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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Captures a great sense of the dislocation you feel when you are halfway into another language.
You know how sometimes, without even meaning to, you pick up a book that is exactly what you need, at exactly that time, in exactly that place? This was that book for me.
“It was a Eucharistic rite of self–abnegation in which I acknowledged to myself that I was incapable of facing the world without designer medication and thereby absolved myself of some portion of my agency; it was a little humiliating, a little liberating.”
This is *chef’s kiss* very good.
“It was a Eucharistic rite of self–abnegation in which I acknowledged to myself that I was incapable of facing the world without designer medication and thereby absolved myself of some portion of my agency; it was a little humiliating, a little liberating.”
This is *chef’s kiss* very good.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I told the waiter I was looking for a hotel whose name I didn't know on a street whose name I didn't know and could he help me; we both laughed and he said: Aren't we all."
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing is beautiful but I just didn't see the point of the novel (or maybe that is the point?) Still, incredible writer.
I mean, I'm pretty much the target audience for the book. I've been half-cooking the idea of writing a Great American Novel about studying abroad, so in a way, it's a great weight off my chest to see that Lerner has already done it. But I'm still somewhat squirming over what I would have done better.
In general, it's a fantastic premise. And there are passages both long and short that are just beautifully written and express an image or a place perfectly. The protagonist is very relatable and yet such a terrible person so as to be someone to compare yourself against. So he's human, which I never realized was so difficult to do until I saw how Lerner did it.
Maybe because of the subject matter, but it's probably the first book that I've thought about from the author's point of view. I was happy to be able to pick up on some references and to read that book from a different perspective. That may be more about me than it is about the book, though.
There are some screechingly awful parts. Bits about 11/5 and some of the romance come across as forced-in rather than part of the text. And maybe I just don't like the poetry bits because I have no background in poetry, but again; seems forced rather than part of the same story.
And Spain? I get that it's where Lerner went, so it's where he'd write about. But...Spain?
It is a good story, though. I would recommend it to any of the many young americans wandering around the country to try to prove something to themselves. There's a great passage about Americans abroad, captured by Jonathan Shainin here: http://shainin.tumblr.com/post/18351335000/on-the-highway-to-toledo-we-passed-several-tour, that encapsulates pretty well a lot of the study abroad experience. The book in general is good at describing disillusionment, disgust, and lots of other wonderfully negative attitudes that a lot of us have who decide to leave home.
It's a very good book and perhaps I'm too negative right now, because I really enjoyed it and am about to give it to a friend to read. I think there's just this big gap between where I wanted to have taken the book and where Lerner took it.
In general, it's a fantastic premise. And there are passages both long and short that are just beautifully written and express an image or a place perfectly. The protagonist is very relatable and yet such a terrible person so as to be someone to compare yourself against. So he's human, which I never realized was so difficult to do until I saw how Lerner did it.
Maybe because of the subject matter, but it's probably the first book that I've thought about from the author's point of view. I was happy to be able to pick up on some references and to read that book from a different perspective. That may be more about me than it is about the book, though.
There are some screechingly awful parts. Bits about 11/5 and some of the romance come across as forced-in rather than part of the text. And maybe I just don't like the poetry bits because I have no background in poetry, but again; seems forced rather than part of the same story.
And Spain? I get that it's where Lerner went, so it's where he'd write about. But...Spain?
It is a good story, though. I would recommend it to any of the many young americans wandering around the country to try to prove something to themselves. There's a great passage about Americans abroad, captured by Jonathan Shainin here: http://shainin.tumblr.com/post/18351335000/on-the-highway-to-toledo-we-passed-several-tour, that encapsulates pretty well a lot of the study abroad experience. The book in general is good at describing disillusionment, disgust, and lots of other wonderfully negative attitudes that a lot of us have who decide to leave home.
It's a very good book and perhaps I'm too negative right now, because I really enjoyed it and am about to give it to a friend to read. I think there's just this big gap between where I wanted to have taken the book and where Lerner took it.