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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Great! I think more of a 4.5, at times it feels like it went more subject matter fact dump, but overall there is a type of enchantment about this book. You get sucked in in the same way a conspiracy can suck people in, but not because you think this account is what actually happened, but because the power and force of delillo describing “history” and “stories within a story” and how individuals fit into those grander concepts. Which I guess is true delillo, small small people fitting into a grand grand scheme
The parts with the CIA/FBI/Alpha 66/?? were difficult to understand. I wasn't sure who was who and the lingo and euphemisms of their trade. Fortunately, the best parts of the book were from Oswald's and his mother's POV.
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I must list DeLillo up there with my favorite authors, he may even be #1 for me.
White Noise is definitely my favorite read of the last 10 years.
Libra uses much of the same techniques, the ordinary told in such a way (language, sentence, structure, randomness of thoughts) but applied to a story that is more or less known to all of us.
It is not so much a tale of outlandish conspiracy as it is a "might-have-been". The characters, to me, read as completely plausible in their motives, and actions.
A fine take on a story that has become as much myth as reality.
White Noise is definitely my favorite read of the last 10 years.
Libra uses much of the same techniques, the ordinary told in such a way (language, sentence, structure, randomness of thoughts) but applied to a story that is more or less known to all of us.
It is not so much a tale of outlandish conspiracy as it is a "might-have-been". The characters, to me, read as completely plausible in their motives, and actions.
A fine take on a story that has become as much myth as reality.
DeLillo’s masterpiece. My favorite historical novel. An essential work for understanding America.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Stalking a victim can be a way of organizing one’s loneliness, making a network out of it, a fabric of connections. Desperate men give their solitude a purpose and a destiny. […] If the world is where we hide from ourselves, what do we do when the world is no longer accessible ? We invent a false name, invent a destiny, purchase a firearm through the mail.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt
On a re-read, I was surprised that the parts of this novel that resonated with me had changed. Less the plot, but more the exploration of character, themes, and a recognition of DeLillo's brilliant knack for language.
Taut, complex, engaging, and beautifully written, this is by far my favorite of DeLillo's works. The plot is just plausible enough to make you wonder....
Taut, complex, engaging, and beautifully written, this is by far my favorite of DeLillo's works. The plot is just plausible enough to make you wonder....
perhaps my highest reading time to book length ratio (not the book's fault). I liked it I guess; delillo is about as much of a virtuoso as his most ardent fans would suggest. the prose is sharp and impactful, and his depiction of lee harvey oswald is both critical and sympathetic. still, I'm cold to the distant way in which the true "villains" are plugged into the narrative, interrupting the detailed vignettes of LHO's life with their less interesting bureaucratic ends.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced