Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
OMG this is a self-indulgent book - sadly, for the author but not for the reader. I should have listened to my friends' reviews, but hey, it was on the library shelf and it didn't look that long. (Swear to God, the closer I got to the end and checked to see how many pages were left, there were MORE, not fewer.)
Magnificently written at times. A work of genius, honestly, a telescoping of diary and fiction. The beginning of this book has always stopped me in my tracks, just the way the words taste on the tongue, and I’m glad I was able to consume the whole book now, as it includes some other absolutely magnificent passages, the sentences shaped exquisitely into reportage that collapses reality with what lies under it. And yes, this narrator is as self-absorbed as that sounds. This is a great New York novel. Lots of walking and observing and feeling the city, the skyline, the people, the history, the changing climate. The narrator flows seamlessly between his life and more profound reflections. Park Slope co-op, Mount Sinai hospital, the unparalleled stroll through Brooklyn Heights promenade. Sometimes devolved into (enjoyable) Rachel Cusk-esque long conversations with strangers. I don’t know if I absolutely loved it, it felt almost pointlessly mundane at times, and some plot lines were more compelling than others. A very curious book. The autofictive facet had moments of gimmick (the short story excerpt, for example, though it also was lovely writing.) You can tell Lerner cut his teeth on poetry. Weird words repeated: "coeval", "craquelure", ...? Will have to return to refashion this review later.
What you get when a writer who takes the most annoying aspects of Woody Allen, Jonathan Franzen and autofiction and jumble them together. Ben (natch), a writer who had surprising success with his first novel is a quivering ball of verbosity, anxiety and pretension. He has just learned that he has an issue with his aorta which may require surgery, his best friend has asked him to father her child and he has just signed with a major publishing house how advanced him a sizable amount for his next novel. So he talks, wanders and rambles for the most part. He is, of course, selfish, though also self-aware. He is both over and underconfident, and we follow his exploits for a year, all of which take place between Hurricane Irene and Sandy, which is symbolic but fuck knows how.
This is territory that authors have trod before and better Philip Roth, the above mentioned Franzen, etc. And Lerner can be an electric writer with a knack for dryly comic scenarios but it is hard to tell where his character's pretentions overlay with the writer's pretension. And lord knows, I don't care if a character is an asshole, as long as that character is interesting, and Ben Lerner the character isn't.
This is territory that authors have trod before and better Philip Roth, the above mentioned Franzen, etc. And Lerner can be an electric writer with a knack for dryly comic scenarios but it is hard to tell where his character's pretentions overlay with the writer's pretension. And lord knows, I don't care if a character is an asshole, as long as that character is interesting, and Ben Lerner the character isn't.
Add this to the list of books that are well received and I don't enjoy. The book was about a lot of nothing, jumped from unrelated topic to topic and it was beyond pretentious. It took much longer to read, as it just wasn't interesting.
ummmmm ben lerner has that SAUCE im afraid!!!! wry self deprecating anxious king
Well, dammit. A straight, white, male, cis author has quickly become one of my favorites. I guess it was bound to happen again someday. Good for you, Ben Lerner!
Naturally, one of the reasons I love Ben Lerner's narrators is that they stand in sharp opposition to the caricature of American Maleness being promoted by incels, Fox news and those motherfuckers running to lead the country. By the way, if you're offended by my political comments, you probably won't like this book, and you really won't like The Topeka School, which in part correlates the rise of Trumpism with violent masculinity and the elitist, exclusionary treatment of others.
Not much happens in this book, and most of what happens is going on in the narrator's head. And this is what I find most exceptional about Lerner - his ability to break down the infinitely complicated layers of thoughts, emotions, and judgements that take place in our minds over the course of what may be a few seconds and lay them out like train tracks. It's both instantly recognizable (for those of us cursed with self-awareness) and annoyingly impressive. I would be shocked if he weren't a meditator, because the amount of space he can breathe into a moment is not easy to accomplish as a regular American human. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work, despite my jealousy.
Naturally, one of the reasons I love Ben Lerner's narrators is that they stand in sharp opposition to the caricature of American Maleness being promoted by incels, Fox news and those motherfuckers running to lead the country. By the way, if you're offended by my political comments, you probably won't like this book, and you really won't like The Topeka School, which in part correlates the rise of Trumpism with violent masculinity and the elitist, exclusionary treatment of others.
Not much happens in this book, and most of what happens is going on in the narrator's head. And this is what I find most exceptional about Lerner - his ability to break down the infinitely complicated layers of thoughts, emotions, and judgements that take place in our minds over the course of what may be a few seconds and lay them out like train tracks. It's both instantly recognizable (for those of us cursed with self-awareness) and annoyingly impressive. I would be shocked if he weren't a meditator, because the amount of space he can breathe into a moment is not easy to accomplish as a regular American human. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work, despite my jealousy.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I was so keen to give this the full five stars but felt the structure could have been a bit tighter. Interesting to read how people struggled with his obnoxious writing style. Is that not the point? I found it amusing and reflects how a young man might try and interpret the world around him when he fails to do so via his own intuition. Anyway, whatever. That sperm donor scene is A+++
3.5, I think. Some great stuff in here, some underwhelming. He's so hyped by the establishment (look at the guys CV) and I don't get why.
This is a well written though pretentious novel about a writer living in New York. Those living in the city, or with knowledge of it's geography, may better appreciate the literary mapping painted by Lerner. The story is often intriguing even in its pretension. There are engrossing sections relating the author's memory of the Challenger disaster, an alcohol and drug fueled experience at a house party at an artist enclave, or the various intimate experiences of the mundane with close friends. Although the overall take for me is one of privilege and uppitiness, the writing is often funny, the relationships recognizable, and the characters autobiographical.