Scan barcode
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
Chronicles the life of an unknown musician named Nik, from the point of view of his sister Denise. Nik and Denise grow up in California in the 70s, and as a teenager he plays in homegrown, unknown bands, until eventually he becomes a quasi-recluse and his art takes a strange twist. Although he continues to write songs, he turns to creating a meticulous, mythologized archive of his fictional success as a rock star.
Denise narrates the story, and her head is full of thoughts about the nature of memory and the relationship between siblings. She's interested in how you can forget things about your childhood, but stepping back onto a particular street will dredge up memories that you had thought gone forever. As Nik and Denise's mother succumbs to dementia, and Nik devotes his life to an archive of unreal events, Denise is the one left to wonder about the meaning of it.
I liked that this had an unusual take on relationships, asserting the primacy of the sibling relationship in Denise and Nik's lives.
Denise narrates the story, and her head is full of thoughts about the nature of memory and the relationship between siblings. She's interested in how you can forget things about your childhood, but stepping back onto a particular street will dredge up memories that you had thought gone forever. As Nik and Denise's mother succumbs to dementia, and Nik devotes his life to an archive of unreal events, Denise is the one left to wonder about the meaning of it.
I liked that this had an unusual take on relationships, asserting the primacy of the sibling relationship in Denise and Nik's lives.
tifferschang's review against another edition
3.0
Perhaps it was because the book took me awhile to finish. But I thought Dana Spiotta's novel was average. I loved her character of Nik Worth and I truly admire her ability to write and describe every nuance and detail of this character. Similarly I enjoyed the character of Denise. My main complaint is Spiotta's usage of real-life events. I can appreciate their necessity in showing Denise's reaction to them as a means in adding greeting depth to this character. But the same could've been done with fictional "news events." instead. I was left distracted, believing that Spiotta wanted to say more with it. But that is my only minor complaint on an average book - that perhaps the author was trying to do too much. Otherwise, "Stone Arabia" was interesting, but not compelling.
jason461's review against another edition
4.0
This books is a fascinating chronicle of a sister who has spent a life watching her musician brother create and alternate life where he is a rock star. It is as complicated as it sounds and very, very good. Spiotta does a great job with narration and the creation of multiple voices.
That said, this book follows a recent trend wherein it is largely dependent on the reader's familiarity with pop culture. I don't know who well it will endure.
That said, this book follows a recent trend wherein it is largely dependent on the reader's familiarity with pop culture. I don't know who well it will endure.
mikeerrico's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible collage of rock music, memory and mortality.
petersonline's review against another edition
2.0
While Ms. Spiotta is a fantastic writer, I never got to the point where i could not put this book down. The story just never really grabbed me. I normally never disagree with Michiko Kakutani, my favorite ny times critic.
ejamie77's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book for the most part, but was left wanting more towards the end. Good family drama, characters were interestingly quirky but I would have liked to get to know them all a bit better. Great exploration of memory, which was probably my favorite part.
jwmcoaching's review against another edition
1.0
"The Ontology of Worth". One phrase. That's what it finally took for me to just (figuratively) throw my hands up over this. I thought I could finish this since it's only 235 pages, but I hit the wall at page 88. If you can imagine a writer choosing to craft an entire novel around what seems to be her most tedious and unsympathetic character, you'll have an idea of what this is like. Then, add a completely self-absorbed asshole brother who she idolizes. Snooze... This is reminiscent of other, much better novels, including Ten Thousand Saints, City on Fire and A Visit From the Goon Squad. Read those instead.
farkle's review against another edition
3.0
The critics loved this book. Me, not so much. I gave this an extra star because I did think it was well written and a unique narrative. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect to the story or characters.
mikeerrico's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible collage of rock music, memory and mortality.