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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My 14yo found a book by Gore Vidal that he enjoyed in a used bookstore while we were traveling last week. We brought it home with us, and he took it with him to camp to finish. The day he left for camp, I picked up this novel and saw it was dedicated to Gore Vidal, which isn't actually significant but feels like it is. That's kind of how this book is: so many small moments in an apparently ordinary day that resonate with meaning for George.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Almost immediately into reading this book, I realized it was one I needed to annotate: from Isherwood's approach to storytelling to the theme of happiness even amid grief, my copy of A Single Man rapidly filled with my observations penciled into the margins. I found so much to admire, even while critiquing the outdated notions of race and misogyny. The way the author uses context to reveal information rather that always blatantly saying it was such a success and is a stylistic choice I'd like to try in my own fiction. The ache of grief associated with Geroge—the loss of his partner, how he performs a role in order to fit into society, the cycle of destruction-reconstruction taking over the city—somehow never felt too heavy, as we see him also experiencing simple moments of joy. If anything, I found the ending too sentimental when compared to the rest of the novel.
reflective
medium-paced
Honestly, I am not too sure what to say about this book which is surprising because when I initially started it I thought I would be rating this book highly. However, the second half of this book did not capture my attention the same way that the first half did and I was left feeling unsatisfied by the ending. I will say though that I liked how the narrator of the book touched on pretty much every topic there is to discuss, from personal loss to homophobia to the Red Scare. I am giving this book three stars because while it was a quick read and certainly not a bad book, it was also not very memorable and I do not feel moved by it nor would I ever want to reread it.
3.5
Sad gay woes that are actually universal woes because everybody is sad. Everybody is a sad gay on the inside.
Sad gay woes that are actually universal woes because everybody is sad. Everybody is a sad gay on the inside.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
slow-paced