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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
If you don’t enjoy unlikeable characters, you will not enjoy this book. Everyone in this book is terrible; some might argue they are simply human, but I think every character is incredibly spoiled and narcissistic, especially Taylor. This is about two couples who take a couples vacation in Rome and Siracusa (Sicily) together. But each person is holding some sort of secret, and obviously over the course of their vacation things come out. I did not find anything particularly surprising about the events, but there was amazing tension on every page. There’s a sinister feel to each interaction, and I kept holding my breath. I thought the first half was a lot better than the second half. By the second half I was a little tired of the characters and wanted a little more from the book. But despite the second half, I think this is a well written thriller and I enjoyed following the drama. It’s a little soapy, so if you don’t like drama or unlikeable characters this won’t be for you.
Let me start by saying that I wish I could write something as good as Siracusa. I cannot, I'm sure. But still I hated this book. It was smug, pointless and a waste of my time for every minute it stole from me.
Talky, mawky and New Yorky, this was every kind of wrong. Everything about this book felt written, composed, scripted. I couldn't wait for it to finish and couldn't have been less surprised by the denouement.
This was a novel utterly unburdened by any ambition. Weightless and gutless. Ugh.
Talky, mawky and New Yorky, this was every kind of wrong. Everything about this book felt written, composed, scripted. I couldn't wait for it to finish and couldn't have been less surprised by the denouement.
This was a novel utterly unburdened by any ambition. Weightless and gutless. Ugh.
kind of anticlimactic. made me want to go on a honeymoon or you know, find a dude and do some early relationship travelling before it all turns to shit :) this story really fed my cynicism.
Siracusa was almost a perfect novel.
Two American couples take a one week trip to Italy (who travels that far for only one week? I know Americans don't get many days of paid leave, still...).
Who are they? Michael Shapner and Lizzie Ross are New Yorkers, Michael is a Pulitzer winner who hasn't written anything in a long time, Lizzie is a free-lance writer. They're joined on the trip by Taylor and Finn Dolan, and their beautiful but extremely shy ten-year-old daughter, Snow. Finn is a successful restaurateur and Taylor works for Portland tourism agency.
They're affluent people, some more snobbish than others. On this trip, they do the usual, visit some tourist attractions, walk the streets and eat out.
Each adult gets to voice their views in alternating chapters and so we get to know all of them, warts and all. Under those polished, sophisticated appearances there are lots of warts. No two relationships are the same, as no two people are the same. The group dynamics change and shift. The seemingly angel-looking child is always present and connects the couples.
There's so much to sink your teeth into. Don't expect to fall in love with any of the characters, they're highly unlikeable, but also extremely realistic.
This is not a feel-good novel, but man, it's so good, so gritty and captivating, with a terrific twist and some fabulously perverse characters.
Highly recommend it.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
Two American couples take a one week trip to Italy (who travels that far for only one week? I know Americans don't get many days of paid leave, still...).
Who are they? Michael Shapner and Lizzie Ross are New Yorkers, Michael is a Pulitzer winner who hasn't written anything in a long time, Lizzie is a free-lance writer. They're joined on the trip by Taylor and Finn Dolan, and their beautiful but extremely shy ten-year-old daughter, Snow. Finn is a successful restaurateur and Taylor works for Portland tourism agency.
They're affluent people, some more snobbish than others. On this trip, they do the usual, visit some tourist attractions, walk the streets and eat out.
Each adult gets to voice their views in alternating chapters and so we get to know all of them, warts and all. Under those polished, sophisticated appearances there are lots of warts. No two relationships are the same, as no two people are the same. The group dynamics change and shift. The seemingly angel-looking child is always present and connects the couples.
There's so much to sink your teeth into. Don't expect to fall in love with any of the characters, they're highly unlikeable, but also extremely realistic.
This is not a feel-good novel, but man, it's so good, so gritty and captivating, with a terrific twist and some fabulously perverse characters.
Highly recommend it.
I've received this novel via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
After a couple of months of heavy duty literary fiction (Booker nominees, Deborah Levy's entire oeuvre, etc.) I really wanted to read something a bit light and 'easy'. Ephron's book filled the bill, and was surprisingly engaging. An extra point for doing one of the most difficult things to pull off very well - having multiple narrators (in this case, the four main adult protagonists), and actually making each of them have a distinct style (as opposed to say 'Girl on the Train', in which the three narrators all sound exactly the same!). Also for having one of the most creepy amoral child characters since Rhoda Penmark ('The Bad Seed').
Loved listening to this book. The story is told by 4 different narrators about 2 couples who are vacationing together and what happens while abroad. Interesting to hear the different perspectives from each character because they were told by different narrators.
