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nixieknox's review against another edition
4.0
I freaking loved this book. This is literary fiction at its finest - almost nothing happens but I didn't care. These characters evoke feelings like family members - you can love them and be so irritated with their choices at the same time.
Loved it.
Loved it.
moirastone's review against another edition
4.0
There is undeniable pleasure in reading a novel set in a neighborhood that you know and love. But I would have loved The Astral if it hadn't been set chiefly in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. It's yet another Kate Christensen book that manages to show me how absolutist thinking, especially about human relationships, will lead only to loneliness. Ambiguity is painful, change is hard, transgression is jarring, and The Astral puts its characters in those in-between times and lets us watch them flail. It's bracing. It's beautiful.
(Nota bene: I would heartily recommend other books of hers - especially Trouble and The Great Man.)
(Nota bene: I would heartily recommend other books of hers - especially Trouble and The Great Man.)
stevienlcf's review against another edition
2.0
Harry Quirk is a published poet and a self-identified failure whose marriage is on the brink when his wife, Luz, kicks him out of their shared apartment at The Astral after acusing him of having an affair with a mutual friend. The novel follows Harry as he roams his north Brooklyn neighborhood and strategizes how to regain footing with, Luz, the object of his desire. Unfortunately, Luz is a cipher, and it is unclear why Harry is so desparately trying to save his marriage. The weak narrative is buoyed by lyrical observations of the city and the ghosts of past selves.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
While I think I enjoyed The Epicure's Lament more, I did enjoy this book. It is rare that I empathize with a male character over a female one, but in this case, I was wholly in Harry's corner and furious with Luz. I think that Christensen totally captured that strange combination of middle-aged angst, the comfort of being settled balanced against the desire for some of that drama from our youth, which you can't replicate without throwing your whole life into chaos. Great writing, Brooklyn was as much a character as any of the people in the book, and you cared about what happened to everyone. Harry's new relationship seemed doomed to fall into a domestic routine too quickly, but you did hold out hope that he has learned something along the way.
desirosie's review against another edition
2.0
I was disappointed with this story, especially considering it was my own personal Biblioracle recommendation. There was nothing wrong with it per se, and I did finish it, even though it was a few days overdue at the library, but it wasn't anything I got excited about. As dysfunctional marriages and families go, the Quirks weren't anything new or exciting and I just didn't care that much about the characters. I finished the book 2 days ago and their names are already fading from my memory....will Harry and Luz get back together? Will their son escape from the weird cult? Will their daughter [...] oh wait, she's kind of a minor character, actually. Blergh.
melloves2read's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed parts of this book but I just couldn't care about the characters enough. Luz just made me so mad but I also didn't feel that she was very well developed. I guess we were just seeing everyone through Harry's eyes so it should all be taken with a grain of salt. Some good insights on religion and marriage but I've enjoyed her other books more.
sarahjsnider's review against another edition
3.0
I assume this is called The Astral because The Most Clueless Man in Brooklyn was taken. Harry does get a clue eventually, but it takes him long enough. If you let go of the desire to like all the characters, it's pretty good.
ronbronson's review
2.0
Like a lot of the other people, I just didn't find that I cared enough about the main character or his life enough. I couldn't get anywhere near lost in this story.