, then back to a moderate reliability even as we readers knew what she was capable of thinking... *It's giving Lolita*. This book is a fascinating portrait of a marriage, an affair, an infatuation, and several scandals. Would recommend especially for academics or those who enjoy reminiscing on life in higher Ed.
This book made me question if every married woman has felt this way at some point--resentful of their husbands, grateful for their security, yet still long for a life apart from what they chose and cling to on a daily basis. Jonas grasped something I've read in different ways from women's experience and this approach shows this internal conflict well.
This book reminded me of the esoteric nature of academia and higher ed. Reminded me of the complex brains of incredibly smart people. Clued me into the realistic but secret dialogue of faculty at a college who are both respectful, resentful, and fearful of their students.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the thoughts it brought me. I also loved how the narrator's reliability grew, then turned incredibly unreliable, then back to a moderate reliability even as we readers knew what she was capable of thinking... *It's giving Lolita*. This book is a fascinating portrait of a marriage, an affair, an infatuation, and several scandals. Would recommend especially for academics or those who enjoy reminiscing on life in higher Ed.
i wanted SO badly to love this book. like seriously when i read the synopsis i was soooooo down, but you could tell that this was a debut novel. the writing itself wasn’t bad, but the main character spends 80% of the book talking about how obsessed she is with vladimir but does like nothing to /show/ it. the ending comes out of left field and just wraps everything up with a tight little bow that literally makes no sense at all. i felt like i drug through 200 pages to get a 15 page ending and that was very unsatisfying. i’ll give it two bc i think the author is a good writer, this just got away from her a bit and i don’t think she had an ending in mind at all when she wrote it
The character study of an unnamed middle-aged female professor who is 1/2 of an open marriage where neither party acts like they give a shit about anything but themselves. How fitting because I gave zero shits about these people nor what did/didn’t happen. Impressive writing, dreadful story. Most repelling cover since A Little Life. Apparently the image represents the woman’s objectifying gaze, so at least there’s an explanation.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting! Some really gorgeous moments here and there, and I loved the older woman narrator and her complex thoughts about the younger generation. The story definitely didn't go how i thought it would hahah. I'll be thinking about it for a minute I'm sure!