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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
thought i was going to love this - but it really didn't work for me. the characters seemed un-believable and the story dragged. surprised it almost won the booker!
I found this absorbing and evocative but after a strong start I didn’t think it quite followed through. I wanted more from and about the protagonist, Vivien. Having said that it was fairly gripping and the locations, periods and events were vividly portrayed, a good quick page turner.
I didn't really enjoy the story. Well written but I didn't feel it going anywhere.
Generally, I don't like when a book is simply about a theme - for instance, a review that starts out - this book is about racism, or classicism, or whatever ism. For the most part, I like a story that comments on a theme, makes you think - and with that said, I was immediately skeptical of a book that has such a hit you in the head metaphor as its title, as well as its running theme. Luckily, this book is about a story, not about a big "ISM", and while the metaphor is perhaps to simplistic for the subject matters (the immigrant experience (they arrived with the clothes on their back), the faces of good and evil (what really is the face of evil - and can you see it from someone's outward appearance), the search for identity (are clothes a costume, or an expression?), it tied the book together, and I ended up really enjoying it.
One of the things I liked was the way clothes were used as a "costume." Throughout the novel, the main character, Vivien, changes clothes as she tries on different personalities. But, she always knows that the clothes are not a reflection of her, but rather what she wants people to see - the part she wants to play - the eccentric in vintage clothing, the tough politically aware punk with the shorn head. At one point in the novel, she discovers her boyfriend's secret desired tatoo is a swastika. She is horrified, but he simply shrugs, it's just a design, it doesn't mean anything. To him, it could be a dozen roses. Vivien though, is completely aware of the outward portrayal, the immediate feelings associated with symbols, and indeed with clothing, as she has been using clothing to hide, to be someone else, to escape.
At the end, its still unclear if Vivien defines the clothes, or the clothes define her, but it is all connected.
One of the things I liked was the way clothes were used as a "costume." Throughout the novel, the main character, Vivien, changes clothes as she tries on different personalities. But, she always knows that the clothes are not a reflection of her, but rather what she wants people to see - the part she wants to play - the eccentric in vintage clothing, the tough politically aware punk with the shorn head. At one point in the novel, she discovers her boyfriend's secret desired tatoo is a swastika. She is horrified, but he simply shrugs, it's just a design, it doesn't mean anything. To him, it could be a dozen roses. Vivien though, is completely aware of the outward portrayal, the immediate feelings associated with symbols, and indeed with clothing, as she has been using clothing to hide, to be someone else, to escape.
At the end, its still unclear if Vivien defines the clothes, or the clothes define her, but it is all connected.
I liked it, but I didn't love it.
I'm not really sure why this was short-listed for the Booker, as it didn't seem to be to be that caliber of writing. The idea of exploring culture and personality through clothing was an interesting one, but I didn't feel like the book delivered on that.
I'm not really sure why this was short-listed for the Booker, as it didn't seem to be to be that caliber of writing. The idea of exploring culture and personality through clothing was an interesting one, but I didn't feel like the book delivered on that.
A morally complex novel, where the Holocaust victim is not necessarily a hero, where different kinds of alienation are held up against each other and where everyone’s motives are mixed. Perhaps it’s a place-and-time novel, but right now, being reminded of the skinheads of the 70s as well as the need to acknowledge that pain and suffering in themselves do not prove righteousness seems valid.
I enjoyed this quite a bit, but it was definitely slow at times and I would have like it to be a bit quicker, more plot details or something. 3.5 stars
The story moves along with no real intended destination. The story keeps you waiting for a secret to bubble to the surface or a plot twist to take place, but never happens. Characters are easily understood (not necessarily relatable), but without an intended destination the story feels like it abruptly comes to an end. Almost like the author forgot their train of thought or the purpose of the story and brought quickly to an end as if to end their pain in trying to remember where it was that the story was supposed to go. Overall I didn't mind the book, but it left me unsatisfied.
