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martinacdp's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
4.0
What's funny about this book is that when I picked it up from the library, it had a little blue sticker with a magnifying glass on the spine, the kind for Mysteries.
I read the description and was sort of familiar with the book, and I really didn't think there was much mystery to it. Not the kind of mystery that magnifying glasses help with, anyway.
How did that whole magnifying glass thing get started? Was there one farsighted detective who made it a thing? When I was a kid, I was always dying for a mystery to happen so I could break out the rectangular magnifying glass that was stashed in a tiny drawer attached to our two volume dictionary.
Why were criminals in mysteries always walking through paint or tar and leaving footprints? How easy would it be to just SAY that fingerprints matched in 1850? Who is going to disagree?
My point here is that I'm not very sharp when it comes to mysteries. So not sharp, in fact, that I don't think I appreciated this book as a mystery until finishing it last night.
There are so many elements that are wonderfully wrapped up in the last pages of this book. You get so comfortable with everything, the dead girl game, the telltale heart, the animal behavior. You get so comfortable with everything that the effect when it's twisted up at the end is really powerful. Because it's well done and also (again, I suck at mystery, so it could be just me) because you're tricked into thinking these small elements, these running gags if you will, are not as important as they become.
It's reading a mystery that you didn't know was a mystery. Where a lot hinges on the ending, although you don't know that until you get there. It's an impressive writing feat, really.
I read the description and was sort of familiar with the book, and I really didn't think there was much mystery to it. Not the kind of mystery that magnifying glasses help with, anyway.
How did that whole magnifying glass thing get started? Was there one farsighted detective who made it a thing? When I was a kid, I was always dying for a mystery to happen so I could break out the rectangular magnifying glass that was stashed in a tiny drawer attached to our two volume dictionary.
Why were criminals in mysteries always walking through paint or tar and leaving footprints? How easy would it be to just SAY that fingerprints matched in 1850? Who is going to disagree?
My point here is that I'm not very sharp when it comes to mysteries. So not sharp, in fact, that I don't think I appreciated this book as a mystery until finishing it last night.
There are so many elements that are wonderfully wrapped up in the last pages of this book. You get so comfortable with everything, the dead girl game, the telltale heart, the animal behavior. You get so comfortable with everything that the effect when it's twisted up at the end is really powerful. Because it's well done and also (again, I suck at mystery, so it could be just me) because you're tricked into thinking these small elements, these running gags if you will, are not as important as they become.
It's reading a mystery that you didn't know was a mystery. Where a lot hinges on the ending, although you don't know that until you get there. It's an impressive writing feat, really.
stacers1973's review against another edition
2.0
This was on my wishlist for awhile and I found a copy at the library. Good thing, because I didn't really get it I guess. The blurbs said "very humorous" ... which I needed and didn't find. It was pretty well done, with mostly fleshed out characters and lots of Portlandia....just wasn't for me.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
2.0
I guess I find it refreshing to read a book that depicts pregnancy from so many different points of view, most of them miserable. I'd been told it was funny, though, and I can't really agree with that. The characters have stayed with me -- they are vivid, but ultimately unappealing. I don't read a lot of literary fiction any more for just this reason, so perhaps if you're into that kind of thing, this will likely blow your skirt up.
leeann20's review against another edition
3.0
very good, but not funny. excellent look at relationships
night_owl's review
5.0
Drake is fucking amazing. I'm just sad that I don't have any more books of hers left to read now.
In this book she has an uncanny ability to shift from darkly brooding, to absurd slapstick comedy, to touching and tender moments. It does start a bit slow, at least in terms of things actually happening, but the payoff is absolutely worth it because she does a careful job of crafting an interlocking set of characters that you come to appreciate from a variety of different angles. Every character is unique and fully realized, and you come to understand them in one way or another, whether you can truly empathize with them or not.
When things start to come together in the final third of the book it feels like the story unfolds in the only way it could, and I sometimes pleasantly thought to myself, "of course that just happened." But that's not to say that the anything comes off as overly-contrived or dependent on ridiculous coincidences, when their stories overlap it feels like they *should*.
