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blopez99's review against another edition
4.0
This book has almost nothing to do with kids- other than the fact that they are literally there.
Pretty good book, interesting story lines following 4 families (all with 'Little Children')
Pretty good book, interesting story lines following 4 families (all with 'Little Children')
eggjen's review against another edition
This book is being discussed in an upcoming book club I've been thinking about joining and I have heard some good reviews about it but I just could not bring myself to care about the characters of this story of suburbia, apparently unhappy marriages, and a blatant dissatisfaction with the life of stay at home parenting. I can understand that these topics are a reality for millions and it's not that I cannot read a book that I can't relate to personally - I can and have. And frankly there were things I could relate to but I could not seem to care about any of the characters at all. It was like watching a handful of sad people trapped in boxes they'd knowingly climbed into - and being forced to sit inside those boxes with them. The best part of this book was putting it down and being greeted by my own life, which is kind of the opposite of falling into a good book. I feel like I'm trying to make excuses for not finishing this book, like I've done some horrible misdeed but at the end of the day I have to remind myself that I have better things to do with my time than read a book I'm not enjoying, whatever the reasons.
herrkelm's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was intrigued to check this book out after I had seen the author who wrote the screenplay of the movie adaptation with the Director.
It’s always interesting to see similarities and changes between mediums. this is one case though where I think I preferred the movie.
It did a better job of refining the story, which is prone to wandering in the book. You also feel a bit more sympathetic for characters.
It’s always interesting to see similarities and changes between mediums. this is one case though where I think I preferred the movie.
It did a better job of refining the story, which is prone to wandering in the book. You also feel a bit more sympathetic for characters.
mccallaycock's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I thought this book was supposed to be funny… it was not so many people in this book should be in jail!!!!! Very well written but I don’t think I liked it??? Probably will think about this one for a long time
casspro's review against another edition
3.0
I totally DID NOT read this book because of the sex scene in the movie. I also totally DID NOT substitute Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson for the main characters.
wm_books's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
3.75
shhchar's review against another edition
3.0
This was quite a quirky book. I got it for $1 at goodwill and it did not disappoint. I didn’t like any of the characters much but they were amusing as a cast and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading.
bentrevett's review against another edition
2.0
My favourite part was the guy buying the underwear online
imalwayswrite's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
5.0
I should be working right now.
But I just finished this novel during my lunch and I can't get it out of my mind. The ending, really.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with the Kindle edition. I was approaching the end and when I hit the next page (which turned out to be the last page), my Kindle gave an error that it could not open the page. I went back and forth, and then the page opened, but the sentence I was
on was misaligned to another on the new page. So I decreased the font so I could see the sentence all in one page, and all was well. Until I finished that page and the novel was abruptly over.
I spent the next half-hour or so scouring the Internet for mentions of the last line to see if it indeed was the last line of the novel, or if I had a corrupted version.
It turns out my version is fine and it is as it should be. Then I spent the next hour or so trying to reconcile myself with this ending.
(insert 20 minutes of work while still thinking...)
The more I think about it, the more I like it. Obviously I can't get into it here because I'd spoil things. But the reason I'm harping on it is that it's this aspect that is making me waver between a 4 and 5-star rating.
But enough about the ending. Let's talk about the trip there.
Some of my favourite movies/novels are those that centre around the drabness of middleclass suburbia and the interesting characters that wallow in it or seek an escape from the day to day regiment of work, home, and kids. Consider American Beauty, Short Cuts, Big Little Lies, or Happiness. Little Children brought to mind all the things I loved about stories like those. The beauty of stories like these are characters that are fully realized. We either know these people or we see ourselves in them.
Perrotta is brilliant at creating characters and following them through their midlife crises. Like Mrs. Fletcher, his novel reads like gangbusters.
There may have been a few passages where his prose rambled on, but these were rare instances, and were relieved by dialogue exchanges that made the pages rip by.
This is a story of small town suburbia. It focuses on a few parents linked by their kids, and story just happens by throwing these characters together.
This harmonizes into excellent storytelling even in the most mundane moments.
Perrotta is becoming one of my favourite authors. Of course I have to give this five stars because I can't get it out of my mind and, dammit, I have work to do.
But I just finished this novel during my lunch and I can't get it out of my mind. The ending, really.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with the Kindle edition. I was approaching the end and when I hit the next page (which turned out to be the last page), my Kindle gave an error that it could not open the page. I went back and forth, and then the page opened, but the sentence I was
on was misaligned to another on the new page. So I decreased the font so I could see the sentence all in one page, and all was well. Until I finished that page and the novel was abruptly over.
I spent the next half-hour or so scouring the Internet for mentions of the last line to see if it indeed was the last line of the novel, or if I had a corrupted version.
It turns out my version is fine and it is as it should be. Then I spent the next hour or so trying to reconcile myself with this ending.
(insert 20 minutes of work while still thinking...)
The more I think about it, the more I like it. Obviously I can't get into it here because I'd spoil things. But the reason I'm harping on it is that it's this aspect that is making me waver between a 4 and 5-star rating.
But enough about the ending. Let's talk about the trip there.
Some of my favourite movies/novels are those that centre around the drabness of middleclass suburbia and the interesting characters that wallow in it or seek an escape from the day to day regiment of work, home, and kids. Consider American Beauty, Short Cuts, Big Little Lies, or Happiness. Little Children brought to mind all the things I loved about stories like those. The beauty of stories like these are characters that are fully realized. We either know these people or we see ourselves in them.
Perrotta is brilliant at creating characters and following them through their midlife crises. Like Mrs. Fletcher, his novel reads like gangbusters.
There may have been a few passages where his prose rambled on, but these were rare instances, and were relieved by dialogue exchanges that made the pages rip by.
This is a story of small town suburbia. It focuses on a few parents linked by their kids, and story just happens by throwing these characters together.
This harmonizes into excellent storytelling even in the most mundane moments.
Perrotta is becoming one of my favourite authors. Of course I have to give this five stars because I can't get it out of my mind and, dammit, I have work to do.