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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
When bestie tells you to read a joy williams novel you sit your ass down and listen!!!!
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did appreciate this and recognize it to be an accomplishment of literally fiction. That said, I don’t know that I enjoyed reading it. It’s the type of dense text that requires at least a second reading to fully appreciate, but I know I won’t be revisiting it. There were insights and quotes that were truly edifying and insightful. I believe I understood it so that’s not the problem. I simply was not engrossed. I found the consistent tone used throughout including by speakers of very different backgrounds and ages unusual; a mix of formality with the occasional jarring sprinkling of poor grammar. Despite taking place in a post apocalyptic landscape, this strange and distinctive manner of expression was what I needed to most suspend my disbelief for, because surely some people speak formally, and some have poor grammar sprinkled in, but that children should speak like graduate literature students and so should the common folk didn’t track for me. It’s a very specific quibble for a book that at times approaches profundity, but it’s my quibble nonetheless. This was the first of William’s work I’ve read and I’ve noted most do not recommend it as a starting point for her work, so I may give The Quick and the Dead a try.
One of the strangest books I’ve ever read; in turns wickedly witty, and opaque and horrifying ( the microbiologist creating bio weapons, then extolling on the potential of microbes ( that actually sounded eerily close to the marketing of current probiotic companies to as horrifying) the imagery of horses throughout; Premarin foals; the details of Latin and Greek grammar that made me smile: a strange fever dream of a book.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I was waiting for the story to ‘click’ with me, to have more clarity, to feel like I was taking something away from this other than a bit of confusion and discomfort - but I never did, and felt sad that I maybe just ‘didn’t get it.’
I am surely the one to blame for not getting this one. It just 'wasn't for me' as they say. But the amount of glowing reviews makes me jealous and envious of those who read it and connected to it. I love a good book that's daring and innovative in form, but this just landed flat for me unfortunately. I found it terribly confusing, not entirely engaging or interesting, and continuously spaced out during my experience. I can only hope Williams doesn't see this review because I know the fault is with me.
I like this book--more importantly--I like each of the three parts separately; apart from each other they each have excellent qualities for short vignettes of a strange strange post-apocalyptic world. And I even followed the plot pretty well from the beginning part to the second/middle part of the book; but the last part, the third part, went a little over my head; I think--maybe. Like I kinda got it and I think I like the message, but it left me very unsure as to what I had actually read and whether I had understood the book at all--which maybe was the author's intention.
Anyway, I will probably read it again next year. I liked it that much--and there is a lot to devore inside the story--a lot of philosophical discussion of what it means to be at the end of life (and the metaphorical non-start of life too)--honestly, I enjoyed the read tremendously and think I would be doing it a disservice not to mention that the last forty pages or so get a bit difficult to follow.
Still, if you stick through it, it will give you a lot to chew over and consider. I think you should enjoy it and not think too much about the message--it's probably closer to the surface of the story than any of us realize.
Anyway, I will probably read it again next year. I liked it that much--and there is a lot to devore inside the story--a lot of philosophical discussion of what it means to be at the end of life (and the metaphorical non-start of life too)--honestly, I enjoyed the read tremendously and think I would be doing it a disservice not to mention that the last forty pages or so get a bit difficult to follow.
Still, if you stick through it, it will give you a lot to chew over and consider. I think you should enjoy it and not think too much about the message--it's probably closer to the surface of the story than any of us realize.
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is not the first time that I have missed something about the science fiction books chosen by my reading group of experts in the field. But this time I have no idea what I read.
Non é la prima volta che mi capita di non capire qualcosa dei libri di fantascienza scelti dal mio gruppo di lettura, composto da esperti del settore. Ma stavolta non ho idea di cosa ho letto.
Non é la prima volta che mi capita di non capire qualcosa dei libri di fantascienza scelti dal mio gruppo di lettura, composto da esperti del settore. Ma stavolta non ho idea di cosa ho letto.