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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
A quick and entertaining read. It did give a depressing view of marriage though, and I felt it ended abruptly and too neatly. Even so, I still would recommend it.
This was my first book by Tom Perrota. I really enjoyed his style of writing. It kept the story flowing thus making it a quick read for me. Maybe because it was about thirty-somethings in suburbia that caused me to check it out from the library. I did not identify with one person however I could picture these characters as real people.
i love how tom perrotta does suburban family dysfunction. great book!
Tom Perrotta's perfectly paced deconstruction of modern suburban life features characters who suck the reader into their strange, sad little worlds from page one and don't let up even long after the book has been finished. Every character, whether it be a bored housewife or a convicted sex offender, is empathetic and maddening, relatable and off-putting, and the intersection of their lives is at times heartbreaking, amusing, tragic, and logical. This is the first book I've read that can be considered a bildungsroman for adults: The title aptly describes the state of our major players at the beginning of the novel, but by the end readers are convinced these people have grown up. And once again, Perrotta blew me away with his final scene. No one writes a last line better than he does.
In this smart and perceptive novel about the darker side of suburbia, readers meet a variety of characters wondering how their lives could have possibly turned out like they have. Sarah, an unhappily married stay-at-home mom, recalls her passionate relationship with pre-med student Amelia, when she was an undergraduate. Todd, the only stay-at-home dad at the playground, wonders how he can sidestep his wife’s ambition for him to pass the bar exam. When Sarah and Todd meet, an unlikely and immediate attraction quickly turns into an intense affair. Other flaws in the neighborhood facade are soon revealed with the arrival of a registered sex offender living with his mother. Perrotta delivers a surprisingly quick read with just a hint of trepidation about how the book will end.
Although the characters were often frustrating, and sometimes annoying, I really felt drawn in. It was a story where you could really grow to care about the characters, even the most despicable character had a moment evoking sympathy.
The good:
Poetic. Dark. Honest. Beautiful. Well written. Fleshed out characters.
Easy read.
The bad:
Didn't care for the b story of the pedophile.
Overall:
I had to buy this book to read over and over.
Every time I see this on my shelf I wanna read it again.
The writing was so moving I never wanted it to end.
Poetic. Dark. Honest. Beautiful. Well written. Fleshed out characters.
Easy read.
The bad:
Didn't care for the b story of the pedophile.
Overall:
I had to buy this book to read over and over.
Every time I see this on my shelf I wanna read it again.
The writing was so moving I never wanted it to end.
didn't much like the story. not a likeable character in the bunch. but i did like the storytelling. lots of black humor.
I think I'm developing a crush on Tom Perrotta. He's just got a fantastic way of writing that make the characters seem so REAL.
Loved this book.
Loved this book.
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had the movie in my head the whole time, which is always a weird place to read from, because I was constantly comparing it to the movie. I enjoyed the time capsule of this book - the vacations that people took from their normal lives. I wanted to read about at least one mutually happy married couple but boy, that wasn't what this book was interested in. The successful relationships were Richard - Carla and Sarah waking up to the idea of being her daughter's mother. It was funny and cut close to home in some spots and managed to reserve judgment on its characters. A thorny read.