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kweekwegg's review against another edition
4.0
A great and also curious introduction to Sontag for me. I felt as though started with one her novels was not the normal move, but it was just the first book I managed to get my hands on. The structure of it was striking of it as far as novels go, and I would love to read this alongside some others, if only to bounce ideas around about what she was really trying to do here. But I highly enjoyed it, and trusted her voice at every moment to constantly be bringing me somewhere new.
coleton's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely mind boggling that someone as famous as Sontag can still manage to be underrated. Very few people seem to really take her seriously as an artist, even if they like her as a cultural critic. But if this had been written by John Barth I feel the overall feelings towards it would be much more effusive.
This is an amazing book. First you get Sontag doing her best Balzac impression (and it is a spectacular impression) but it also shows off her breadth of knowledge in a way that is staggering. I’ve never been so bowled over by the sheer amount of knowledge on the page outside of Pynchon.
Then you get her little modernist spins on the the novel, drastically shifting form in the final part, anachronistic digressions, the author inserting herself mid-sentence, etc. and with this she takes an old fashioned story and contextualizes it with the contemporary. She laments the narratives of history, but reminds us that there are always other narrative perspectives.
I haven’t been this taken by surprise by a book in a long time. I’ve read none of Sontag’s other fiction, but even if this is her only good one, it solidifies her as a world class writer who should be taken much more seriously as an artist, not “merely” an essayist.
This is an amazing book. First you get Sontag doing her best Balzac impression (and it is a spectacular impression) but it also shows off her breadth of knowledge in a way that is staggering. I’ve never been so bowled over by the sheer amount of knowledge on the page outside of Pynchon.
Then you get her little modernist spins on the the novel, drastically shifting form in the final part, anachronistic digressions, the author inserting herself mid-sentence, etc. and with this she takes an old fashioned story and contextualizes it with the contemporary. She laments the narratives of history, but reminds us that there are always other narrative perspectives.
I haven’t been this taken by surprise by a book in a long time. I’ve read none of Sontag’s other fiction, but even if this is her only good one, it solidifies her as a world class writer who should be taken much more seriously as an artist, not “merely” an essayist.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
3.0
The Volcano Lover is a powerful, intricate novel of ideas: frequently inflected with Sontag's feminism, it applies a modern lens to the Enlightenment's moral, social and aesthetic concerns. Yet it is also a tender inventory of desire: intricately mapping the modulation from the cold mania of the collector to the lover's passion.
I don't know if it's the author's fault, but it's the second book I've read by her, and I didn't like it. So many people around here say they wanted more her essays than her novels. Let's see how her next book goes.
Source:
The Volcano Lover by Susan Sontag – review - the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/13/volcano-lover-susan-sontag-review
I don't know if it's the author's fault, but it's the second book I've read by her, and I didn't like it. So many people around here say they wanted more her essays than her novels. Let's see how her next book goes.
Source:
The Volcano Lover by Susan Sontag – review - the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/13/volcano-lover-susan-sontag-review
witchphd's review against another edition
4.0
I read this for pleasure/research, and am also counting this toward the Reading Women 2019 challenge: #18 romance or love story. Jennifer Van Dyck, the narrator for the Audible edition, is excellent.
leda's review
informative
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nicoleh's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
sineadherself's review against another edition
4.0
A slog at times. I think it was told in the main from the least interesting POV bu a really interesting story that would make an AMAZING tv show.