Reviews

Veronica by Mary Gaitskill

homa99's review against another edition

3.0

Five stars for beautiful prose and a pitch perfect depiction of a disaffected narrator. It’s just hard for me to care about a disaffected narrator’s world.

thekoolaidqueen's review

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

laila4343's review against another edition

4.0

Raw yet lyrical. Sad. Compelling. Really liked it.

wrentheblurry's review against another edition

2.0

I wish I had written a review of this after I read it, for I find it so forgettable that I cannot precisely recall why I didn't much care for it. The book is largely a downer, and I never really cared what happened to any of the characters. I found this title through a list that suggested this over some other more popular, 'classic' tale. Not recommended.

aedireads's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

faithgeiger's review against another edition

5.0

Sometimes I give books 5 stars even if they’re not quite there because I get to thinking that maybe I’m holding them to some impossible standard… This book is my 5 star standard. I cannot overstate how much I loved it and unfortunately I can’t talk about it without rambling. The story is perfect but more important to me than that is Gaitskill’s prose, which is astounding and mesmerizing and inspiring. Every image and feeling is somehow both perfectly precise and beautifully unexpected. Like I recognize everything, but in a way I’ve never seen it before. It feels like true magic. To me it is the best example of what writing can and should do and what I can only hope to be able to do someday. Yay:)

notfrances's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mattleesharp's review against another edition

3.0

This was really sharp interesting writing that was a little wasted on contemplations of "beauty" and stringing out a long illness/death metaphor. I'm excited to read more Gaitskill now though. She can really string together a sentence.

schwarmgiven's review against another edition

4.0

This was recommended to me by Julie as the best book on women's friendship. She was wrong--though this book does have a lot of female friendship it is not what is best about this book. The backdrop of AIDS, the tragedy of beauty, abuse, mistakes, rage, frustration, all of it is amazing.

but the book is about music.

And the book is the best book about fathers and daughters.

My SARGE Book Club really disliked the characters in this book & the plot lovers were frustrated (as is the norm), but both were lame--this book is gold.

Strongly recommended.

mayabee92's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0