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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I had a college professor who ruined Joan Didion for me -- seriously, she wanted us all to write like Joan Didion, which is so weird when you should be encouraging students to find their own voice. So, I've shied away from her work for decades and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked "Democracy."
Sort of a tragic romance set amid a dysfunctional, political family in the midst of the Vietnam War. Didion's unique narration style -- where she integrates an almost reporter-like feel as she tells you about the types of things she should have included but didn't, but did, it makes for a really interesting read.
Sort of a tragic romance set amid a dysfunctional, political family in the midst of the Vietnam War. Didion's unique narration style -- where she integrates an almost reporter-like feel as she tells you about the types of things she should have included but didn't, but did, it makes for a really interesting read.
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Meu primeiro Didion. Num primeiro momento achei brilhante porque a autora ia entremeando a narrativa com sua própria voz dissecando a mesma, isso fica bem marcado no início e no fim do livro, meu porém fica quanto ao meio do livro em que ela deixa de lado essa técnica. Quero dizer que o que torna o livro interessante é a Didion assumindo a própria voz na narrativa e quando ela deixa isso de lado fiquei sem o mínimo interesse pelas personagens que ela retrata, mas ainda é um grande livro.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
The review I wrote the first time I read this is preserved below for my own archival purposes, not because any single sentence in it is worth a second of anyone's time. What the hell did 21-year-old Tyler know? This is a great fucking novel. Hail Didion.
ORIGINAL THREE-STAR REVIEW FROM JULY 2009 {aka THE THOUGHTS OF A 21-YEAR-OLD DINKUS} - As in the two other Joan Didion novels I have read, she works here with the idea of fragmentation in contemporary life, of 'losing the thread' (I only half-quote that phrase because I am not completely sure if she herself has ever used it in her writing, but it sounds like she would.) The jagged and acerbic chapters in [b:Play It As It Lays|428|Play It as It Lays|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327935636s/428.jpg|4703] attest to this, as does the Jonestown-like malaise that permeates [b:A Book Of Common Prayer|422|A Book of Common Prayer|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388358704s/422.jpg|1043020]. She takes this theme almost to the extreme here, playing with her own famous authorial voice and deliberately inserting herself into the narrative. Maybe narrative isn't even the right word; it often feels like Didion is trying her damnedest to confound the expectations of the reader, possibly to make some point or justify the book's scattered dossier of a structure. She material she uses (the final days of the Vietnam War, the domestic toll of American political life, clandestine love under the shadow of atomic tests) certainly has some potency, but I couldn't help thinking that the book could have had a greater impact if Didion has spent a bit more time sticking to a linear narrative.
ORIGINAL THREE-STAR REVIEW FROM JULY 2009 {aka THE THOUGHTS OF A 21-YEAR-OLD DINKUS} - As in the two other Joan Didion novels I have read, she works here with the idea of fragmentation in contemporary life, of 'losing the thread' (I only half-quote that phrase because I am not completely sure if she herself has ever used it in her writing, but it sounds like she would.) The jagged and acerbic chapters in [b:Play It As It Lays|428|Play It as It Lays|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327935636s/428.jpg|4703] attest to this, as does the Jonestown-like malaise that permeates [b:A Book Of Common Prayer|422|A Book of Common Prayer|Joan Didion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388358704s/422.jpg|1043020]. She takes this theme almost to the extreme here, playing with her own famous authorial voice and deliberately inserting herself into the narrative. Maybe narrative isn't even the right word; it often feels like Didion is trying her damnedest to confound the expectations of the reader, possibly to make some point or justify the book's scattered dossier of a structure. She material she uses (the final days of the Vietnam War, the domestic toll of American political life, clandestine love under the shadow of atomic tests) certainly has some potency, but I couldn't help thinking that the book could have had a greater impact if Didion has spent a bit more time sticking to a linear narrative.
reflective
medium-paced
I understood what was happening at very few points during this book- I had to read it slowly to grasp what was happening, but the vibes were good. Didion's style manages to create a lot of atmosphere while being rather bare, which I enjoyed.
Enjoyability ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Impact⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyability ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Impact⭐⭐⭐
"Some women are solitary, unattached to any particular place or institution, most comfortable not exactly alone but in the presence of strangers."
Joan Didion can truly do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. An absolutely beautifully crafted novel — the inclusion of her own voice as author would likely have pissed me off from anyone else, but it felt so natural and right from her. I’d love to learn more about the context of the Vietnam war, but even lacking that knowledge this book was a triumph to read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced