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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
medium-paced
No one can claim this book isn’t well written, because that’s undeniable—it’s smart and sharp, in spite of, or maybe because of, its self aggrandizement. But that’s pretty much the only thing it has going for it. Every single character is insufferable and I’m not sure what point the author was trying to make with anything that happened.
A domestic snapshot into the personal lives of academics, sprinkled with melodramatic scandal. I found the narrator, in her better moments at least, to be brilliant though very flawed, and I appreciated much of her thought-out dialogue and her inner battle between self-critique and sanctimony. Overall the story was not overly captivating but provided an interesting lens to shifts in modern society/academics
(Closer to 1.5, may edit later as I process further. )
This is really outside of my usual realm, however I read this for a book club. (Audiobook)
I gave it 2 stars because I read it over 4 days and while the content was iffy at best, it was a fast and somewhat entertaining read.
I think this book raised some interesting thoughts about gender roles, double standards, and power dynamics. That being said, if it’s not for a book club, it may be that your time is better spent elsewhere.
This is really outside of my usual realm, however I read this for a book club. (Audiobook)
I gave it 2 stars because I read it over 4 days and while the content was iffy at best, it was a fast and somewhat entertaining read.
I think this book raised some interesting thoughts about gender roles, double standards, and power dynamics. That being said, if it’s not for a book club, it may be that your time is better spent elsewhere.
medium-paced
A nice premise and, in principle, an important perspective on a familiar theme.
What is also a good idea, but a little too obvious, is the suggestion ofhow absurd the story becomes when the woman becomes the perpetrator - not out of calculation, but out of an inferiority complex.
As I said, it's actually a good premise. But unfortunately there is no character to identify with and in the end it is neither funny nor disturbing nor touching in any other way.
What is also a good idea, but a little too obvious, is the suggestion of
As I said, it's actually a good premise. But unfortunately there is no character to identify with and in the end it is neither funny nor disturbing nor touching in any other way.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Lots of good stuff on aging as a woman, and university life and politics and how they’ve changed over the years, especially in response to “me too,” with a complex and, at times, unlikeable narrator. Not sure about how it all wrapped up, but enjoyed this a lot.
What a wild ride this book was. I can’t lie and say that I thought the synopsis intriguing. I fully bought the book because of the cover. The novel is very dark and cynical. It has a sexy undertone that borders on being weird.
I have heard talk that it’s a retelling of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and I can see how one would think that. I also have heard discussion that the narrator is Lolita. Which could well may be as we never learn the name of the narrator. I don’t really mind either way, because the book was well-written and the plot was exciting.
The only reason I give it 4 versus 5 stars is because the narrator’s obsession with Vladimir never really pans out — we don’t ever really get to see the obsession. And also because of that curveball of an ending. What a wild ride.
I have heard talk that it’s a retelling of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and I can see how one would think that. I also have heard discussion that the narrator is Lolita. Which could well may be as we never learn the name of the narrator. I don’t really mind either way, because the book was well-written and the plot was exciting.
The only reason I give it 4 versus 5 stars is because the narrator’s obsession with Vladimir never really pans out — we don’t ever really get to see the obsession. And also because of that curveball of an ending. What a wild ride.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
- an english professor develops an obsession with her younger colleague while her husband, also an english professor at the same college, undergoes a hearing regarding his numerous relationships with students throughout his tenure
- lots of interesting stuff in here about how we can be victims of certain systems and yet still defend or participate them (as a coping mechanism/so as to not view oneself as a victim/etc), older women's hostility towards younger women, anxiety about aging as a woman
- also a discussion of the role of the women in the lives of men who commit sexual violence - how responsible are they for their partners' actions? do they share any blame if they choose to stay with them?
- still, there is not a single likeable character in this book, and in fact most of them are pretty detestable, so if you are not into that, this is not for you
- i maybe wish this was a little bit longer so that the narrator's relationships with vladimir and cynthia respectively could've had more time to play out, also not entirely sure if i understood vladimir's motivations
up until his arrival at the cabin - but overall as an unlikable character enjoyer i thought this was a good read
- also thought the ending was kind of funny