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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
A David Rakoff novel written in rhyming couplets that I could perfectly imagine him reading. On fact I wonder if there is a book on tape version. I very much liked the design. I have been a Rakoff Dan from his This American Life stories so was looking forward to this tale. I found it much easier to get into while reading it out loud.
Hmm. If I hadn't read Vikram Seth's _The Golden Gate_ last year this probably would have amazed me more. The idea of a novel written in verse is cool and there's no doubt Rakoff's poetry works here, it's just that Seth's book (in sonnets instead of couplets) was so amazing that it's hard to think of this as entirely successful. For me, the lightness of the couplets often clashes with the theme of the stories. It was especially jarring in the Nathan and Clifford sections, where the couplets almost sapped the stories of their pathos. I get that the point is to create a sardonic tone; I'm just not sure it works as well as it should. Don't get me wrong -- I love Rakoff and this is definitely worth reading (especially given how short the book is). But it's very slight and, to me, not anywhere near as powerful as the essays in his earlier books.
As a book—an object—this is wonderful. The design was done by Chip Kidd, with illustrations by the cartoonist Seth. It's beautiful to look at, and the illustrations of the characters at the beginning of each section are lovely and help you navigate the story.
The eccentricity of writing a novel in verse is staggering, and the result is delicious. I tend to read too fast, gulping down the words to follow the plot. This style slows me down, and makes me appreciate the book more. The vignettes of characters are wonderful.
I guess it's no surprise that it's not a conventional novel. The story jumps from character to character, but converges. It covers a dizzying amount of time in remarkably few pages. The cover it a portrait of a woman. There are holes drilled in it, which reveal letters on the next page which spell out the title. The book is rather like that. The story covers decades, but does it by giving you glimpses of short, vivid scenes.
The eccentricity of writing a novel in verse is staggering, and the result is delicious. I tend to read too fast, gulping down the words to follow the plot. This style slows me down, and makes me appreciate the book more. The vignettes of characters are wonderful.
I guess it's no surprise that it's not a conventional novel. The story jumps from character to character, but converges. It covers a dizzying amount of time in remarkably few pages. The cover it a portrait of a woman. There are holes drilled in it, which reveal letters on the next page which spell out the title. The book is rather like that. The story covers decades, but does it by giving you glimpses of short, vivid scenes.
This was a short, fun book. Almost impossible to stop myself from speaking and thinking in the rhythm and rhyme of the book after reading it.
Written in some strange form of meter like a long poem. Way too hard to read.
This book will break your heart in a million pieces, put it back together, and help you process your (unprocessed) feelings/traumas.
The Tortise/Scorpion story is my favorite bit of all, it is just...so good!
The Tortise/Scorpion story is my favorite bit of all, it is just...so good!
I love interconnected stories.
I need to read more poetry cause the meter threw me off more than it should've.
I need to read more poetry cause the meter threw me off more than it should've.
Rakoff manages to cover so much ground in this expansive yet slim book of interconnecting short stories in rhyming couplets. The rhyme scheme flowed well and there were a few surprising rhymes put together. I can honestly say I wish it had been longer. I adore the design of the book itself and the illustrations.
I actually contemplated writing my review in rhyming couplets, but who am I kidding? I wouldn't have been able to pull it off well enough to do justice to Rakoff's genius.
I actually contemplated writing my review in rhyming couplets, but who am I kidding? I wouldn't have been able to pull it off well enough to do justice to Rakoff's genius.
"But dreams scream as loud,
whether thriving or dying"
This poignant novel which was written and told in verse radiated heartache, pure loneliness, angst and longing. This work is remarkable just thinking about the rhyming and timing of every word and line. I also loved how every person in the story is connected in some ways and factor each and own's perish.
whether thriving or dying"
This poignant novel which was written and told in verse radiated heartache, pure loneliness, angst and longing. This work is remarkable just thinking about the rhyming and timing of every word and line. I also loved how every person in the story is connected in some ways and factor each and own's perish.