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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
A bit of a slow start for me, but I really liked it in the end. Awesome storytelling
Started off a little slow but really picked up when I started to understand the intricate web connecting the diverse characters and their lives in the book. Beautiful depiction of resilience, struggle, and interconnectedness.
One of the best books I read this year. McCann has such great imagery and is so good at intertwining stories.
MMM, I loved this book as if it were my own. I was consumed by this novel, and didn't at all mind being inside its belly. Although the idea of intermingled plot lines has been executed before, I loved the premise of this novel. The mixture of history, fiction, and one crazy true story. It all worked so well and I left this book grudgingly as I wanted it to never end.
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
First off, this story was beautifully written. McCann does an incredible job of painting beautiful literary pictures. I so enjoy stories like this where characters are united (often unbeknownst to them) by an event.
Where this book fell flat for me was in the area of the characters and their individual story development. I didn’t dislike the characters, I was just left feeling like their arcs were lacking. Just when I was starting to get invested in the character I was reading about, the chapter changed and the character I was just connecting with was dumped, which was somewhat unfulfilling for me.
I think there was a lot of potential, it just didn’t quite get to “great” for me. I get why people loved this book, and conversely I get why they didn’t love it.
Where this book fell flat for me was in the area of the characters and their individual story development. I didn’t dislike the characters, I was just left feeling like their arcs were lacking. Just when I was starting to get invested in the character I was reading about, the chapter changed and the character I was just connecting with was dumped, which was somewhat unfulfilling for me.
I think there was a lot of potential, it just didn’t quite get to “great” for me. I get why people loved this book, and conversely I get why they didn’t love it.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I am not a reader who can quote passages, names of characters, or specific plot points from stories I read years later. I read a book (always finish regardless of whether I think I will end up liking it or not) and at the final close I take a pause to reflect. Sometimes I think about it later....sometimes I don't.
This is a story I found myself thinking about again and again in the months following my reading.
This will remain on my list of favorite books for some time to come. I may even read it again, and that is high praise indeed.
Thank you for this story Mr. McCann.
This is a story I found myself thinking about again and again in the months following my reading.
This will remain on my list of favorite books for some time to come. I may even read it again, and that is high praise indeed.
Thank you for this story Mr. McCann.
I would give this 4.5-4.75 if Good Reads gave me the option to do partial stars.
A hodge-podge of stories and characters centered around (although not specifically related to) Philippe Petit's famous high wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.
The structure of the book is similar to what Roger Ebert called "hyper-link movies," where individuals gradually reveal to be linked in some way, whether or not realized by the characters themselves. Think Babel or even Pulp Fiction. I didn't realize this going into the novel, so it was a little jarring when the perspective first jumped to a completely new set of characters.
I found many of the stories interesting, but none of them compelling; most notably not what I guess could be called the "main" one. I found it hard to care about these characters, even though I felt like I should. The author did a great job of evoking the period and really getting deep into different characters' heads, though. I especially enjoyed the scenes from Petit's perspective.
Overall it was an interesting and pleasant read, but not one I'm eager to recommend.
The structure of the book is similar to what Roger Ebert called "hyper-link movies," where individuals gradually reveal to be linked in some way, whether or not realized by the characters themselves. Think Babel or even Pulp Fiction. I didn't realize this going into the novel, so it was a little jarring when the perspective first jumped to a completely new set of characters.
I found many of the stories interesting, but none of them compelling; most notably not what I guess could be called the "main" one. I found it hard to care about these characters, even though I felt like I should. The author did a great job of evoking the period and really getting deep into different characters' heads, though. I especially enjoyed the scenes from Petit's perspective.
Spoiler
I also didn't care for the last chapter. Most of the book had been a depressing examination of loss, loneliness, and responsibility. The final chapter jumped ahead about 30 years to show the adult life of a character that had been an infant during the events of the book. It gave a positive ending to certain plot lines that didn't seem earned or even consistent with the rest of the book.Overall it was an interesting and pleasant read, but not one I'm eager to recommend.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes