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quietkidsimreading's review against another edition
4.0
I'm glad I didn't read any reviews for this book. First off, I might have been tipped off that it's got a bit of a surprise ending. There also seem to be a lot of people that really disliked this book, with one of the main complaints being, "this is clearly the FIRST fiction work from Klosterman..." Blah blah blah... I thought it was pretty good for a first novel. It left a little to be desired in some areas, but the fact that I've continued to think about it during the week since I finished it....well, I think that says a lot. It may appeal to me more because I grew up in a town just like Owl, but I think it's probably got broader appeal. You should read it.
chrstnareads's review against another edition
4.0
I love Chuck Klosterman's self-referential pop-culture analysis. I wasn't sure if I would love Chuck Klosterman's fiction. Turns out... I kind of actually really like it.
Downtown Owl starts out a little slow (and reads a lot like Vonnegut). It follows the day-to-day of 3 main characters who live in Owl, North Dakota: Mitch (high school football player), Julia (new Owl resident, social studies teacher), and Horace (73-year-old widower, lifetime Owl resident). At first it seems a little too mundane. Like, why do I care that this old man drinks coffee in the local cafe every day and is upset when he doesn't get to pay for coffee for all of his friends at his table (and why is a chapter devoted to this?)? But then slowly, I began to realize that all these mundane details are what makes these characters real. At first I hated Mitch, and even though he continued to be kind of whiny, he grows on you and you realize he's not a bad person. I liked Julia from the start, and desperately wanted her to hook up with the one guy in town who wasn't like everyone else (dumb and way too eager to please her). She's a little misguided, but you realize she's not a bad person. Horace was annoying too, but in the end, reading about this man's hardships throughout life, he grows on you too and you realize he's not a bad person.
I found myself routing for them, wanting them to live through the horrific blizzard that came suddenly one day. The blizzard was first introduced at the very beginning, but by the time it happened in "real life" I had forgotten all about the foreshadowing. And in the end, the perceived "hero" of the story was a minor character, who had been the subject of ridicule and fight statistic speculation. Mitch sees him as one thing, Julia sees him as the same. Only Horace sees him for what he really is... sort of. I take that back. Only the reader sees who he really is, leading to the realization that there are multiple sides to everyone. You see what you want to see, ignore what you don't, and in the end, no one really knows the truth about anyone else.
It was insightful and entertaining. Picked up as it went on. Didn't take that long to read at all. I ended up really liking it. And, rumor has it, Klosterman has another piece of fiction in the works. If that's true, I'm down.
Downtown Owl starts out a little slow (and reads a lot like Vonnegut). It follows the day-to-day of 3 main characters who live in Owl, North Dakota: Mitch (high school football player), Julia (new Owl resident, social studies teacher), and Horace (73-year-old widower, lifetime Owl resident). At first it seems a little too mundane. Like, why do I care that this old man drinks coffee in the local cafe every day and is upset when he doesn't get to pay for coffee for all of his friends at his table (and why is a chapter devoted to this?)? But then slowly, I began to realize that all these mundane details are what makes these characters real. At first I hated Mitch, and even though he continued to be kind of whiny, he grows on you and you realize he's not a bad person. I liked Julia from the start, and desperately wanted her to hook up with the one guy in town who wasn't like everyone else (dumb and way too eager to please her). She's a little misguided, but you realize she's not a bad person. Horace was annoying too, but in the end, reading about this man's hardships throughout life, he grows on you too and you realize he's not a bad person.
I found myself routing for them, wanting them to live through the horrific blizzard that came suddenly one day. The blizzard was first introduced at the very beginning, but by the time it happened in "real life" I had forgotten all about the foreshadowing. And in the end, the perceived "hero" of the story was a minor character, who had been the subject of ridicule and fight statistic speculation. Mitch sees him as one thing, Julia sees him as the same. Only Horace sees him for what he really is... sort of. I take that back. Only the reader sees who he really is, leading to the realization that there are multiple sides to everyone. You see what you want to see, ignore what you don't, and in the end, no one really knows the truth about anyone else.
It was insightful and entertaining. Picked up as it went on. Didn't take that long to read at all. I ended up really liking it. And, rumor has it, Klosterman has another piece of fiction in the works. If that's true, I'm down.
elpanek's review against another edition
2.0
As it went on, I liked this book more and more. Its biggest flaw was that the author spent too much time trying to convince readers of the importance of each event in the book. We are told that each event was the biggest or the best or the first of its kind, and that is supposed it interesting. Despite this, I found the characters and their world (rural North Dakota in the 80's) exotic and interesting on their own. If more time had been given over to description or background instead of analysis and reminders of how important things were, it would've been a better read.
It reads like a first novel, like a writer trying to adapt his hilarious, insightful analysis of pop culture to a serious medium. Better to read his non-fiction stuff and wait for his second novel unless you're craving something about 80's North Dakota.
It reads like a first novel, like a writer trying to adapt his hilarious, insightful analysis of pop culture to a serious medium. Better to read his non-fiction stuff and wait for his second novel unless you're craving something about 80's North Dakota.
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
while I find Klosterman's pop culture commentary funny, sometimes he's a bit too...snarky. he's smarter than most of us and he knows it. which is probably why I was pleasantly surprised by his first novel. set in 1983 and 1984, Downtown Owl is full of pop culture references, but they serve to provide texture to the story and the characters, not to judge us on how cool we are. Klosterman's voice might be called both detached and heartfelt. or maybe his detached voice left me alone to feel genuine emotions for his characters. anyway, I read, I laughed, I cared.
jordyn_alexx's review against another edition
1.25
So I read this because a friend loved and lent it to me; I really don’t see why, though. I waited and waited for it to get to the point where the flip switches and I would really wanna keep reading. I didn’t really care for any of the characters and the plot (if you can call it that) was just so static and boring. I guess at least I didn’t like hate it and was able to get through it.
smemmott's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to the audio version because I happened to spot it in a clearance bin just before going on a long car trip. It was certainly a good distraction while driving; three different readers are used for the three main characters, and I enjoyed all of their readings. Overall the book is entertaining, and captures some aspects of life in a tiny town in the northern plains very accurately and with humor. Is it more than entertaining? In my opinion, not really. And then there's the ending: two of the three main characters die in a blizzard. The one that lives is the character that's most fully formed, which contributed to my feeling that two who died were just pawns, not well developed characters, not people.
Content note: includes a vivid description of animal torture.
Content note: includes a vivid description of animal torture.
jackisfast's review against another edition
4.0
Three very interesting characters. There was quite a bit in this book that I will think about often. Klosterman is brilliant at taking experiences we've had and capturing their essence.
uhohbrynetime's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5