Scan barcode
megsmarvin17's review against another edition
3.0
Failure is one long no-show, a surprise party where the guest of honor stands you up; a Great Expectations with unraveled lace and a cake full of rats.I don't really know what to say. Often while reading this I flew through the pages, eager to know what happened, and other times, I skimmed pages, unable to read the thick paragraphs of descriptions. I just think that I am not a fan of Lionel Shriver's writing style. Her prose is often brutal yet beautiful but I often feel like I have to slog through it. I will say that she has an insane knack for writing characters that I feel absolutely no sympathy for. Everyone in this book is an awful person, just like in We Need to Talk About Kevin (which I couldn't even finish). It was interesting to read a book literally centered about my favorite hobby, though. I don't know, I'm just glad I finally finished it.
fireadscrime's review against another edition
1.0
Terrible. I'm still not sure why I finished reading it. Weak plot, terrible writing style that makes individual sentences incomprehensible and a truly dislikable main character. How the author of We must talk about Kevin got this published is a mystery to me.
mandi_m's review
Shriver writes flawed, conflicted characters well. This doesn't pack the punch that We Need to Talk About Kevin does, but still a thought provoking, enjoyable read.
cansail's review against another edition
3.0
All this book was lacking was a good edit. The story is great, the writing is fantastic; but it reads like a first draft. Too much telling of stuff we already know from more subtle sources, too much expository, too much story creation on the page.
It's too bad this book didn't get the same heavy editorial hand that Shriver's excellent "The Post Birthday World" must have, because I really wanted this sports-driven book to be just as excellent.
It's too bad this book didn't get the same heavy editorial hand that Shriver's excellent "The Post Birthday World" must have, because I really wanted this sports-driven book to be just as excellent.
brontebucket's review against another edition
4.0
Tennis setting for the telling of a relationship forming and breaking down. Woman on the tennis circuit (promising child star who has only known the world of tennis) meets man who has come to tennis late in his 20s. They marry and he continues to improve, whilst she starts to falter. She is v competitive and loses her confidence as he starts to beat her. He overtakes her in the rankings and she can’t cope; has meltdown and is unable to get things in perspective. You want to shake some sense into her; not a likeable female character. Enjoyable read.
thchainz's review against another edition
4.0
For anyone who has ever gone through the slow misery of a long and depressing break up, this book captures the creeping hatred, resentment, and sadness that comes with it. this is my second time reading the book and while the technical details of tennis can be rough, it was better the second time around and even more sad.
madanburg's review
2.0
I have been so involved with everything else I've read by Shriver, but I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe both main characters were too flawed from start to finish, maybe there was an overabundance of telling not showing, but I just felt divorced from their characters.
fluffy1st's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I've enjoyed all of Shriver's books so far, and I'm pleased this didn't disappoint.
oliver's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cansail's review against another edition
3.0
All this book was lacking was a good edit. The story is great, the writing is fantastic; but it reads like a first draft. Too much telling of stuff we already know from more subtle sources, too much expository, too much story creation on the page.
It's too bad this book didn't get the same heavy editorial hand that Shriver's excellent "The Post Birthday World" must have, because I really wanted this sports-driven book to be just as excellent.
It's too bad this book didn't get the same heavy editorial hand that Shriver's excellent "The Post Birthday World" must have, because I really wanted this sports-driven book to be just as excellent.