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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I'm still digesting this, and whether or not I actually liked Grady Tripp as a character, but the novel was well written and had just the right mix between character driven and plot driven. Chabon's strength is definitely in developing his characters.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was well written, but I didn't particularly enjoy it, which I think was partly because I found the narrator sort of insufferable. I've been meaning to read it and having done so I feel glad that I have in the sense that now I can cross it off a mental To Do list. But it definitely isn't a book I'd reread anytime soon.
A BOOK ABOUT WRITING THAT ACHIEVES THE META ACCOMPLISHMENT OF CRITICIZING THE PROTAGONIST’S FICTIONAL NOVEL FOR THE SAME THING YOU MIGHT CRITICIZE THE ACTUAL NOVEL FOR - BOW DOWN TO CHABON
Probably more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoy Chabon's writing style. The way he tells a story draws me in and keeps me coming back for more. It was the same way with Cavalier & Klay.
Throughout this book I found myself stumbling over random, unexpected passages that blew me away and which I stopped and thought about for long periods; rereading over and over and even reading out loud to those around me so they could share in the wonder. Michael Chabon has a way with words, and is one of my favorite writers.
Not as good as Kavalier&Clay, although that was hard to beat. A bit tainted in my mind because it's the book I read on that horrible 2016 election night. Still an enjoyable read, with a main character that may have learned something along his way.
Wonder Boys is a comedy of screw ups. These screw ups encompass all shapes and sizes, including the plot.
The characters are an eclectic bunch- one of them being Grady Tripp the doughy, pot smoking English professor sleeping with his boss’s wife. James Leer, the lovable, depressed student who lugs the manuscript for his finished novel around in a tattered rucksack and Terry Crabtree, Grady’s oh so rambunctious editor.
The beauty in Wonder Boys lies in the fact that Chabon’s writing is good. Other than that, everything that could possibly go wrong for Grady, does…including the plot of this book itself. The dénouement takes place over the course of a weekend, which is packed with a suspicious lot of dead animals, tears and a surprising amount of blood. Random. I know.
Let me just say, I loved Chabon’s writing. It is so fluid and vivid and beautifully strung together. I had previously attempted to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and as much as I loved Chabon’s writing, I just couldn’t get myself to follow the plot with gusto. I tried Chabon again, in the (slimmer) form of Wonder Boys and found that I was hooked from the first page. Wonder Boys was so easy to read and I say this because the writing was the best part about the book.
Ahhh the plot. And Grady Tripp. I cannot seem to understand why 300 pages would even be written about you. Grady is lazy, self-indulgent and a compulsive adulterer. He is also undeniably human. He is human in a way that makes you want to a slap on his forehead and say “get it together already!” Its not the fact that he is human that made me dislike him, but it was his urge to do whatever suited him best, regardless of the way in which it impacted other people. He is one of those characters that is stuck in limbo and can’t seem to learn from his mistakes and move on. I shake the proverbial fist at you, Grady Tripp.
It was halfway through this book that I began to feel like the main female characters in this novel were placed there only as targets of Grady’s unrelinquished lust. It was slightly disheartening to see them portrayed that way. Emily, Grady’s wife is the woman he chated on and Sara Gaskell is the woman he cheated on Emily with. Then we have the wonderful Helen Green who Grady wanted to cheat on Sara with. I never did get the point of Helen and I didn’t feel like she added a lot to the plot. I was disappointed in that aspect, I did wish that the female characters were portrayed as more than just sexual conquests.
I kept on reading Wonder Boys despite my issues with the protagonist because as I mentioned before it was an easy read. It was not, however a life changing read. I did appreciate Chabon’s writing the whole length of the novel and I think anyone who loves reading should pick up a Chabon book just to appreciate his lyrical prose. I am just not a fan of Chabon’s plots.
The characters are an eclectic bunch- one of them being Grady Tripp the doughy, pot smoking English professor sleeping with his boss’s wife. James Leer, the lovable, depressed student who lugs the manuscript for his finished novel around in a tattered rucksack and Terry Crabtree, Grady’s oh so rambunctious editor.
The beauty in Wonder Boys lies in the fact that Chabon’s writing is good. Other than that, everything that could possibly go wrong for Grady, does…including the plot of this book itself. The dénouement takes place over the course of a weekend, which is packed with a suspicious lot of dead animals, tears and a surprising amount of blood. Random. I know.
Let me just say, I loved Chabon’s writing. It is so fluid and vivid and beautifully strung together. I had previously attempted to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and as much as I loved Chabon’s writing, I just couldn’t get myself to follow the plot with gusto. I tried Chabon again, in the (slimmer) form of Wonder Boys and found that I was hooked from the first page. Wonder Boys was so easy to read and I say this because the writing was the best part about the book.
Ahhh the plot. And Grady Tripp. I cannot seem to understand why 300 pages would even be written about you. Grady is lazy, self-indulgent and a compulsive adulterer. He is also undeniably human. He is human in a way that makes you want to a slap on his forehead and say “get it together already!” Its not the fact that he is human that made me dislike him, but it was his urge to do whatever suited him best, regardless of the way in which it impacted other people. He is one of those characters that is stuck in limbo and can’t seem to learn from his mistakes and move on. I shake the proverbial fist at you, Grady Tripp.
It was halfway through this book that I began to feel like the main female characters in this novel were placed there only as targets of Grady’s unrelinquished lust. It was slightly disheartening to see them portrayed that way. Emily, Grady’s wife is the woman he chated on and Sara Gaskell is the woman he cheated on Emily with. Then we have the wonderful Helen Green who Grady wanted to cheat on Sara with. I never did get the point of Helen and I didn’t feel like she added a lot to the plot. I was disappointed in that aspect, I did wish that the female characters were portrayed as more than just sexual conquests.
I kept on reading Wonder Boys despite my issues with the protagonist because as I mentioned before it was an easy read. It was not, however a life changing read. I did appreciate Chabon’s writing the whole length of the novel and I think anyone who loves reading should pick up a Chabon book just to appreciate his lyrical prose. I am just not a fan of Chabon’s plots.