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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
I got through this book fairly quickly. I liked the plot of it and the idea of it, the characters though. There was Zo, who was a radical feminist who became center of attention for getting arrested after causing a scene for not getting arrested. Ethan, who is lusting over a girl half his age while married. Alex, their child who has severe ADHD that cannot be controlled. Maddy, the live in babysitter who is better than everything. The characters are what knocked two stars for me.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually read this in bits and pieces over the last year. In my opinion, the first half was slow, but the second half really crackles. I know the author, so of course the parts where she is skewering the town we both live in were very evocative and had me cackling out loud. (Zo’s arrest and the Twitter-battle aftermath!) I actually really liked the ending.
It took me until 75% through the book to realize this was a re-imagining of Ethan Frome. XD
Unfortunately, these characters were so unlikeable that it made it hard to feel anything at the end of the book.
Unfortunately, these characters were so unlikeable that it made it hard to feel anything at the end of the book.
I haven't read, nor am I familar with the book that this is based on/retelling, but it's well written with a lot of relevant observations about current society that ossilate between amusing and sobering.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for review.
The Smash-Up is a very much au courant novel inspired by [b:Ethan Frome|5246|Ethan Frome|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389822254l/5246._SY75_.jpg|132919] and current events. Set in a small town in western Massachusetts, this tale takes a middle-aged Gen X couple, their ADHD middle school daughter, their live in babysitter and a number of other characters to tell a story about feminism, activism, and modern politics. Ethan and Zo moved to this small town years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn and to have a nice family life. Back in NY, Ethan had help found a media/marketing company and Zo was an up & coming filmmaker. In their rural lives, Zo finds herself full embroiled in activism, jumping on the wave of feminism following Trump's election, the #metoo movement, and the Justice Kavanaugh hearings. . Ethan is left wondering what happened to his life and his wife.
This book was witty and clever with many observations about modern day America especially in regards to #metoo and activism. I really enjoyed this one. Being a Gen Xer, I could relate to Ethan and Zo, as both try to stay on top of what is happening in America, on social media, and more. Ethan wants to do right but has his stumbles. He is left perplexed by what the younger generation is doing, but at the same time doesn't want to blindly assist friends from his own generation. Somehow I seem to be reading a bunch of #metoo related books (fiction and non-fiction) in a row, but perhaps we are just hitting the wave of when these literary response are being published. Next wave will be the pandemic-related books. :). I highly recommend this one to folks who like books with a sly eye towards current day politics and feminism.
What to listen to while reading...
(all of these songs are mentioned in the novel)
Paradise City by Guns N'Roses
People Have the Power by Patti Smith
Revolution by The Beatles
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
What's Going on by Marvin Gaye
Straight Outta Vagina by Pussy Riot
Love Train by The O'Jays
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This book was witty and clever with many observations about modern day America especially in regards to #metoo and activism. I really enjoyed this one. Being a Gen Xer, I could relate to Ethan and Zo, as both try to stay on top of what is happening in America, on social media, and more. Ethan wants to do right but has his stumbles. He is left perplexed by what the younger generation is doing, but at the same time doesn't want to blindly assist friends from his own generation. Somehow I seem to be reading a bunch of #metoo related books (fiction and non-fiction) in a row, but perhaps we are just hitting the wave of when these literary response are being published. Next wave will be the pandemic-related books. :). I highly recommend this one to folks who like books with a sly eye towards current day politics and feminism.
What to listen to while reading...
(all of these songs are mentioned in the novel)
Paradise City by Guns N'Roses
People Have the Power by Patti Smith
Revolution by The Beatles
Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright
What's Going on by Marvin Gaye
Straight Outta Vagina by Pussy Riot
Love Train by The O'Jays
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
Literary updates can often work quite well, but all inevitably are held in comparison to the original. The Smash-Up, with its allusions to Wharton's novella far more than winking - rather, loud and obvious -, wants desperately to take the New England gothic Ethan Frome and make it a Trump-era parable of marital woe. This desperation is obvious, and Benjamin adds little insight to either the politics of the present or the relationship of the past. This is a novel that feels like all other novels written in the last four years, an imitation imitating the popular fiction of today and its literary inspiration. It is a novel by proxy, aping its more insightful counterparts. And, like a counterfeit luxury bag knockoff, you can see evidence of contrivance in the seams and on the edges (a plot smashed-up, as the title implies, inorganically; characters typecast as tropes; and an overwhelming and intentional white malaise). This is not a novel, really. More a novel-product.
emotional
informative
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes