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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
This novel, while disturbing at times, is one that I can't seem to get off my mind. Perhaps it is because Perotta delves into the human side of seemingly "bad" members of society. Either way, I am a fan of Perotta's, although this is not one of my favorites. Love a book that leaves me thinking, like this one has...
3.5. Read this when it first came out, and had saved it for a possible re-read. Which I also enjoyed. Quite funny in spots. It seems to me that I read it originally thinking of it more as a straight story and less as a satire and took the characters more seriously. Either way, it's entertaining.
(The movie follows the book pretty closely, even including narration directly from it, although it's "spiced up" a bit at the end. And Jackie Earle Hailey makes the child molester character a much more sympathetic figure, something not easy to do)
(The movie follows the book pretty closely, even including narration directly from it, although it's "spiced up" a bit at the end. And Jackie Earle Hailey makes the child molester character a much more sympathetic figure, something not easy to do)
I' read another book by this same author several years ago- I don't remember the title but I remembered I liked it, so I got this one on my Kindle. I liked how the characters' stories wove together, that the author showed not just Sarah and Todd's points of view, but also Richard, Kathy, Mary Ann, and Larry. I feel mixed about including Ronnie's POV- it does show him as a human being, but it's hard to find sympathy for a registered sex offender. The storyline was good, but the ending left me feeling like there was supposed to be one more chapter to tie up loose ends, but it didn't make its way to the manuscript. Overall a good book that was a nice distracting read from everyone else going on.
Little Children is a grim satire of deeply dissatisfied 30-somethings in middle-class suburbia behaving worse than little children. Tom Perrotta is definitely a skilled writer, but I prefer my satire to be a bit more humorous (less grim) and I'm always a little disappointed when there isn't even one sympathetic character.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
~ "After all, what was adult life but one moment of weakness piled on top of another? Most people just fell in line like obedient little children, doing exactly what society expected of them at any given moment, all the while pretending that they’d actually made some sort of choice.”
~ “It felt good, the whole family together on a sunny morning in a wholesome environment. If it hadn't been for the worshiping God part, he would have happily attended church on a regular basis.”
FAVORITE QUOTES:
~ "After all, what was adult life but one moment of weakness piled on top of another? Most people just fell in line like obedient little children, doing exactly what society expected of them at any given moment, all the while pretending that they’d actually made some sort of choice.”
~ “It felt good, the whole family together on a sunny morning in a wholesome environment. If it hadn't been for the worshiping God part, he would have happily attended church on a regular basis.”
A book set in suburbia and the dark side of being a stay at home parent. Also a child molester moves into the neighborhood. I think I will see the movie.
Very scandalous, but so well written that I can't get over it even after 4 years.
I had not seen the movie, and the book was a bit different than I expected it to be... more characters' viewpoints, which I enjoyed. I really had no idea how it would end, and the last chapter kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would become of each of the characters.
I picked up this book because the movie was coming out soon and I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. I never saw the movie, but I heard it was good. This is one of those books that makes you feel uncomfortable because you know people like the characters, maybe the characters are even a little bit like you. I'm not saying I am a bisexual feminist, but some of the thoughts and feelings of Sarah (one of the main characters) really hit home, but then again so did the thoughts and feelings of Kathy (the wife of Sarah's lover). I thought this book was very well written, interestingly developed and I heard the movie was great.
Two stars, which I think is pretty charitable. Well written enough that I finished it, but I didn't enjoy it, especially from the second half onward.