Reviews

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

hcliff's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

r0b3rta's review

5.0

My review and expectation of the book may have been skewed because I heard the author, [a:Rachel Kushner|164139|Rachel Kushner|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1236186901p2/164139.jpg] discussing the book on Bookworm with Michael Silverblatt and I instantly wanted to read the book.

I was looking over some of the other reviews and noticed quite a few people a bit miffed that we never find out her real name. Maybe Reno is more accessible and malleable as "Reno" than if she had a real name, unlike Sandro whose name, Valera precedes him.

Kushner makes you feel excited about the racing, history and people. At the same time there are moments of vulnerability, especially for characters who are not likable at first glance. There were paragraphs I re-read to get the complete essence of.

The book is not too long at close to 400 pages, but it is not a light read. It is well written and a good history lesson on the 70s art scene and Italy's leftist youth movement and feminism.

jess_mango's review

3.0

It's the 1970s and Reno, a young woman nick-named after the town of her birth has moved to NYC to try to make her way as an artist. She has a thing for motorcycles and going fast. There are lots of scenes about the NY art scene. Reno hangs out with her crowd of artists and meets up with Sandro, an Italian artist who happens to be the son of a family that owns a motorcycle company. hmm. The book jumps from Nevada, to NY, to a rubber plantation in South America to Italy.

i have to admit, this book was just kind of meh for me. I just found myself not really caring or wanting to push through it. The book was nominated for a few awards and I can appreciate the author's talent, however neither the characters nor the subject matter interested me much.

this book counts towards the Reading Women 2020 Challenge Task #10: a book about a woman artist

rossgr's review

2.0

I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn't fall in love with Reno. So much of the story felt out of her hands, very little felt deliberate and I found multiple of her storylines, with men particularly, unsatisfying. It didn't really feel like Reno had much of a direction, which is very likely the vibe that Kushner was trying to create, but it was difficult to read about and route for a character who I didn't feel like had much agency in her life.

mcgrathprj's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

smelendez's review

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

jltusc's review

dark reflective slow-paced

4.5

mcwat's review

It wouldn't be wrong to call this an odd book, but it's not odd in a bad way. I sort of feel like many of its characters would judge me for making a statement like that. I feel as though they're watching me type this and snorting disdainfully. In the world of The Flamethrowers—in Italy, in New York, in Brazil—it's best to keep your mouth shut.

nataliaivonica's review against another edition

achava que depois de 63 páginas eu teria o mínimo de empatia pelos personagens, mas definitivamente não foi isso que aconteceu. em geral, o livro é bem mal escrito, todos os personagens falam de modo idêntico e ninguém é... sabe... interessante.
não entendo todas as reviews positivas na contra-capa, a história não saiu do lugar desde o começo e é colocada de um modo tão confuso e desinteresse que parece que a autora se contradiz o tempo todo.

ain't nobody got time for that.

debs4jc's review against another edition

2.0

The year is 1975 and Reno--so-called because of the place of her birth--has come to New York intent on turning her fascination with motorcycles and speed into art. Her arrival coincides with an explosion of activity in the art world--artists have colonized a deserted and industrial SoHo, are staging actions in the East Village, and are blurring the line between life and art. Reno meets a group of dreamers and raconteurs who submit her to a sentimental education of sorts. Ardent, vulnerable, and bold, she begins an affair with an artist named Sandro Valera, the semi-estranged scion of an Italian tire and motorcycle empire. When they visit Sandro's family home in Italy, Reno falls in with members of the radical movement that overtook Italy in the seventies. (Cover description)
I listened to this and it was OK. I got lost in parts, didn't feel a strong connection to the characters, and found parts of it kind of vulgar.