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heathernj9's review against another edition
3.0
You may end up hating the main character, but I found him hilarious and was sympathetic to him in the end. Another one you'll either love or hate. (I love books likes this!)
kirstiecat's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh..I wrote a decently long review and Goodreads didn't save it. Suffice it to say that I thought the writing of this novel was better than average but it lost me at the ending. Also, I'm the type of person who tends to have to like the protagonist in fiction novels and I found the charisma of this man to be too manipulative and even pathetic.
Some great things about the main character is that he's a misanthrope and has a dark sort of wit about him. He tends to be brutally honest about relationships and intimacy in his journals, which is how we learn about him and what's happening. There's nothing wrong with that except for his bluntly obvious double standards and homophobia that comes in at the end.
The main character is also actively engaging in a sort of long term suicide as he has Buerger's disease mainly caused by persistent smoking but won't give this up. It's an interesting aspect and adds a bit of complexity but I still just didn't find this man likable.
Another positive of the book is that it deals well with different relationships. both intimate and in the family. It takes place in a rural area set apart from NYC and in this wealthy family home that has been passed down and inherited by the protagonist and his brother. Again, this book has some positives but I ended up disliking the main character and hating the ending so I can't seem to rate it any higher than this.
Some great things about the main character is that he's a misanthrope and has a dark sort of wit about him. He tends to be brutally honest about relationships and intimacy in his journals, which is how we learn about him and what's happening. There's nothing wrong with that except for his bluntly obvious double standards and homophobia that comes in at the end.
The main character is also actively engaging in a sort of long term suicide as he has Buerger's disease mainly caused by persistent smoking but won't give this up. It's an interesting aspect and adds a bit of complexity but I still just didn't find this man likable.
Another positive of the book is that it deals well with different relationships. both intimate and in the family. It takes place in a rural area set apart from NYC and in this wealthy family home that has been passed down and inherited by the protagonist and his brother. Again, this book has some positives but I ended up disliking the main character and hating the ending so I can't seem to rate it any higher than this.
rmardel's review against another edition
4.0
Rather well written and compelling novel of a rather unlikeable but crusty trust-fund recluse. Spot on humor and fabulous prose. The ending fades out a bit but still a rather enjoyable read despite the rather unlikeable main character. He grows on one, or at least he grew on me a bit.
sed's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kennedyac's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
escapegrace's review against another edition
4.0
Why are novels told from the point of view of the misanthropic so damn enjoyable? I could have spent another novel's worth of time with Christensen's narrator. The supporting cast successfully supported, but Hugo Whittier's voice is what kept me from wanting to put the book down. As this was my first Christensen book, I look forward to more.
soj19's review against another edition
3.0
I...don't know what to make of this one. I have rarely encountered a less likable protagonist (if we could even call him that). Hugo Whittier is an egotistical, aristocratic bigot who is effectively killing himself and whose epicurean habits only truly revealed themselves in the first and last 50 pages, but despite all that and his oft-feigned insouciance, it was hard to hate him. I feel very conflicted.
tatyana_taos's review against another edition
3.0
Ultimately frustrating, due to lack of resolution. Plenty of plot in the stew, but the author doesn't seem to know what to do with it. Amusing, witty sentences. Loved the embedded recipes also. It's possible however, that the whole House M.D.-style loveable curmudgeon has just been done to death.