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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Excellent snapshot of New York in the early 70's. The story was a bit all over the place with characters coming together under unusual coincidences, sort of like the movie Crash. But, I did enjoy it.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked the premise of this book, and the writing was phenomenal. I guess I just expected more from it than the author was planning to give. I felt like the separate story lines tried to tie together and they did in a way, but ultimately I felt like I was left hanging. Kind of disappointing in that light.
Well written, but confusing how and (why) all the characters are related. Interesting to use a tightrope event as the main story.
3.5 stars Ñ I LOVED the idea of a book of essentially short stories where the stories are all connected in some way, and the way that many of the stories came together was overall well done. Although I did enjoy many of the stories, some portions felt tedious. Took off stars because IÕm uncomfortable with his near-gratuitous use of racial slurs and sometimes caricatured adoption of an ÒethnicÓ voice.
Prachtig ik ben er stil van. De Franse koorddanser Philippe Petit die tussen de torens van het World Trade Center danst. Daar boven op het touw houdt hij de vele levens onder zich gevangen.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book times a million. So much of this story is told by the lacunae of the inter-related stories. Artful but not Hollywood-ish.
Parts of this book I loved, and parts I just wanted to get through... but I suspect my troubles with it were due to the uneven (and sluggish) performances in the audiobook. I generally prefer narration that disappears, when a single reader just reads the book in a lively voice (and PLEASE--don't "do" voices). When that's the case, the narrator essentially becomes my own voice internal reading the book, rather than a "performance" by a "cast." This story switches the POV frequently, and each time a new actor comes on to read--and I just found it distracting and annoying. Also, the narration was mind-numbingly slow. It's beautiful prose, but it's supposed to be set in New York, and no New Yorker speaks that slowly. (I had to listen to much of it on 1.5x just to make it sound normal).
It's a lovely story, though, with a diverse array of characters--some I would have like to have heard less from, some I wanted to know more about. It's beautifully written and captures a New York that I remember seeing, mostly out of my peripheral vision, when I was growing up along the city's edge.
I'd recommend the book, but not the audiobook. I found myself regretting choosing Audible for this one; I think this is just one that was meant to be read.
It's a lovely story, though, with a diverse array of characters--some I would have like to have heard less from, some I wanted to know more about. It's beautifully written and captures a New York that I remember seeing, mostly out of my peripheral vision, when I was growing up along the city's edge.
I'd recommend the book, but not the audiobook. I found myself regretting choosing Audible for this one; I think this is just one that was meant to be read.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
An astonishing novel that weaves together the lives of a diverse cast of characters. McCann’s writing is brilliant—lyrical, immersive, and deeply empathetic. His ability to craft interconnected narratives with such emotional weight and humanity is truly masterful.
Each character feels fully realized, from the Irish monk Corrigan to the grieving mothers and artists who populate this richly textured world. Their struggles, joys, and losses are painted with such nuance that they linger long after the final page. McCann captures the chaos and beauty of the city with breathtaking precision, making this novel both an intimate character study and a grand, sweeping portrait of an era.
Each character feels fully realized, from the Irish monk Corrigan to the grieving mothers and artists who populate this richly textured world. Their struggles, joys, and losses are painted with such nuance that they linger long after the final page. McCann captures the chaos and beauty of the city with breathtaking precision, making this novel both an intimate character study and a grand, sweeping portrait of an era.