Scan barcode
bookward's review against another edition
4.0
Nina has just lost her husband and she sits thinking of their lives together. The story is written as we think -- a bit rambling and disjointed -- fairly organized for someone losing their spouse and having a bottle of wine.
I read it thinking about my own life and my own loved ones and wondered if I too, like Nina, fail to express the love and admiration for those in it. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and this book made me want to be sure to tell people directly how much I am thankful for them, for their love, and for their forgiveness of my immeasurable flaws.
I read it thinking about my own life and my own loved ones and wondered if I too, like Nina, fail to express the love and admiration for those in it. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and this book made me want to be sure to tell people directly how much I am thankful for them, for their love, and for their forgiveness of my immeasurable flaws.
mslaura's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not a winner for me. It reminded me of Mrs. Dalloway in that I didn't like these characters, didn't connect with them, and didn't care at all about what had happened to them.
lcline1981's review against another edition
"Imagine a teacup falling on the floor and smashing into random pieces," Philip tells his class. "If you were to film this, you could run the film backward and see all the pieces jump back together. Obviously, you cannot do this in ordinary life -- believe me, I've tried although my wife complains that, soon, we won't have any china left." No one laughs. "The explanation for this," he continues, "is that disorder or entropy within a closed system always increases with time -- in other words, left alone, everything will decay. The teacup, which looks like such a delicate object is, in fact, a highly ordered thing. It took energy to make it that way and when the teacup breaks, some of that energy is lost and the teacup is in a disordered state" [...] "However" should the universe stop expanding and start to contract," Philip continues,"disorder or entropy would decrease and, then, like in the film played backward that I mentioned earlier, we would see broken teacups everywhere coming back together. We would also be able to remember events in the future but not remember events in the past."
I couldn't help but to quote at length from this passage about 2/3 the way through Lily Tuck's small, but powerful novel. I couldn't help it because these few pages encompassed, for this reader, what the book was about. When Nina, the narrator's, husband Philip dies, suddenly but peacefully, before dinner one night, she spends the hours before the sun comes up sitting by his side reminiscing about their marriage, the good times and the bad. As unexpected disorder interrupts an otherwise normal evening, Nina sits, putting the pieces of the fallen teacup together again. She assembles for the reader her rush of memories from the early days of their marriage to the quiet time its final days. There is everything from sensual descriptions of warm days abroad in France, and fond musings on Philip, a mathematician's, theoretical suppositions.
The book is quiet and unsentimental. Neither Nina, nor Philip, is without fault; they are both victims and perpetrators of infidelities and cruelties. And yet, the narrative is so loving, and sometimes so heart-wrenching, that there were times when I had to put down the book. When I finished, I'm not sure that I felt satisfied, or improved, or entertained, but I did feel like I had experienced something very private and very beautiful.
I couldn't help but to quote at length from this passage about 2/3 the way through Lily Tuck's small, but powerful novel. I couldn't help it because these few pages encompassed, for this reader, what the book was about. When Nina, the narrator's, husband Philip dies, suddenly but peacefully, before dinner one night, she spends the hours before the sun comes up sitting by his side reminiscing about their marriage, the good times and the bad. As unexpected disorder interrupts an otherwise normal evening, Nina sits, putting the pieces of the fallen teacup together again. She assembles for the reader her rush of memories from the early days of their marriage to the quiet time its final days. There is everything from sensual descriptions of warm days abroad in France, and fond musings on Philip, a mathematician's, theoretical suppositions.
The book is quiet and unsentimental. Neither Nina, nor Philip, is without fault; they are both victims and perpetrators of infidelities and cruelties. And yet, the narrative is so loving, and sometimes so heart-wrenching, that there were times when I had to put down the book. When I finished, I'm not sure that I felt satisfied, or improved, or entertained, but I did feel like I had experienced something very private and very beautiful.
saturday_reads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
grrrlfriday's review against another edition
3.0
A worthwhile read (and brief) but it left me feeling a little unsatisfied. After reading some of the critical reviews I expected it to be a bit more poignant or perhaps emotionally cathartic. I think the issue was that Tuck failed to make me truly care about the characters. I just wasn't as moved as I expected to be. It was touching, not moving.
sam_bruner's review against another edition
4.0
A hybrid piece that's a collection of topics woven into one story. Enjoyable to read as both a reader and a writer.
lindagreen's review against another edition
2.0
This book is designed to be a broken collection of memories – memories of a couple’s life together over many decades. Brought on by a tragic event, the memories are scattered and haphazard. While this is realistic it makes for difficult reading as I found it hard to follow along. The character was not likeable – she too seemed far removed from the memories and the events seem to unfold like a heartless obituary rather than scenes a loved one would remember. I think that had I been introduced to her better or perhaps the scenes crafted with more tenderness then I would have been able to enjoy this more. Now, it maybe that the mathematical mind works this way – this formulaic, lack of emotional response. But I’d venture to guess that most readers don’t read in that manner and, for them, it will be difficult to get into this book.
c8_19's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
I did not believe this book to be affecting or riveting, and I wasn't even convinced the narrator and her husband, Philip, were ever really in love. Certainly they were in lust with each other, but everything either felt flat between them or paranoid, like the narrator was constantly doubting his faithfulness. Neither character was especially likeable, to me. Philip came across as terribly condescending, and both of them seemed to only be with each other because they didn't want to be alone.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that the narrator gets raped by Philip's cousin (I think it was his cousin) and becomes pregnant as a result and gets an abortion--and it was, like, glossed over like the rape was no worse than having a minor accident and having to get stitches or something. I could not believe how nonchalant that was presented in the book. Overall, it contributed to me feeling like this story didn't know what the hell it was doing. I finished and couldn't figure out what exactly the point was that was trying to be made.
One of my biggest issues with this book is that