Reviews

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

jenwinnell's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

tarrowood's review against another edition

2.0

Felt like Halliday wanted to say more than she did. Take out the first and third part of the story and grow the middle portion it would’ve been great. But all together? This book doesn’t feel cohesive. Which the title may argue it shouldn’t. Yet, I felt like I was reading to finish, rather than reading to enjoy

elbowgrip_and_emdash's review against another edition

4.0

If this novel had ended after part one, it would have been worthy of 5 stars for sure. I loved the delivery of part one, which follows Alice, a young editor in New York City, who takes up with a Ezra, a much older and quite famous author. Halliday's technique in part one is unique and her prose fresh, quick, surprising, and even somewhat quirky. Part two follows Amar, who is an Iraqi-American detained by immigration officials on his way to Kurdistan. This part simply felt incomplete to me; it ended right as I felt it was beginning. It is more traditionally told than part one (though the flawless weaving of the present and past is something to be admired technically) but ultimately I think I missed the relationship between the two parts. This book merits, and is certainly worthy, of a reread. (There is a third part, an interview with Ezra, but apart from being highly interested in this strange, eloquent man as a character, I more or less felt the substance of the book ended after part two.)

zoylicious's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

dancinrio's review against another edition

4.0

As the synopsis says this novel is spilt into distinct sections. I found the second section, Madness, considerably more compelling than the first and in moving into this entirely new narrative I was better able to appreciate the whole.

I am going to log this one for task 20 of Read Harder 2018, a book with a cover you hate. Hate is a strong word but this, my 46th book of the year, is the first with a cover I dislike, the faux wrinkle is very annoying, so I'm calling it and directing my attention to the other tasks which are better designed to broaden my reading.

meganpcooper's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kittey2ng's review against another edition

2.0

as the main charachter kept saying "ok". I read longer than I should have waiting for something (anything) to happen. Not a bad book just didn't keep my interest.

zmull's review against another edition

4.0

I'm glad I didn't know that the author had a real life affair with Philip Roth before I read the book. I think that might have hurt my enjoyment of it. Anyway, I gather from some of the reviews that people are annoyed that the structure of the book isn't obvious and that the writer might have been too clever. Nah. Don't listen to that noise. Well-written, well conceived, asking interesting questions. It's good.

checkplease's review against another edition

4.0

3.75 Stars

taylorduhon13's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25