Reviews - The Vulnerables: A Novel

921 reviews for:

The Vulnerables: A Novel

Sigrid Nunez

3.67 AVERAGE

ajnsmiths's review against another edition

5.0

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Nunez, a master of the short novel, turns her immense talent to the time of the pandemic and lockdown in NYC
The solitary female narrator in her book, between musing on her past experiences and the purpose of writing itself, ends up living with a young man who is essentially a stranger to her and also a parrot named Eureka. Her books are hard to describe, the best thing to say is read them - all of them.

mistypb's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 30%

I can’t deal with anything covid related.

isabellduh's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

naomihuisman's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

cfries's review against another edition

3.25

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I feel like we need to start adding a TW for books written about the protagonist navigating the transition into the pandemic. It wasn't a bad book, it just felt like a very similar headspace to where I was when lockdown hit and wasn't what I was expecting or wanting to read.

Content Warnings

iadoreforks's review against another edition

3.0

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

angera's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i think this book would only appeal to a specific audience. i wouldn't say the narrator is lovable but relatable. she's flawed, and her rumination and reflections during the covid-19 pandemic are relatable. she's a stereotypical boomer sometimes, but she's also a person in her 60s struggling with isolation and loneliness. it's not just about the covid-19 pandemic but also about the epidemic of loneliness, especially amongst the elderly. she goes through some heartwarming and bittersweet character development as she opens up through her forced cohabitation with a gen Z-er. they have almost nothing in common, but their friendship is sweet and hopeful that humans can find connection in the most unlikely places. it's a very human novel that is easy to simply cast aside as "boring," "nothing happens," and "boomer narrator," but if you like books about relatable flawed human experiences, then you might like this.