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therealkathryn's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written story of two poor families in 1950s-60s small-town New York, linked by a murder. The kind of characters and story you don't forget easily.
hoboken's review against another edition
1.0
Judging by the reviews here, there are two kinds of people--those who like JCO and those who don't. This was my only try at her, and it put me in the latter camp.
re_oanslay's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved the first part of this book. While learning about Jinx and Iris, their respective families, and how their lives intertwine allowed the prose to shine. However, the latter half of the novel focuses more on Iris, who I found to be the less compelling protagonist when compared to Jinx. It would seem that his life is more dramatically affected by Little Red’s death and, as such, I wish the narrative gave him more attention. The literary side of me would like to hand wave it with the excuse of an example of privilege - we follow the young white woman as she is successful but privately tortured and ignore the young black man who’s sense of guilt destroys his ability to rise above - however, I don’t think that’s the case.
brdgtc's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, heartbreakingly tragic, and incredibly realistic - I can't believe I hadn't read Oates before. "There is nothing that gives perspective to one's life like eating alone in a public place."
justjoel's review against another edition
Made it to page 149 before I gave up. I did not enjoy the writing style at all. It was so remote and detached that I never developed interest in the characters. The plot was cement. It just did not move. Not for me!
emilyas93's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Racism
saraklem's review against another edition
4.0
The thing I liked about this book was that it wasn't neat and clean. It wasn't in your face calling you out about your stereotyping or misconceptions. It took into account that flawed people do flawed things because of the parts of their identities that they inherited, rather than feeling like a trite manifesto about how we shouldnt judge a book by its cover. I felt it captured human complexity really well, even if at times it felt needlessly vulgar.
chantelbrenna's review against another edition
4.0
In typical Joyce Carol Oates fashion, this books is devastating and beautiful. I've also noticed that most of her books are about someone getting murdered and it just ruining everyone's lives, but they are wonderful and I keep reading them.
jhadler's review against another edition
2.0
Vaguely disappointing. But I will still read more of J. Carol Oates stuff.
krissyronan's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a bit to get into this but I'm so glad I did. Lovely. Dark. Heart-wrenching. I must read more Oates!