As someone who has never felt the slightest desire to procreate, I never really thought I'd feel so strongly about a book so obsessed with maternity, matrimony, and the biological side of reproduction. Despite being a bit too deeply entangled in the motherly emotions of middle-aged women whose entire lives revolve the concept of producing offspring, I still managed to feel a connection with these characters, even the male ones who seem to be so one-dimensional at first but manage to develop some life in the end.
If I have any complaint, is that the end comes rather abruptly and too soon, with some threads left hanging. I don't always demand closure and a story that ties up in a neat and tidy bow, I really felt like I needed more—but maybe that was the point after all.
In this book she has an uncanny ability to shift from darkly brooding, to absurd slapstick comedy, to touching and tender moments. It does start a bit slow, at least in terms of things actually happening, but the payoff is absolutely worth it because she does a careful job of crafting an interlocking set of characters that you come to appreciate from a variety of different angles. Every character is unique and fully realized, and you come to understand them in one way or another, whether you can truly empathize with them or not.
When things start to come together in the final third of the book it feels like the story unfolds in the only way it could, and I sometimes pleasantly thought to myself, "of course that just happened." But that's not to say that the anything comes off as overly-contrived or dependent on ridiculous coincidences, when their stories overlap it feels like they *should*.
As someone who has never felt the slightest desire to procreate, I never really thought I'd feel so strongly about a book so obsessed with maternity, matrimony, and the biological side of reproduction. Despite being a bit too deeply entangled in the motherly emotions of middle-aged women whose entire lives revolve the concept of producing offspring, I still managed to feel a connection with these characters, even the male ones who seem to be so one-dimensional at first but manage to develop some life in the end.
If I have any complaint, is that the end comes rather abruptly and too soon, with some threads left hanging. I don't always demand closure and a story that ties up in a neat and tidy bow, I really felt like I needed more—but maybe that was the point after all.
howifeelaboutbooks's review
3.0
I love when books tell the story from different points of view, and that's what The Stud Book does. It gives a greater understanding to each character, especially those you might write off as "the bad guy" or not identify with. The story itself was very interesting, about four women who have been friends since college and have all taken drastically different paths while staying close. Sarah researches the mating habits of animals in the zoo, while trying desperately to have a baby with her husband. Georgie just had a baby, and her husband is coping by spending all his time in a bar. Nyla is facing a new pregnancy of her own, even while her daughter is about to leave the nest. Dulcet has never had nor wanted children, and is living the wild life. The stories intertwine nicely, and there is suspense and humor to keep you reading. The ending was pretty lackluster, but I suppose it leaves room for a sequel, which might be interesting.
abookishaffair's review against another edition
3.0
"The Stud Book" is a look at what it means to be a parent or to want to be a parent or to want to be a good parent. The book looks at four women who are all in very different places in their life when it comes to having children. Each of the women have different views of their families and family life. This book has a sharp wit and the writing is promising.
I didn't really connect with many of the characters in this story except for Sarah. I do understand how it feels to really, really want to have something and to have it just not work out because of things that are really very much beyond your control. I'm not sure that this story was really geared for me and could see it being a better fit for someone who is already a parent. All of these women are very focused on being (or not being) parents. I'm not a parent and so it was hard for me to identify with the other women and there was not much of anything to endear them to me. Drake has a very dry humored way of writing about them though that kept me engaged.
The writing in this book was good and definitely kept me reading. Drake has a very sharp and witty way of writing that kept me engaged even if the story did not necessarily grab me. I appreciate a good dry wit and this book had it! I would definitely read more by Drake in the future even if the story was not to my liking!
I didn't really connect with many of the characters in this story except for Sarah. I do understand how it feels to really, really want to have something and to have it just not work out because of things that are really very much beyond your control. I'm not sure that this story was really geared for me and could see it being a better fit for someone who is already a parent. All of these women are very focused on being (or not being) parents. I'm not a parent and so it was hard for me to identify with the other women and there was not much of anything to endear them to me. Drake has a very dry humored way of writing about them though that kept me engaged.
The writing in this book was good and definitely kept me reading. Drake has a very sharp and witty way of writing that kept me engaged even if the story did not necessarily grab me. I appreciate a good dry wit and this book had it! I would definitely read more by Drake in the future even if the story was not to my liking!
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