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This is one of those books that the NYT Book Review threw out a big fat carrot, and suckered me in. I really liked the first half of the book, but by the second half, I really disliked all of the characters - I wasn't bored with the book, I still appreciated the writing, but I had a palatable, strong dislike for the characters.
Rounding this up to 4 because it kept me interested, even though I found the characters quite annoying.
It's hard to say why this book acted as a page turner for me. It could be that it's because I have been on vacation and the idea of finishing all 479 pages in less than a week was my motivation. For much of the book I wondered what the book was about. Could it just be a character piece? And if so, why was I intrigued by such privileged white folk? I can't say I really liked any of the characters, except maybe Annabel and Danielle (sometimes). I found them to be whiny, unworldly, and shallow. I also found it odd that most of the characters in the books were writers and/or artists. Sure, writers are friends with other writers, but the culture of these characters was a bit insular. Finally, at times I enjoyed Messud's intricate writing and impressive vocabulary. But, more often, I found myself having to return to the beginning of her sentences to remind myself where she was going, so many interwoven descriptions and addendum to her writing were included.
What I did like about Messud's novel, was the way in which the characters were niave, self-absorbed, and ignorant until 9/11. Only after the world trade towers came down did they start looking around, taking a peek at the bigger picture, and recognizing that it wasn't just about their status. In that way, the characters symbolized much of America to me and our collective ignorance of the bigger picture prior to 9/11. I also was moved by Messud's ability to capture the emotions of the event, the sudden need to be close to those we loved, the sudden ability to forgive the unforgiveable. I still think this novel could have been much shorter, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless.
What I did like about Messud's novel, was the way in which the characters were niave, self-absorbed, and ignorant until 9/11. Only after the world trade towers came down did they start looking around, taking a peek at the bigger picture, and recognizing that it wasn't just about their status. In that way, the characters symbolized much of America to me and our collective ignorance of the bigger picture prior to 9/11. I also was moved by Messud's ability to capture the emotions of the event, the sudden need to be close to those we loved, the sudden ability to forgive the unforgiveable. I still think this novel could have been much shorter, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless.
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Painfully overwritten, what is this? And you call this "A new york times book review BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR"?????
I mean thank u for like making me look at the dictionary in every page but it kinda just feels like what i do with my school essays sometimes,
Look in the dictionary for synonyms preferably the deep deep ones too reach the minimum word count but in this case, the author wants to have LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY book
I mean thank u for like making me look at the dictionary in every page but it kinda just feels like what i do with my school essays sometimes,
Look in the dictionary for synonyms preferably the deep deep ones too reach the minimum word count but in this case, the author wants to have LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY LENGTHY book
(3.5 stars). Reminded me a bit of The Marriage Plot in that it deals with three post-college friends and their struggles to find there places in a transitional and confusing time of life. Super engaging and fluidly written even with multiple perspectives, and that is no easy feat. Plenty of dialogue and tension and a worthy theme (authenticity & truth--is it possible for humans or is it all subjective) made this a very enjoyable novel.
read it for january bookclub. it was a little annoying, but then i guess it was supposed to be a satire. totally missed that...but it makes sense. these people are all wrapped up in themselves and nyc. ick.
This book was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed the story, though I felt like the author used a lot of "ten dollar words" that were unnecessary.
Undermining my enjoyment of 'The Emperor's Children' by Claire Messud was the upper class lifestyle. The denouement of the book failed to conquer the twitch in my lip threatening to become a sneer. These people had great opportunities with which they played stupidly. It all ended up feeling like they flipped out over petty and small worries. My bad, I suppose.
EDIT: January, 2021
Changed stars rating....
EDIT: January, 2021
Changed stars rating....