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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I picked this book at my book group's holiday swap and wanted to be able to say, if ever asked, that I had read it. For that reason I trudged through. I really did like how all the various characters' stories tied together, and it ended well. Bit I just couldn't relate to any of the characters, especially the prostitutes. So even though it was well written, it isn't anything I'd highly recommend.
Gorgeous. Echoes of Joyce in the language, a long slow nod to "Gatsby," and a story that is all McCann's own. Shifting POVs are very impressive, each distinctive and insightful. If you enjoyed Don DeLillo's "Underworld," try this.
I especially enjoyed the characters in this book, as well as the setting: NYC just after Vietnam.
just gorgeous. unforgettable characters and turns of phrases - simple, beautiful things like "this is not my life. these are not my cobwebs."
A hypnotic piece of writing that meanders through the loosely-connected lives of several New Yorkers during the 1970s. This book was a thoughtful example of writing that I don’t necessarily “like” but I found it a worthwhile brain exercise. If the description captures your imagination, you’ll not be disappointed. Oh, and this is definitely not a speed-read - take it slow and enjoy the journey.
This is the best book I have read in years. The way McCann has created this patchwork of stories of incredibly complex characters makes this story one that sticks with you long after you are finished reading. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
"I gave them all the truth and none of the honesty."
I LOVED this book. It captures everything I believe about why we read and write at all -- it's one of those books that reminds us of our humanity. I love the sentences. I love the structure. I love the way Colum McCann took one event -- Phillipe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the twin towers -- and uses that thread to pull together the lives of several people in New York City. Their lives collide in ways they don't even necessarily see -- but WE do, and we see that this IS the world in all its beauty and eccentricity and grit and love and ugliness and motion.
I think what I love about it is that it doesn't ever really end. Because, of course, people don't. Our stories continue; the end of the page, the end of a chapter -- stories don't stop there. ("The world spins. We stumble on. It is enough.")
It's as close to perfect as a novel can get, I think.
I think what I love about it is that it doesn't ever really end. Because, of course, people don't. Our stories continue; the end of the page, the end of a chapter -- stories don't stop there. ("The world spins. We stumble on. It is enough.")
It's as close to perfect as a novel can get, I think.
