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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to like this book, but I’m just too stupid to like it. Not that the book was smart, but I wasn’t even smart enough to understand what made the book stupid. God, what a tough read.
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
Ralph is our narrator. He does not speak, by choice. He is four years old. He is what everyone in the world of the book calls a genius. This small nexus is where word gawd Percival Everett begins to deconstruct the very idea of that concept: what is a genius who cant wipe their own ass, can't drive a car, or defend themselves? Glyph is a novel that uses fiction to explore semiotic theory, canonical western knowledge, the imbedded dehumanization practices of the scientific method, and what does all that mean when the genius is a Black person, in this case a Black baby. It's Everett's meta fictive style(s) at it's most experimental and pretentious, but still accessible. The novel is funny as fuck. Roland Barthes is a secondary character. The novel is why I wish everyone read him. It's not as strong as what Everett created after: Erasure or I Am Not Sidney Poitier, but its so damn good. I can never thank the okper Juschristian enough for telling so many of us to read him about 5 years ago.
slow-paced
if you ever wanted to know what stewie griffin would’ve been like if he were written by a literature professor; this is the book for you
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pretentious drivel disguised as intellectual prowess: meet the protagonist—a loathsome infant with the uncanny ability to read and write, whose only talent is spewing contempt for his parents. This little monster drenches us in a constant stream of namedropping and pseudo-philosophical musings that fail to be either insightful or engaging.
For anyone who has engaged seriously with contemporary theory, criticism, or philosophy, Everett’s bizarre urge to flaunt his "philosophical" chops by endlessly quoting and satirizing renowned thinkers will be infuriating. He manages to make the very concept of Thought excruciatingly dull. His obsession with racial identity is force-fed to the reader with a relentless, distinctly American heavy-handedness.
I began this book with full attention, only to quickly realize that its directionless ramblings were a dead end. I resorted to skimming through the tedious faux-philosophical passages, flipping pages faster and faster until I ultimately abandoned the book altogether.
It must have taken Everett months to piece together this monstrosity. This was my first attempt at his work after hearing him on the radio, but if I ever venture into another one of his books, he’ll need to work miracles to redeem the abysmal experience of this one. It’s a trainwreck. He wasted his time writing it; don’t waste yours reading it.
For anyone who has engaged seriously with contemporary theory, criticism, or philosophy, Everett’s bizarre urge to flaunt his "philosophical" chops by endlessly quoting and satirizing renowned thinkers will be infuriating. He manages to make the very concept of Thought excruciatingly dull. His obsession with racial identity is force-fed to the reader with a relentless, distinctly American heavy-handedness.
I began this book with full attention, only to quickly realize that its directionless ramblings were a dead end. I resorted to skimming through the tedious faux-philosophical passages, flipping pages faster and faster until I ultimately abandoned the book altogether.
It must have taken Everett months to piece together this monstrosity. This was my first attempt at his work after hearing him on the radio, but if I ever venture into another one of his books, he’ll need to work miracles to redeem the abysmal experience of this one. It’s a trainwreck. He wasted his time writing it; don’t waste yours reading it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes