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tenderedge's review
Didn't finish--- it got too sad. I know, duh... what did I expect?
alannahjrpurslow's review
5.0
I read 3/4 of this book, not completely finishing as I borrowed it from someone and had to give it back. I will certainly get another copy to finish it though!
This book had me unexpectedly laughing out loud (shout out to the book Stingo recalls reviewing that was particularly humorous: all centering around a man named Willard, his lover and some pretty hefty agricultural instruments)! The descriptions of Stingo’s job at a publishing house are wonderfully funny, including some unexpected light moments with his boss. You really root for Stingo during all of his interactions with his father, who isn’t so approving of his job, or career path choice:
“I found that the creative heat which at eighteen has nearly consumed me with its gorgeous, relentless flame had flickered out to a dim plot light, registering little more than a token glow in my breast, or wherever my hungriest ambitions once resided.”
Styron’s novel also made me swoon! He truly has a gift for incredibly vivid, picturesque descriptions that emotionally invest you in his characters and their surroundings. I think this is one of the quotes that encapsulates this most:
“These illlerate daydreams are an attempt to romanticise what must be a ghastly existence.”
Finally, onto the titular character of Sophie. Styron creates an incredibly elusive atmosphere concerning her past and certain aspects of her personality. He integrates this elusiveness seamlessly into her interactions with the other characters, and when the other characters curiously describe her present life.
In addition to delighting me, making me laugh, and leaving me in constant awe at his seemingly effortless and engaging writing, Styron writes harrowingly at the experiences which Sophie has endured in the Auschwitz camp and the events leading up to her titular “choice”. The recounting of these experiences make you emotional, pensive and curl up with the thought of how anyone could have endured this horrible moment in history.
Overall, I give this five stars and I definitely recommend. It is now one of my favourite novels.
This book had me unexpectedly laughing out loud (shout out to the book Stingo recalls reviewing that was particularly humorous: all centering around a man named Willard, his lover and some pretty hefty agricultural instruments)! The descriptions of Stingo’s job at a publishing house are wonderfully funny, including some unexpected light moments with his boss. You really root for Stingo during all of his interactions with his father, who isn’t so approving of his job, or career path choice:
“I found that the creative heat which at eighteen has nearly consumed me with its gorgeous, relentless flame had flickered out to a dim plot light, registering little more than a token glow in my breast, or wherever my hungriest ambitions once resided.”
Styron’s novel also made me swoon! He truly has a gift for incredibly vivid, picturesque descriptions that emotionally invest you in his characters and their surroundings. I think this is one of the quotes that encapsulates this most:
“These illlerate daydreams are an attempt to romanticise what must be a ghastly existence.”
Finally, onto the titular character of Sophie. Styron creates an incredibly elusive atmosphere concerning her past and certain aspects of her personality. He integrates this elusiveness seamlessly into her interactions with the other characters, and when the other characters curiously describe her present life.
In addition to delighting me, making me laugh, and leaving me in constant awe at his seemingly effortless and engaging writing, Styron writes harrowingly at the experiences which Sophie has endured in the Auschwitz camp and the events leading up to her titular “choice”. The recounting of these experiences make you emotional, pensive and curl up with the thought of how anyone could have endured this horrible moment in history.
Overall, I give this five stars and I definitely recommend. It is now one of my favourite novels.
janus21's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
stjernesvarme's review
dark
emotional
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
5.0
aliceboule's review
5.0
One of the most stunning and impacting books I have read in a long time. The Styron used the English language to illustrate Sophie's deranged self, was just.. breathtaking. His characters were at once relatable and also so complicated, that Styron's unraveling of their personalities was enthralling. I had the most lovely time reading this book and would greatly love to go back in time, forget i have ever read it, just so i can have the pleasure of reading it brand new again!
brg101010's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
paw2904's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Simply stunning.
Superb writing.
Deals with significant issues.
Increasingly relevant.
Superb writing.
Deals with significant issues.
Increasingly relevant.
emerygirl's review against another edition
2.0
Book # 3 on my quest to read every book on the 100 best novels of the century list. I picked Sophie's Choice, because their is a friend's episode that mentions Sophie's Choice, and I always wondered what exactly WAS Sophie's Choice. And now I know. Other than that...I thought the book was a little slow. It was definately my least favorite out of the books I have read on the list.
doritobabe's review against another edition
4.0
(One of my least eloquent reviews ever.)
