Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Beautifully written, one of those books you need to read in your life, I think. I feel as though we ought to have studied it in school!
I am a bit of a sucker for the whole "unreliable narrator" schtick, which this novel uses to very good effect. Like peering through the steamed-up window of a bus, the streetscape becomes all the more intriguing because it is so imperfectly glimpsed. Characters that you would probably just want to slap in other circumstances are made intriguing by the slowness with which they unfold. And knowing what I know about them now, I'm resisting the temptation to just turn back and start all over again....It took a while for this one to win me over, but in the end I am really very impressed by the accomplishment.
I'm avoiding spoilers, here, but I would be really interested in hearing other readers' interpretations of this story (who was right, who was wrong, who was bad, who was good, ...).
I'm avoiding spoilers, here, but I would be really interested in hearing other readers' interpretations of this story (who was right, who was wrong, who was bad, who was good, ...).
Er, the writing was not a good fit for me. I often like meandering writing, but this for some reason didn't hold me this time. Didn't finish.
I read this for an English lit class in college and greatly enjoyed it. Very funny.
I can now understand why Modern Library put this high on its 100 Best Novels list. I thought it was so well done and fascinating. A wonderful look at marriage around WWI.
This book was a fun read! It takes place before and after World War One, and discusses a lot of different issues that would have (and to this day actually) been prevalent.
The narrator of the story is a man whose wife is having an affair. He knows she is, and she doesn't really try and hide it. The tough part is he loves his wife, and he kinda has feelings for the other man's wife too, but doesn't act upon them because he knows it's wrong. The two couples spend time together in Germany before the war, and the novel is written in the style of ramblings of the husband. I wasn't sure how I was going to like that type of writing/storytelling as usually I like more structure, but I actually enjoyed the back and forth ramblings of the narrator. It provided a different tone to the book and was an interesting discussion on the morales of society.
A fun classic!
The narrator of the story is a man whose wife is having an affair. He knows she is, and she doesn't really try and hide it. The tough part is he loves his wife, and he kinda has feelings for the other man's wife too, but doesn't act upon them because he knows it's wrong. The two couples spend time together in Germany before the war, and the novel is written in the style of ramblings of the husband. I wasn't sure how I was going to like that type of writing/storytelling as usually I like more structure, but I actually enjoyed the back and forth ramblings of the narrator. It provided a different tone to the book and was an interesting discussion on the morales of society.
A fun classic!
decadent rich? old time social values? Very introspective male narrator. Not sure who the real villian is here.
I didn't think a book about four absolutely despicable and insipid people could be so good. Perhaps it's because the book doesn't try to make you like these people.
The unreliable narrator and the way in which the story unfolds makes for a great, sometimes comedic, but always bleak read. The Good Soldier is probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read, but like Didion's Run River and Yates' Revolutionary Road I read last year, apparently I just really like portraits of disintegrating marriage. Perhaps it's the ol' emo kid in me grown up.
Fun fact: apparently Joan Didion always reads this novel before she starts writing her next fiction novel. I can see why. And I'm sure I'll be re-reading many times in the future as well.
The unreliable narrator and the way in which the story unfolds makes for a great, sometimes comedic, but always bleak read. The Good Soldier is probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read, but like Didion's Run River and Yates' Revolutionary Road I read last year, apparently I just really like portraits of disintegrating marriage. Perhaps it's the ol' emo kid in me grown up.
Fun fact: apparently Joan Didion always reads this novel before she starts writing her next fiction novel. I can see why. And I'm sure I'll be re-reading many times in the future as well.
dark
emotional
medium-paced