Couldn't wait to finish this one - not because I liked it; but because I wanted it to be over. Characters were so unlikeable, I really didn't care about how they fared.
I started reading this as an ebook and couldn't really get into it. The characters' stories and who was with who seemed difficult to follow and I didn't get very far. After a few weeks of not picking it up again, I started listening to the audiobook version. It translated much better as an audiobook. The characters were easier to keep track of with different voices. Overall, I enjoyed the book even if it was a bit predictable. I enjoyed the flow of the book - going a little back and forth in time with the switch of each character narration, allowing the reader to get just a tweak of different perspectives of events.
Two couples, Michael and Lizzie, and Finn and Taylor (plus daughter Snow) take a holiday together in Italy. Michael's lover, Kathy, turns up at the hotel and disasters (plural!) ensue.
The story is told by way of chapters in the first person by each of the four adults and there is a fair amount of build up and examination of the two marriages as well as descriptions of the enigmatic (i.e. plain weird) Snow. Snow's relationship with her mother, Taylor, was unsettling to say the least and the chapters from Taylor's perspective were excellent.
The ending was satisfying in many ways, but morally troubling.
The story is told by way of chapters in the first person by each of the four adults and there is a fair amount of build up and examination of the two marriages as well as descriptions of the enigmatic (i.e. plain weird) Snow. Snow's relationship with her mother, Taylor, was unsettling to say the least and the chapters from Taylor's perspective were excellent.
The ending was satisfying in many ways, but morally troubling.
I love you dearly, Delia Ephron. But I’m re-naming your novel “White People Problems.”
I’ll be honest. Initially, I wasn’t sure what this book was going to be like. I’ve just finished two books where all the characters are objectively horrible people. I know this is more realistic and very hip and in right now, but aye-yai-yai, can we get a little more sunshine, please? Because really that’s the main draw to this book – everyone is more and more awful as the book progresses. But much like the proverbial train-wreck, you can’t look away. So while this is sometimes problematic for me (see: I can’t stand Game of Thrones because everyone is far worse than the last, and I need one person – just one individual – to be decent for fuck’s sake)giphy
I loved hating these characters. Much like an over-the-top reality show, the privileged people’s antics and seeing them learn their lessons is one of the most satisfying things I can think of. Think of your favorite reality show or TV drama, and this is it: sexy, scandalous, and ominous.
Siracusa is a story of a couples’ vacation – Lizzie & Michael are writers from New York, Lizzie is a journalist who is trying to find her writing voice again, and Michael, her husband, is a Pulitzer winning playwright who is trying and failing to write a novel. Lizzie invites her old boyfriend, now married and living in Maine, Finn, his high-maintenance wife Taylor, and their creepy ten-year-old daughter Snow. Lizzie suggests Rome, then Siracusa. Siracusa, as you might expect, is much less of a tourist destination than Rome is – a bit off the beaten path. For some, that’s part of its charm. For others… 😬 Not So Much. (It’s worth noting that I’d never want to spend any amount of time with any of these people, except for Lizzie who seems ‘ight.) Well… the thing about couples vacations – as my Mom always said, you can only stay with someone who isn’t your family for up to 3 days. Any longer and the charm wears thin.
Each chapter is narrated by a different adult, Round-Robin style, and… let’s just say everyone’s wrapped up tight in their own shit and call it a day, shall we? The kinda interesting thing about this story is that, because we have everyone’s mixed point of view, we get the perspective and the justifications for their behavior. Even if they are jerks, creeps, narcissists, and entitled control freaks, you may not like them, but you can at least understand where they’re coming from.
Lizzie is not only struggling to reignite her writing voice again, she’s trying to reignite her husband’s interest in her. Michael, similarly, is trying to finish (start?) his much-anticipated novel, but he’s distracted by a secret he’s hedging on telling his wife – trapped like a rat over it. Finn is a restauranteur and is using this trip to Italy as an excuse to imbibe in some of his vices, namely wine and smoking and ignoring his wife and daughter. Finn is, honestly, a shmuck – relatively harmless, but as I like to say “I’m so glad I’m not the one married to him.” His wife, Taylor, is equally as harmless but somehow a much worse person: entitled, controlling, and despicably shallow – she’s exactly the type of woman who does end up married to men like Finn in real life. She hates Lizzie; is probably jealous of the relationship she & Finn once had decades before. Taylor is devoted to her daughter Snow – Snow is her twin, except that she’s “painfully shy”… or manipulative? Snow is creepy. SHE’S obsessed with Michael – Taylor, who thinks Snow can do nothing wrong, is just charmed by Michael because he’s so great with her.
