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christym's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mamax4j's review
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nicola_scutt's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
juleoctober's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
nacropley's review
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
eloise_krabbenhoft's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
natasha_reads0420's review
3.0
Our Country Friends is a satire of how life was during the early stages of the 2020 pandemic. The story follows Sasha, Masha & their daughter Nat as they navigate life during the pandemic with 5 of Sasha oldest friends set in linear time. Good book with complex characters.
sandygx260's review
2.0
The only appealing character was the adopted daughter who yelled all the time.
smunro's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nicovreeland's review
2.0
On a technical level, this book is masterful. The characters are well drawn and Shteyngart drifts between their perspectives effortlessly, sometimes in the middle of paragraphs. The dialogue is pretty sharp and some of the conversations are genuinely funny. Unfortunately, Shteyngart infuses this promising setup with an overwhelming preponderance of passivity.
The main character is a writer who doesn’t want to write. There is nothing less interesting in the world than a writer who doesn’t want to write. He doesn’t even have writer’s block, he just doesn’t feel like writing another novel, and so he doesn’t even try.
Then there’s the weirdness of Covid and the George Floyd protests going on in the background. The action of the book is specifically about not doing anything while monumental events happen in the outside world. I realize that’s realistic, but it’s not particularly interesting to read about.
Additionally, Shteyngart too often uses that irritating technique of false drama. There’s a scream! Was it a bobcat attacking a child? No, we find out five slow pages later, it was somebody shampooing their hair when the water cut out. Another time: was that a gunshot? No, a tree branch. This technique is designed to set expectations it does not fulfill. It’s literally designed to underwhelm you.
When a piece of drama does land, its effects are muted because it’s all the kind of stuff that only matters if you care, and none of the characters care. They get a bit angry, but they don’t take action. They just kind of stew.
The occasional funny conversation is not enough to float this much dead weight. The overwhelming passivity of this book is crushing.
The main character is a writer who doesn’t want to write. There is nothing less interesting in the world than a writer who doesn’t want to write. He doesn’t even have writer’s block, he just doesn’t feel like writing another novel, and so he doesn’t even try.
Then there’s the weirdness of Covid and the George Floyd protests going on in the background. The action of the book is specifically about not doing anything while monumental events happen in the outside world. I realize that’s realistic, but it’s not particularly interesting to read about.
Additionally, Shteyngart too often uses that irritating technique of false drama. There’s a scream! Was it a bobcat attacking a child? No, we find out five slow pages later, it was somebody shampooing their hair when the water cut out. Another time: was that a gunshot? No, a tree branch. This technique is designed to set expectations it does not fulfill. It’s literally designed to underwhelm you.
When a piece of drama does land, its effects are muted because it’s all the kind of stuff that only matters if you care, and none of the characters care. They get a bit angry, but they don’t take action. They just kind of stew.
The occasional funny conversation is not enough to float this much dead weight. The overwhelming passivity of this book is crushing.