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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I try to avoid Iowa writer's workshop authors (pretentious, focused on academia). This is that, but the writing was so good that I could overlook the other things. A book I would buy to annotate. The language was everything I ever want in a book.
Story is set in Louisville, Kentucky about some interesting and complex characters (writers at Uni of Louie), but it's a slow build to an abrupt and disappointing ending.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Got to the infidelity part, and didn't want to read further. Great writing, but pretentious characters.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hate to say this, but as an Appalachian, I find the contemporary narratives that have played out in the wake of the 2016 election tired. We’ve analyzed the dichotomy of coastal elites and small town America six ways from Sunday. For something released in 2022 to still be covering these themes, I’d expect it to be unique, fresh, and brave.
This book wasn’t that.
As an author, I appreciate Lee Cole’s style and writing in this debut, but I wish they were showcased in a different vehicle. In Groundskeeping, we are beholden to the narration of Owen, a native Kentuckian with a passed dotted with with mediocrity. As he moves back to Kentucky after a failed stint in Colorado, he immediately attached himself to Alma, a visiting writer at the college where he serves as a groundskeeper in order to take a free class each semester. Though the book, the passage of time is our plot, as Owen grapples with his own unstellar life, the shame and pride that comes with growing up in a small rural area, and trying to carve out a different path forward as a self-made writer.
As the book progresses, Owen attaches himself to Alma like a parasite, going so far as to co-opt her own stories into his own writing and suing their relationship as fodder to get ahead.
The book is a character study, which I usually like. However, when the character we’re studying is self-aware yet always the victim of his circumstance, it’s insufferable. The author imbues this sense of apology, not just for the character and his actions, but into the plot and discussions of literature that happen in the novel. The result is a book that feels like it’s apologizing for its own existence every few pages.
As much as I wanted to like this book, reading it brought me very little of what I expect in a coming-of-age character study. We got little discovery, much hand wringing, and a dissatisfying ending.
I do hope Lee Cole get success with this novel though, because I want to see what else is rattling about in his brain.
This book wasn’t that.
As an author, I appreciate Lee Cole’s style and writing in this debut, but I wish they were showcased in a different vehicle. In Groundskeeping, we are beholden to the narration of Owen, a native Kentuckian with a passed dotted with with mediocrity. As he moves back to Kentucky after a failed stint in Colorado, he immediately attached himself to Alma, a visiting writer at the college where he serves as a groundskeeper in order to take a free class each semester. Though the book, the passage of time is our plot, as Owen grapples with his own unstellar life, the shame and pride that comes with growing up in a small rural area, and trying to carve out a different path forward as a self-made writer.
As the book progresses, Owen attaches himself to Alma like a parasite, going so far as to co-opt her own stories into his own writing and suing their relationship as fodder to get ahead.
The book is a character study, which I usually like. However, when the character we’re studying is self-aware yet always the victim of his circumstance, it’s insufferable. The author imbues this sense of apology, not just for the character and his actions, but into the plot and discussions of literature that happen in the novel. The result is a book that feels like it’s apologizing for its own existence every few pages.
As much as I wanted to like this book, reading it brought me very little of what I expect in a coming-of-age character study. We got little discovery, much hand wringing, and a dissatisfying ending.
I do hope Lee Cole get success with this novel though, because I want to see what else is rattling about in his brain.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This read more like literary fiction than romance to me. I'm stunned that this is a debut novel; the prose and character development captivated me even though I didn't really care for the main characters. And I thought it was a nuanced portrayal/snapshot of the political divide in this country. I'm looking forward to reading more by this writer.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes