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thebearnest's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
throb_thomas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
2.0
jhatrick's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Infidelity
michaeldebonis's review against another edition
5.0
Though this book has its flaws and it is definitely a difficult read,but I have to say that this is one of my favorite books of all time.
rocketiza's review against another edition
1.0
The first four times I tried to read this I couldn't get past the stupid fake editors notes. So I skipped those this attempt and couldn't get past the first stupid 5 pages or so. So in summation: stupid.
cosmiccloudbird's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
soulpopped's review against another edition
1.0
this is my least favorite book i've ever read.
it's not really fair to the text. i would have stopped very, very, very early on, but we're doing it for the podcast, so i soldiered on.
i can absolutely see how and why people would love this for a number of reasons. unfortunately, none of those resonated with me, and instead of falling deeper and deeper into the story, i became more and more lost and resentful. reading it felt like work, which bummed me out.
it's a perfect storm of things i don't enjoy reading -- the type of writing, the content, the extended metaphor, etc. -- and it was tough to hook into it in any way.
anyway, come listen to how to win the lottery because we're talking about this one soon.
it's not really fair to the text. i would have stopped very, very, very early on, but we're doing it for the podcast, so i soldiered on.
i can absolutely see how and why people would love this for a number of reasons. unfortunately, none of those resonated with me, and instead of falling deeper and deeper into the story, i became more and more lost and resentful. reading it felt like work, which bummed me out.
it's a perfect storm of things i don't enjoy reading -- the type of writing, the content, the extended metaphor, etc. -- and it was tough to hook into it in any way.
anyway, come listen to how to win the lottery because we're talking about this one soon.
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
Barth is tedious but hilarious, erudite and maddening. This one is brilliant and gallops right along, but as I think often happens in Bart, at some point I want to just throw up my hands and say "I get it." Giles is a good book but probably not one I'd recommend generally unless you're already a known fan of lengthy postmodern things.
freewaygods's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I think that at this point in time, this novel unfortunately suffers from the fact that so many others have copied what Barth pioneered with it. He was at the bleeding edge of what’s now often referred to as American Postmodernism (never mind whether that’s accurate or not), and he described how literature at that point in time had exhausted itself of the contemporary modes and devices, and thus needed to reinvigorate and reinvent itself through parody, irony, pastiche, and metatextualism.
The problem is that this very reaction to the state of affairs during Barth’s time has pretty much come full circle here in 2023; what seemed fresh, groundbreaking, and exciting when Giles Goat-Boy was published now feels dated, overdone, and tired because so many have emulated and moved through and past it already.
The whole parody that Giles Goat-Boy is made of probably was hilarious and insightful when it was published, but it just doesn’t feel like that today. The book, unfortunately unlike The Sot-Weed Factor, can feel like a slog. Real Barthheads know that LETTERS necessitates reading it— so if that’s something you want to do, buckle up and hunker down and trudge through Giles Goat-Boy anyways.
The problem is that this very reaction to the state of affairs during Barth’s time has pretty much come full circle here in 2023; what seemed fresh, groundbreaking, and exciting when Giles Goat-Boy was published now feels dated, overdone, and tired because so many have emulated and moved through and past it already.
The whole parody that Giles Goat-Boy is made of probably was hilarious and insightful when it was published, but it just doesn’t feel like that today. The book, unfortunately unlike The Sot-Weed Factor, can feel like a slog. Real Barthheads know that LETTERS necessitates reading it— so if that’s something you want to do, buckle up and hunker down and trudge through Giles Goat-Boy anyways.