Honestly, this novel is a thrill – it starts off innocent enough, but goes from like a kiddie ride to a 20-storey cardiac arrest roller coaster. Y’all, I was not prepared. You grow up with Delia Ephron’s movies: You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, fucking Micheal – you think you understand her. You only think she’s a sweet lady who makes these quaint stories come to life, and you’ll rent them from Blockbuster to watch at a sleepover party with your friends from your softball team. You think she’s incapable of going dark. You guessed wrong. Delia, who are you? Who are you really? I understand artistic license, and that a good writer thrills at putting their characters through the wringer – but Delia? MY Delia?
So this book was way more soapy than my usual taste. Still really excellent, but not my usual preference. It wasn’t what I expected, and it’s a quick read with a lot happening. If you’re looking for something to read on vacation or while at the pool this summer, you might pick this one up. Just… don’t go on any couple vacations. You don’t know what will turn up.
review originally posted on my book blog found here
I’ll be honest. Initially, I wasn’t sure what this book was going to be like. I’ve just finished two books where all the characters are objectively horrible people. I know this is more realistic and very hip and in right now, but aye-yai-yai, can we get a little more sunshine, please? Because really that’s the main draw to this book – everyone is more and more awful as the book progresses. But much like the proverbial train-wreck, you can’t look away. So while this is sometimes problematic for me (see: I can’t stand Game of Thrones because everyone is far worse than the last, and I need one person – just one individual – to be decent for fuck’s sake)giphy
I loved hating these characters. Much like an over-the-top reality show, the privileged people’s antics and seeing them learn their lessons is one of the most satisfying things I can think of. Think of your favorite reality show or TV drama, and this is it: sexy, scandalous, and ominous.
Siracusa is a story of a couples’ vacation – Lizzie & Michael are writers from New York, Lizzie is a journalist who is trying to find her writing voice again, and Michael, her husband, is a Pulitzer winning playwright who is trying and failing to write a novel. Lizzie invites her old boyfriend, now married and living in Maine, Finn, his high-maintenance wife Taylor, and their creepy ten-year-old daughter Snow. Lizzie suggests Rome, then Siracusa. Siracusa, as you might expect, is much less of a tourist destination than Rome is – a bit off the beaten path. For some, that’s part of its charm. For others… 😬 Not So Much. (It’s worth noting that I’d never want to spend any amount of time with any of these people, except for Lizzie who seems ‘ight.) Well… the thing about couples vacations – as my Mom always said, you can only stay with someone who isn’t your family for up to 3 days. Any longer and the charm wears thin.
Each chapter is narrated by a different adult, Round-Robin style, and… let’s just say everyone’s wrapped up tight in their own shit and call it a day, shall we? The kinda interesting thing about this story is that, because we have everyone’s mixed point of view, we get the perspective and the justifications for their behavior. Even if they are jerks, creeps, narcissists, and entitled control freaks, you may not like them, but you can at least understand where they’re coming from.
Lizzie is not only struggling to reignite her writing voice again, she’s trying to reignite her husband’s interest in her. Michael, similarly, is trying to finish (start?) his much-anticipated novel, but he’s distracted by a secret he’s hedging on telling his wife – trapped like a rat over it. Finn is a restauranteur and is using this trip to Italy as an excuse to imbibe in some of his vices, namely wine and smoking and ignoring his wife and daughter. Finn is, honestly, a shmuck – relatively harmless, but as I like to say “I’m so glad I’m not the one married to him.” His wife, Taylor, is equally as harmless but somehow a much worse person: entitled, controlling, and despicably shallow – she’s exactly the type of woman who does end up married to men like Finn in real life. She hates Lizzie; is probably jealous of the relationship she & Finn once had decades before. Taylor is devoted to her daughter Snow – Snow is her twin, except that she’s “painfully shy”… or manipulative? Snow is creepy. SHE’S obsessed with Michael – Taylor, who thinks Snow can do nothing wrong, is just charmed by Michael because he’s so great with her.
Honestly, this novel is a thrill – it starts off innocent enough, but goes from like a kiddie ride to a 20-storey cardiac arrest roller coaster. Y’all, I was not prepared. You grow up with Delia Ephron’s movies: You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, fucking Micheal – you think you understand her. You only think she’s a sweet lady who makes these quaint stories come to life, and you’ll rent them from Blockbuster to watch at a sleepover party with your friends from your softball team. You think she’s incapable of going dark. You guessed wrong. Delia, who are you? Who are you really? I understand artistic license, and that a good writer thrills at putting their characters through the wringer – but Delia? MY Delia?
So this book was way more soapy than my usual taste. Still really excellent, but not my usual preference. It wasn’t what I expected, and it’s a quick read with a lot happening. If you’re looking for something to read on vacation or while at the pool this summer, you might pick this one up. Just… don’t go on any couple vacations. You don’t know what will turn up.
review originally posted on my book blog found here