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harveym's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
2.0
ananya33's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
katellison's review
4.0
profound revelations re: the false correlation between wipe quality and food intake
alliehighsmith's review
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
maricela's review
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sriracha2000's review
1.0
This book was aggravating. My interest piqued when the narrator began to describe their admiration for Jordan Castro (the author of this novel), which could have presented some interesting self-reflection but instead, the narrator quickly returned to the narcissistic and tedious stream of consciousness that makes up the rest of the book. As if the narrators incel-ish personal and professional views weren't unlikable enough, you get the added colour of a 5 page description of their labored morning shit (not kidding). If the entire book was meant to be ironic, the character gets a pass but I would still question the purpose or value of the novel as a whole.
chillcox15's review
4.0
Jordan Castro's The Novelist is a novel concerned with the minutiae of the day that gets in the way of the work we set out to do: it's the extra tabs you have open in your browser that you have to wade through before getting to the work document, it's the extra time you spend on the toilet, mindlessly scrolling through shit while your shit floats beneath you. It's also the weird vendettas and preoccupations your mind sets about, why you feel drawn to caring about what one person thinks and not another person, a person who may be closer to you in real life. Any novel that concerned with daily bowel functions may have to work overtime to beat the 'insubstantial' allegations, and Castro seems to be aware of this with the citation of Baker's The Mezzanine, but he maybe doth protest too much. That being said, this is a book you could read in one or two decent sittings, and I would recommend you do so, even if just to feel "seen" by someone who is wonderfully and accurately capturing this particular moment of physical-digital existence.
avecruthie's review
1.0
If there was a possibility to 0 star, I would. There’s no way to give spoilers for this book because absolutely nothing happens.
Rating: 1
Did I actually finish reading this book just so I could give it a bad review? Hell yes, I did. And let me tell you, "The Novelist" by Jordan Castro left me questioning my life choices.
First things first, the narrator isn't even Jordan Castro. We have this unnamed author who used to be a heroin addict, is now in recovery, lives with his girlfriend and dog, and has a serious case of chronic procrastination.
I will admit, though, the author does have some insightful moments. His analysis of social media and the whole struggle of wanting to unfollow someone but fearing the judgment of others hit close to home. It reminded me of my own struggle before I finally decided to say "screw it" and detach myself from the social media circus.
But let's talk about the plot, or rather, the lack thereof. Seriously, it's a whole lot of nothing happening. This book is basically just the author procrastinating on writing his own novel. I mean, I get it, we all procrastinate, but did I really need a whole book dedicated to someone else's procrastination? No, thank you.
And then we have these random rants about the most oddly specific things. "Why do you like Jordan Castro?" and "pee" are just a couple of the mind-numbing topics we get to explore. But wait, it gets even better. The narrator goes off on a tangent about feces and his wiping techniques. I kid you not, I was desperately searching for any semblance of meaning or relevance to the plot, and surprise, surprise, it was nowhere to be found.
Here's a piece of wisdom: self-praise is no praise. Why is the narrator going on and on about how amazing Jordan Castro is? Dude, I don't even know you! It's like he's desperately trying to convince us that this book is worth reading, when in reality, it's just a jumbled mess.
This is the kind of book you write when you've been in the game for 10-15 years, not for your debut. All I wanted was for him to sit down and actually write the damn novel or shut up about it.
I would honestly rather subject myself to reading a physics textbook than endure this book again. At least with physics, there's some tangible knowledge to gain. With "The Novelist," all I gained was a seething frustration and a strong desire to burn the pages.
One thing that might have made this book marginally better is if the narrator didn't obsessively use himself as the author. Maybe if it were a popular or even a fictional author, it would have been easier to relate to. As it stands, this book made me absolutely despise Jordan Castro.
Oh, and one more thing—did the author just learn the word "nihilist"? Because it feels like he mentions it every other page. We get it, life is meaningless and all that jazz. Now can we please move on?
Rating: 1
Did I actually finish reading this book just so I could give it a bad review? Hell yes, I did. And let me tell you, "The Novelist" by Jordan Castro left me questioning my life choices.
First things first, the narrator isn't even Jordan Castro. We have this unnamed author who used to be a heroin addict, is now in recovery, lives with his girlfriend and dog, and has a serious case of chronic procrastination.
I will admit, though, the author does have some insightful moments. His analysis of social media and the whole struggle of wanting to unfollow someone but fearing the judgment of others hit close to home. It reminded me of my own struggle before I finally decided to say "screw it" and detach myself from the social media circus.
But let's talk about the plot, or rather, the lack thereof. Seriously, it's a whole lot of nothing happening. This book is basically just the author procrastinating on writing his own novel. I mean, I get it, we all procrastinate, but did I really need a whole book dedicated to someone else's procrastination? No, thank you.
And then we have these random rants about the most oddly specific things. "Why do you like Jordan Castro?" and "pee" are just a couple of the mind-numbing topics we get to explore. But wait, it gets even better. The narrator goes off on a tangent about feces and his wiping techniques. I kid you not, I was desperately searching for any semblance of meaning or relevance to the plot, and surprise, surprise, it was nowhere to be found.
Here's a piece of wisdom: self-praise is no praise. Why is the narrator going on and on about how amazing Jordan Castro is? Dude, I don't even know you! It's like he's desperately trying to convince us that this book is worth reading, when in reality, it's just a jumbled mess.
This is the kind of book you write when you've been in the game for 10-15 years, not for your debut. All I wanted was for him to sit down and actually write the damn novel or shut up about it.
I would honestly rather subject myself to reading a physics textbook than endure this book again. At least with physics, there's some tangible knowledge to gain. With "The Novelist," all I gained was a seething frustration and a strong desire to burn the pages.
One thing that might have made this book marginally better is if the narrator didn't obsessively use himself as the author. Maybe if it were a popular or even a fictional author, it would have been easier to relate to. As it stands, this book made me absolutely despise Jordan Castro.
Oh, and one more thing—did the author just learn the word "nihilist"? Because it feels like he mentions it every other page. We get it, life is meaningless and all that jazz. Now can we please move on?
obviouschild96's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0