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hannahparadise's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book is great for people who love math and love. I thoroughly enjoyed it the constant mathematical/statistical theorems overlapping with art/religion was an exceptional combination. I loved Nina and how imperfect she was. This was so close to being a 5/5, but I would’ve killed for some clarity on the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Rape
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
The entire book takes place in one night as Nina, an artist, sits by the bedside of Philip, her mathematician husband, who went up to lie down before dinner but has died. Nina reviews their courtship and marriage - a generally happy one but not without some complications. She does a fair amount of imagining also - of Philip's interior life and current status. This is well written though I had a hard time relating to it.
nekreader's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, a pleasant quick read. Ms Tuck creates a pictures of a long marriage through a series of sketches and vignettes recalled by a wife over the course of a night following the death of her husband. The two main characters are privileged, well-educated, from a world reminiscent of some works or AR Gurney or Rick Moody. In some ways the book feels very visual, a series of images of love and marriage. I can easily imagine it as a movie. It's a neat little book.
amycrea's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how much of my "meh" reaction to this was because I truly felt it was meh, or because I read it on the weekend after Newtown, and suddenly the problems of a long- and mostly happily married couple didn't seem that critical.
machadofam8's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this. The math parts were hard to understand for the most part (I hate math!) but the love story was rich and nuanced.
deniser821's review against another edition
3.0
I am not sure how I feel about this slim novel. Nina finds that her husband has passed away while she was making dinner. She spends that night reminiscing about their married life together. I liked the premise of the novel but the stream of conscious writing style took me out of the story. I never knew what time period the author was referring to.
sterkaim's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't stand the characters and got depressed by them. Quit midway as I didn't want to waste anymore energy on this one.
nssutton's review against another edition
1.0
Fiancée, I promise you that, if I should ever find you unconscious in bed I will - unlike Nina - call the paramedics instead of a doctor neighbor. Really? That mere fact alone put me in a sour mood for the rest of this thin novel. The story and characters were really bougy. I hate taxes of martial infidelity like this, with French dialogue and exotic locations and people who use the word sensual to describe artwork.
But I did enjoy the postcard style of storytelling, wherein the reader must keep track of the timeline the way people actually do, in circles and snippets connected in seemingly unconnected ways instead of linear storytelling. We saw Tinker, Tailor, Soilder, Spy over the weekend and the that narrative was used was just divine.
Read in large chunks late at night under blankets and while stuck at train signal stops
But I did enjoy the postcard style of storytelling, wherein the reader must keep track of the timeline the way people actually do, in circles and snippets connected in seemingly unconnected ways instead of linear storytelling. We saw Tinker, Tailor, Soilder, Spy over the weekend and the that narrative was used was just divine.
Read in large chunks late at night under blankets and while stuck at train signal stops
sausome's review against another edition
5.0
Contemplative
A brief, quiet, and contemplative book taking place nearly entirely in the mind and through the memories of Nina, reflecting on a life with the space of one night. A night in which her husband, Philip, goes to take a nap before dinner and never wakes up. Sad, but also fairly peaceful in the sense that we know we all must die, but will our lives be fulfilling? This book was like a long, slow exhalation.
A brief, quiet, and contemplative book taking place nearly entirely in the mind and through the memories of Nina, reflecting on a life with the space of one night. A night in which her husband, Philip, goes to take a nap before dinner and never wakes up. Sad, but also fairly peaceful in the sense that we know we all must die, but will our lives be fulfilling? This book was like a long, slow exhalation.