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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
3.5
This one started off drab and finished strong. For a while it felt like a pretty average story. I had a hard time connecting each member of the cast of characters at first and holding on to how everyone was connected, but once that was ironed out, the narrative fell into a much easier rhythm and I was able to see the bigger picture of the novel.
There are two main stories, one told over the course of 20 years and one happening all in one pivotal summer. The end result is a satisfying conclusion of all the connecting threads.
I haven't read Emma Straub's first book, The Vacationers, but I'm inclined to try to fit in in before summer ends after finishing this.
This one started off drab and finished strong. For a while it felt like a pretty average story. I had a hard time connecting each member of the cast of characters at first and holding on to how everyone was connected, but once that was ironed out, the narrative fell into a much easier rhythm and I was able to see the bigger picture of the novel.
There are two main stories, one told over the course of 20 years and one happening all in one pivotal summer. The end result is a satisfying conclusion of all the connecting threads.
I haven't read Emma Straub's first book, The Vacationers, but I'm inclined to try to fit in in before summer ends after finishing this.
There was a lot for me to relate to in this book — a group of close college friends from Oberlin navigating middle age and integrating events from college into their current lives. There’s also teen angst and a plot about a movie made relating to the main characters’ lives. In the end, I think there were too many stories going on, although I did want to see what happened to all the characters.
A really enjoyable summer read. Gotta admit I'm a sucker for hip, gorgeously aging, former punk-band phenoms sustained by family money and now living the dream in ultra-cool Brooklyn. As much as I enjoyed reading it, I felt like the book was trying a little too hard to cover it all--first love, sexual discovery, gender discovery, midlife crises, rebellious youth, scary adulthood, faltering marriages, tragic rock stars, shifty Kombucha-making opportunists, and lots and lots of guilt and regret. Spoiler alert...EVERYONE lives happily ever after. In an epic way.
3/5
I always struggle to write reviews of books that I don't love, and don't hate, they're in that middle "fine" ground. That's how I'm feeling about Modern Lovers. I enjoyed it enough - it moved along quickly enough and It wasn't a it reminded me of The OC, how whenever I felt bored of a plot line with the parents it switched over to the teenagers and vice versa.
My issue with it is that there's nothing here that will stick with me for any length of time after finishing the book. My feeling is that the book was supposed to be about aging in life and in relationships, and the strain that puts on people and the way it changes them, but it didn't really come across. The tensions between the partners were never clearly articulated, and more bothersome, neither were their resolutions.
Overall, I didn't hate the time I spent reading this book, but I can't say I would recommend it or stand behind it as a work.
I always struggle to write reviews of books that I don't love, and don't hate, they're in that middle "fine" ground. That's how I'm feeling about Modern Lovers. I enjoyed it enough - it moved along quickly enough and It wasn't a it reminded me of The OC, how whenever I felt bored of a plot line with the parents it switched over to the teenagers and vice versa.
My issue with it is that there's nothing here that will stick with me for any length of time after finishing the book. My feeling is that the book was supposed to be about aging in life and in relationships, and the strain that puts on people and the way it changes them, but it didn't really come across. The tensions between the partners were never clearly articulated, and more bothersome, neither were their resolutions.
Overall, I didn't hate the time I spent reading this book, but I can't say I would recommend it or stand behind it as a work.
It is a difficult feat to capture the minutia of life in such a way that readers will find it interesting to the very end. Most people, I think, dont want to read books about the daily toils of life, because they are living it. But Straub captures the perfect mundanity of her characters' thoughts and minds, along with the stress, the joy, the frustration, and resentment. Each character is both a "type" of person and much more complicated than that; they fall into their own traps, their self-sabotage, and their petty resentments, but they also show deep capacity for forgiveness and strength.
Straub pulls back facades to reveal what we think but never say, or what we think and only say when we've come to the end of our rope.
I often dislike shifting perspectives because it can make a narrative unfocused, but it is well done in Modern Lovers. The varying perspectives overlap just enough that the reader is given a more complete picture of how each character relates to the others, but not enough that the reader feels omniscient. With this writing style, Straub can reveal discrepancies in the way we view ourselves vs. the way other people view us, as well as the lies we tell ourselves and others to preserve dignity. Straub is very artful in her portrayal of the intricacies of daily interactions, of coming of age, and of still figuring out who you are, even at 50. Even if such hyper realism isn't your cup of tea, Modern Lovers is nothing if not relatable.
If you are aging, you will either hate or love this book. If your marriage is falling apart, you will hate or love this book. If you were in a college band that had one hit song before you got married, had a kid, and gave up on a musical career, you will hate or love this book. Some people don't like having their lives reflected or revealed to them, but Straub reflects and reveals nonetheless.
Straub pulls back facades to reveal what we think but never say, or what we think and only say when we've come to the end of our rope.
I often dislike shifting perspectives because it can make a narrative unfocused, but it is well done in Modern Lovers. The varying perspectives overlap just enough that the reader is given a more complete picture of how each character relates to the others, but not enough that the reader feels omniscient. With this writing style, Straub can reveal discrepancies in the way we view ourselves vs. the way other people view us, as well as the lies we tell ourselves and others to preserve dignity. Straub is very artful in her portrayal of the intricacies of daily interactions, of coming of age, and of still figuring out who you are, even at 50. Even if such hyper realism isn't your cup of tea, Modern Lovers is nothing if not relatable.
If you are aging, you will either hate or love this book. If your marriage is falling apart, you will hate or love this book. If you were in a college band that had one hit song before you got married, had a kid, and gave up on a musical career, you will hate or love this book. Some people don't like having their lives reflected or revealed to them, but Straub reflects and reveals nonetheless.
I really enjoyed following Zoe, Elizabeth, Andrew, Jane, Ruby, and Harry through a tumultuous summer. I was also happy that she gave some information about what happened after the summer ended in a cute, newspaper-like feel at the end. This was my Book of the Month choice for June - definitely recommend!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Touching. How do our college friendships evolve over time? What can they survive?