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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book kept me riveted all the way through and crushed me at the end. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Great story and startlingly well written. Met Dubus III and he's such a smart, fantastic guy!
I had a hard time paying attention all the way through this book.
The constant perspective shift sometimes made it hard to figure out who was talking.
Kathy made one bad decision after another while complaining that nothing ever changed.
Les I could never figure out.
And I never felt like I was rooting for any of the characters.
Plus, why did it take until the end of the book to learn that Nadi gets migraines?
The constant perspective shift sometimes made it hard to figure out who was talking.
Kathy made one bad decision after another while complaining that nothing ever changed.
Les I could never figure out.
And I never felt like I was rooting for any of the characters.
Plus, why did it take until the end of the book to learn that Nadi gets migraines?
Three people really screw up their lives. Well written, although sometimes with too much description and "in the head" thinking. Andre Dubus does a nice job of showing both sides of a conflict. The use of Iranian words and terms, although usually explained, was annoying at first, in part because I started listening to the audio book, but became less noticeable especially once I switched to a paperback edition.
I liked how the author was able to give 2 fair accounts of the 2 sides to an argument. It was fascinating how the characters were written in that you simultaneously liked neither the antagonist nor the protagonist, while at the same time understanding why they're making the frustrating decisions that they make throughout the book.
Depressing. Just depressing. And tragic. This book does not have a happy ending. I didn't like any of the main characters. I really didn't enjoy this book and would have put it down if it hadn't been a book club read. This book made onto Oprah's Book Club and that should have been my first clue that I wouldn't like it. Just sad. Too sad.
I chose this because I had read a collection of essays by the author's father. To be honest, I made it 80% of the way through and then stopped reading. Certainly well written, and the weaving together of all the different characters and narrative lines was just about perfectly done...but in the end the story just wasn't for me. It was hard for me to see many redeeming qualities in the characters, and eventually my empathy for them ran out.
A mix-up at city hall sends two families on a collision course. I love that this story is told from each of the characters prospective so you get the 'full' picture of what is happening in each scene. This books ends tragically for all involved -- terribly sad and leaves you with the 'What would I do if that were my situation? Would I fight or back down?'. A very good read, highly recommended. I understand that the movie was wonderfully done -- with Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly playing the main characters.
This book has what seems like a very simple plot: two parties who are battling over who rightfully owns a small house/bungalow. The best part of the book is the author's ability to take such a simple plot and really work the characters (including the house) into an interesting novel that keeps you reading.
I will say the book is slow-going at times. But the author makes up for it in his character development. The book is curiously written from several perspectives: first person of all 3 main characters as well as even 3rd person at some points. You start the book feeling strongly about what should happen and who should "win" but as the story unfolds and the lives of these people unwind, you change your mind a few times. By the end everything is such a mess you can't help but them all somehow to wake up to themselves.
It was an Oprah book club pick...not why I read it, but I can see where this would be a good book club discussion book.
I will say the book is slow-going at times. But the author makes up for it in his character development. The book is curiously written from several perspectives: first person of all 3 main characters as well as even 3rd person at some points. You start the book feeling strongly about what should happen and who should "win" but as the story unfolds and the lives of these people unwind, you change your mind a few times. By the end everything is such a mess you can't help but them all somehow to wake up to themselves.
It was an Oprah book club pick...not why I read it, but I can see where this would be a good book club discussion book.
It kept me flipping the pages. I did prefer the male narrative to the female's, and I wished to know more of his family's life past in Iran prior to the revolution. The woman's addiction became tedious and I really found the last scenario with the cop's spiral into criminality a bit overreaching. I do finish it. That has a lot to be said because there are so many novels as of late that I can't seem to get through.