I do not know if I really liked this book. Now, before you hit me, let me explain.
These are things I did like: the writing, the complex narrative, her choice and how devastating it was, the historical accuracy and information.
The things I did not like are as follows: Stingo’s obsessive sexual nature and rants that rambled for pages talking about breasts, etc etc. I did not like the ending after we found out her choice, not the double suicide—that was kind of a given from the beginning of the text—but the rambling about the funeral and Stingo’s drunken philosophizing. I have been thinking about it and now I understand WHY the author did it, especially because he mentioned it in passing in the text. All of the bits that I did not like are put into the text to probably promote the idea that people are more concerned about themselves personally/to highlight the ignorance that many people (namely Americans and Canadians) had during the time. Remember the part of the book where Stingo is like: “I was eating a banana the day that Sophie entered the camp”? And then he explains the ignorance of the situation until the end of the war? Yah, like that. But, the author/Stingo never really got passed that I feel. So maybe Styron was making a point that even though Stingo felt pain, sympathy or remorse for Sophie (if you have ever noticed, it was only SPECIFICALLY HER and the people she told him about –this he mentions in the text) and not the others who suffered (as they were still virtually unknowns), he was still struggling with personal conceit and vanity. That maybe, yah it is all sad but really, I am still more concerned with my life and what will happen to it. Unfortunately, Stingo did not gain a sense of mortality from his interactions.
Also, I think Sophie was kind of whiny and pathetic most of the time—I found her REALLY annoying. I think the other thing I didn't like about the text itself was that it kept feeling like the author would gain random spurts of inspiration here and there. Like, he would be writing and say: LETS MAKE NATHAN PSYCHO… LETS MAKE SOPHIE HAVE A KID… AND ANOTHER KID… AND BE FRIENDS WITH REBELS… very chaotic, like he (Styron) didn't even know what he wanted to write until he got there. What is that called again? Lack of omniscience? In spite of all that I disliked about this novel, I think that is why I liked it, too. That it was supposed to leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth, to prove a point.
I do not know if I really liked this book. Now, before you hit me, let me explain.
These are things I did like: the writing, the complex narrative, her choice and how devastating it was, the historical accuracy and information.
The things I did not like are as follows: Stingo’s obsessive sexual nature and rants that rambled for pages talking about breasts, etc etc. I did not like the ending after we found out her choice, not the double suicide—that was kind of a given from the beginning of the text—but the rambling about the funeral and Stingo’s drunken philosophizing. I have been thinking about it and now I understand WHY the author did it, especially because he mentioned it in passing in the text. All of the bits that I did not like are put into the text to probably promote the idea that people are more concerned about themselves personally/to highlight the ignorance that many people (namely Americans and Canadians) had during the time. Remember the part of the book where Stingo is like: “I was eating a banana the day that Sophie entered the camp”? And then he explains the ignorance of the situation until the end of the war? Yah, like that. But, the author/Stingo never really got passed that I feel. So maybe Styron was making a point that even though Stingo felt pain, sympathy or remorse for Sophie (if you have ever noticed, it was only SPECIFICALLY HER and the people she told him about –this he mentions in the text) and not the others who suffered (as they were still virtually unknowns), he was still struggling with personal conceit and vanity. That maybe, yah it is all sad but really, I am still more concerned with my life and what will happen to it. Unfortunately, Stingo did not gain a sense of mortality from his interactions.
Also, I think Sophie was kind of whiny and pathetic most of the time—I found her REALLY annoying. I think the other thing I didn't like about the text itself was that it kept feeling like the author would gain random spurts of inspiration here and there. Like, he would be writing and say: LETS MAKE NATHAN PSYCHO… LETS MAKE SOPHIE HAVE A KID… AND ANOTHER KID… AND BE FRIENDS WITH REBELS… very chaotic, like he (Styron) didn't even know what he wanted to write until he got there. What is that called again? Lack of omniscience? In spite of all that I disliked about this novel, I think that is why I liked it, too. That it was supposed to leave an unpleasant taste in your mouth, to prove a point.