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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Why was this book written? What was the point? Certainly not for entertainment, I was bored the whole time. Save yourself the trouble. It’s trivial writing with no ending.
reflective
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:
Yes
Sadly, this book is not getting my attention. The idea of bunch of friends or families interact together is fun. But what is lacking is the plot/ drama/ the climax.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read an adult book the other day (not this one, the one before this one) and was like "maybe I like adult books more now!" But I think maybe I still feel just ok to good about adult books. I liked this mostly and thought there was some good stuff here, but I am increasingly annoyed at authors and characters living in New York City. I somewhat appreciate the love/hate thoughts characters work through about NYC (everywhere is gentrifying and crazy expensive, people acting like you're invisible, people are kind of insecure about where they're from before they lived there, etc.) but I guess I was also thinking "you ain't that special, NYC! Just calm down some." I may actually mostly be annoyed about Rich People Problems books (someone in this book literally loses $150k in a scam which made me feel panicky and it is but a footnote in this story). Also also, it is kind of hilarious to read how teens are written in adult books.
I liked this book, and the intersections of all the different relationships. I loved Harry and Ruby’s storyline, but was not a fan of Elizabeth and Andrew’s. The thing that really dragged this book down for me was the Evolvement storyline, I dreaded every time I had to read a chapter about the yoga and kombucha and green juice. Wasn’t a fan of how abruptly everything ended, but overall an okay book.
I liked exactly one of these characters
Modern Lovers is one of those novels that doesn’t deal with anything new or over the top exciting, but is still very difficult to put down. It’s full of domestic drama – relationships, work life and teenage angst – that takes place over the summer. There are multiple characters with their own issues, big and small. I found it fascinating, perhaps due to Emma Straub’s skills in crafting the world and concerns of her characters.
The story is about three old university friends; Elizabeth, Andrew and Zoe who live within a stone’s throw of each other in a neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Elizabeth and Andrew are married to each other and live with teenage sone Harry. He’s very well behaved; Andrew is a drifter, unable to stick with a job likely due to family money. Elizabeth is a real estate agent – it’s not a forever job, but she’s good at it. Zoe works with wife Jane at their local restaurant and tears her hair out at their daughter Ruby, who is rebellious and doesn’t look like she’s going to college in the fall. What binds the three together is not only their friendship, but that they co-wrote a song that defined a generation. Now a movie is being made of former bandmate Lydia’s life and they are being asked to sign over the rights. But this summer, that’s not their biggest problem. Harry and Ruby fall in love and get in trouble. Jane and Zoe are on the brink of divorce. Andrew falls in with a yoga group slash cult and Elizabeth tries to hold it together for everyone until secrets from the past spill out. It’s messy with big and small dramas.
The characters of Modern Lovers aren’t always endearing. In fact, they all have something that is irritating on various levels. Rather than detract away from my enjoyment of the story, it added to it. The characters (and their creator) aren’t afraid to act foolishly, stupidly or be obstinate just because. There are some complex interactions, made more tricky because of each character’s inherent biases and nature. I quite liked Elizabeth and Zoe, who both had different ways of dealing with things. Andrew, with his aimless wanderings, unhindered by a job or money worries, was grating because of his lack of knowledge of how the world actually worked. He came across as more of a caricature than the other adults.
At the heart, Modern Lovers is about relationships. Old love and new love, love that’s wearing thin and love that’s growing. It’s never constant, with the characters getting frustrated with each other and their younger selves. Brooklyn also acts as an anchoring character, with each character having strong ties to their local area and reluctance to move on. It’s not a book with a fast paced plot, rather a gentle exploration of interactions between and within generations.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The story is about three old university friends; Elizabeth, Andrew and Zoe who live within a stone’s throw of each other in a neighbourhood of Brooklyn. Elizabeth and Andrew are married to each other and live with teenage sone Harry. He’s very well behaved; Andrew is a drifter, unable to stick with a job likely due to family money. Elizabeth is a real estate agent – it’s not a forever job, but she’s good at it. Zoe works with wife Jane at their local restaurant and tears her hair out at their daughter Ruby, who is rebellious and doesn’t look like she’s going to college in the fall. What binds the three together is not only their friendship, but that they co-wrote a song that defined a generation. Now a movie is being made of former bandmate Lydia’s life and they are being asked to sign over the rights. But this summer, that’s not their biggest problem. Harry and Ruby fall in love and get in trouble. Jane and Zoe are on the brink of divorce. Andrew falls in with a yoga group slash cult and Elizabeth tries to hold it together for everyone until secrets from the past spill out. It’s messy with big and small dramas.
The characters of Modern Lovers aren’t always endearing. In fact, they all have something that is irritating on various levels. Rather than detract away from my enjoyment of the story, it added to it. The characters (and their creator) aren’t afraid to act foolishly, stupidly or be obstinate just because. There are some complex interactions, made more tricky because of each character’s inherent biases and nature. I quite liked Elizabeth and Zoe, who both had different ways of dealing with things. Andrew, with his aimless wanderings, unhindered by a job or money worries, was grating because of his lack of knowledge of how the world actually worked. He came across as more of a caricature than the other adults.
At the heart, Modern Lovers is about relationships. Old love and new love, love that’s wearing thin and love that’s growing. It’s never constant, with the characters getting frustrated with each other and their younger selves. Brooklyn also acts as an anchoring character, with each character having strong ties to their local area and reluctance to move on. It’s not a book with a fast paced plot, rather a gentle exploration of interactions between and within generations.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
Three former bandmates debate about whether to sign away their life rights for a movie about the fourth band member who rocketed to fame and died a tragic death before age 30, all while dealing with kids, marriages, businesses. The book is well-written and the characters are mostly realistic. The turn-off for me is that it is another book about overprivileged, entitled, spoiled, wealthy suburbanites.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was one of those stories where nothing really happens but the characters feel a lot of feelings and think a lot of thoughts, which I happen to really enjoy. emma straub’s writing is super immersive and personal and there was some interesting commentary on youth, identity & marriage.