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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Swimmer but a girl, couldn't put it down.
dark
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Guest offers the experience of being transported into the mind of an extra-terrestrial in some land that isn’t on earth. Except, that’s not the case, you’re in a close third-person view of a woman trying to con her way through the Hamptons. Yet, never have I felt more disconnected from the thought processes of an individual than I did with Alex. I was lying in that last sentence, but only slightly. She is one of the most delusional characters I have ever come across, which entertained and embarrassed me to no end.
On a sentence level, Emma Cline’s work is stunning. She captures minute details that tell a vivid story in their revelation. With a playground like the Hamptons, she brings forth sharp observations surrounding the temporary security of wealth and the artifice that surrounds it. I only wish she dove deeper into the theme of being “a guest” in the life of the one-percent, or had provided more background for certain people. Emma provides hints at depth, both in the world and with these people, but leaves it only as a suggestion, something barely perceptible. I do believe that choice is intentional, yet it made it tough to engage with most of the characters.
One could say nothing happens in this novel and they’d be right. Everything is more a cascade of appalling decisions that reminded me of the narrator from My Year of Rest and Relaxation trying to do her best impression of Robert Pattinson in Good Time. Nothing happens but everything happens, and it is suspense and unease from cover to cover. All of which to say, I had fun with this, right?
“She’d been almost jealous of the people she’d known in the city who’d totally cracked up, spiraled into some other realm. It was a relief to have the option to fully peace out of reality.”
“In her hometown, there was context, but the context was negative, a vortex. The arc of your life was already determined, its limits already visible.”
“Hundreds of years ago, their parents might have abandoned their babies in the woods. Instead, the neglect was stretched out over many years, a slow-motion withering.”
On a sentence level, Emma Cline’s work is stunning. She captures minute details that tell a vivid story in their revelation. With a playground like the Hamptons, she brings forth sharp observations surrounding the temporary security of wealth and the artifice that surrounds it. I only wish she dove deeper into the theme of being “a guest” in the life of the one-percent, or had provided more background for certain people. Emma provides hints at depth, both in the world and with these people, but leaves it only as a suggestion, something barely perceptible. I do believe that choice is intentional, yet it made it tough to engage with most of the characters.
One could say nothing happens in this novel and they’d be right. Everything is more a cascade of appalling decisions that reminded me of the narrator from My Year of Rest and Relaxation trying to do her best impression of Robert Pattinson in Good Time. Nothing happens but everything happens, and it is suspense and unease from cover to cover. All of which to say, I had fun with this, right?
“She’d been almost jealous of the people she’d known in the city who’d totally cracked up, spiraled into some other realm. It was a relief to have the option to fully peace out of reality.”
“In her hometown, there was context, but the context was negative, a vortex. The arc of your life was already determined, its limits already visible.”
“Hundreds of years ago, their parents might have abandoned their babies in the woods. Instead, the neglect was stretched out over many years, a slow-motion withering.”
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another great read by Emma Cline. Emma Cline, I adore your writing style. There is something so raw and human between each word and sentence you form, that I find your books addicting and wanting more (which is why I more or less finished this book as quickly as I did).
At first I was apprehensive as to where the story was actually going. I felt disconnected to Alex and felt I couldn’t really see the world from her point or view, however, about halfway into the book, this was all changed completely. I found myself invested entirely in Alex’s whereabouts and even had moments of feeling empathy for her and for other characters she encounters. I think what I liked most about this book was how sometimes you can dislike main characters but still like the book- and I think this alone could be a very hard thing to achieve, yet Emma Cline has proved herself to be a notable author and I 100% would read more of her books.
At first I was apprehensive as to where the story was actually going. I felt disconnected to Alex and felt I couldn’t really see the world from her point or view, however, about halfway into the book, this was all changed completely. I found myself invested entirely in Alex’s whereabouts and even had moments of feeling empathy for her and for other characters she encounters. I think what I liked most about this book was how sometimes you can dislike main characters but still like the book- and I think this alone could be a very hard thing to achieve, yet Emma Cline has proved herself to be a notable author and I 100% would read more of her books.
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written. A strange, oblique, haunting journey. Exceptionally well read. I can imagine finding this as frustrating as some other reviewers did if I had read it myself but listening to it made it dreamlike.