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jhbandcats's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book. First of all, I love the cover of the four flowers, one still a bud. I love the ease and the detail of the writing. I love the in-depth characterization. I love the complex plot. I love how Korelitz gradually, gradually reveals the depth of her characters.
This is a complicated multi-generational story of a deeply flawed family, with almost all the members miserable and hating one another. For the author to be able to take such frequently unpleasant characters and make the reader care about them is quite the talent. She skewers the ultra rich yet is able to show even the annoying and unpleasant characters with sympathy. Lots to learn here about modern art, too.
I’d read The Plot, a convoluted mystery, and as I kept reading this, I kept wondering when the mystery was going to start. (I assumed Korelitz wrote only mysteries.) It was only when I was 2/3 through the book that I realized the whole thing was a mystery, the mystery of people growing up, no matter their age, interacting with one another, and coming to accept themselves.
This is a complicated multi-generational story of a deeply flawed family, with almost all the members miserable and hating one another. For the author to be able to take such frequently unpleasant characters and make the reader care about them is quite the talent. She skewers the ultra rich yet is able to show even the annoying and unpleasant characters with sympathy. Lots to learn here about modern art, too.
I’d read The Plot, a convoluted mystery, and as I kept reading this, I kept wondering when the mystery was going to start. (I assumed Korelitz wrote only mysteries.) It was only when I was 2/3 through the book that I realized the whole thing was a mystery, the mystery of people growing up, no matter their age, interacting with one another, and coming to accept themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Classism, Grief, Infertility, Outing, Racism, Mental illness, and Antisemitism
mysterymom40's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Bullying, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Murder, Outing, Mental illness, Racism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Classism, Infertility, Antisemitism, Violence, and Pregnancy
elizapease's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Took a while for me to get into this book, but I’m glad I did. A perspective on family life I have not ever seen or read before, with an entire cast of complex, problematic, and at times fully unlikeable/hateable characters. Despite occasionally despising the characters, I still found myself rooting for them and their success as a family. It was a really funny read, and had some deeply satisfying twists and reveals. It’s an interesting glimpse into the lives of the upper-echelon, and a really intriguing character study. I would definitely recommend, especially if you come from a more “complicated” family - as some of the truths revealed by this book about how we navigate life with the family we were born into are seriously poignant. I am giving 3.75 merely out of personal preference- I tend to like books with more lovable characters. This book is undeniably wonderfully written and reflective.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Classism, Death, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, and Racism
onemorepagecrew's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My goodness, this book was a commitment. I adore literary fiction, especially deep family stories, and I choose character over plot any day. That said, this book was dense and hard to get through, and the characters were challenging to form a bond with.
In this book we meet the Oppenheimer family, a wealthy Jewish American family living in New York City. We see the parents’ relationship as well as their lives outside their relationship, and we follow their children through childhood into adulthood. There’s not a strong familial bond in any direction for majority of the book and it’s essentially a collection of individual experiences.
The development is intentionally slow and if I am looking neutrally at the writing, it’s effective. My challenge as a reader was that each character in the first 80% of the book was going out of their way to be unlikeable. They’re cruel at times and it’s clear they know there will be no serious consequences. By the end, as more characters are given the floor and the initial characters evolve, I was too lost on everyone to feel a redemption arc.
The last 15-20% of the book was offbeat. The pace accelerated, attempts at personal growth were too packaged, the “twists” were sad and out of place, and it was disarming compared to the extremely slow pace in the beginning.
The topics that the book tried to tackle were all big – grief, infidelity, infertility, generational trauma, racism, privilege, religion, LGBTQ+ identity. I love and intentionally seek out books that illuminate these experiences, but ultimately it was not great to see them through the lives of the Oppenheimers.
For me, this wasn’t it. I didn’t have an issue with the slow pace or book length, and it wasn’t just that the characters were unlikeable and unapologetic. The Paper Palace had both of those elements and I really enjoyed that book. Ultimately, it was the combination of topics this book addresses being told through these characters.
Content warnings: Infertility, Death of parent, LGBTQ+ Outing, Racism, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Abandonment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Infertility, and Outing
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Infidelity
kaylasbookgram's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you Celadon Books for the advanced copy for my honest review.
This book touched so many topics from mental health to racism to religion. I thoroughly enjoyed the story but the slow build is not for me especially in bigger books. Which is why I’m giving it a 3⭐️ for I liked it. The genres on Goodreads says this is a mystery/thriller but I didn’t get that vibe at all so I wouldn’t suggest it for someone looking for that specific genre.
This book touched so many topics from mental health to racism to religion. I thoroughly enjoyed the story but the slow build is not for me especially in bigger books. Which is why I’m giving it a 3⭐️ for I liked it. The genres on Goodreads says this is a mystery/thriller but I didn’t get that vibe at all so I wouldn’t suggest it for someone looking for that specific genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Outing, Pregnancy, and Racism
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