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stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
I like reading bizarre books & this one certainly fits the bill.
It's at times touching, imaginative, funny, gross, & fascinating. However, by a third of the way in, I already had an inkling to the ending & I wasn't far off in my guess. I'm not sure if it was that blatantly obvious or if I've just read too many odd books, but I felt a little let-down at already knowing the direction the book was going. Still, it was a quick & mostly entertaining story.
A worthwhile read for fans of bizarro fiction.
It's at times touching, imaginative, funny, gross, & fascinating. However, by a third of the way in, I already had an inkling to the ending & I wasn't far off in my guess. I'm not sure if it was that blatantly obvious or if I've just read too many odd books, but I felt a little let-down at already knowing the direction the book was going. Still, it was a quick & mostly entertaining story.
A worthwhile read for fans of bizarro fiction.
shawntowner's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful book about a non-verbal Hungarian midget named Rovar who sells meat out of a school bus in Virginia. The novel is structured in a fashion that reminds me of Everything is Illuminated: chapters in the present alternating with chapters in the past. The chapters dealing with the past in The Convalescent focus on the lost, forgotten, and neglected 11th tribe of Hungary. This 11th tribe is a clan of deformed butchers and a giant monk who revolutionizes mounted combat archery.
Like Everything is Illuminated, the sections taking place in the past are filled with elements of magical realism, which eventually spills over into the present-day plot. As much as I enjoy the magical realism, the one problem I had with the novel was the Kafkaesque ending. I was fine with Rovar's hallucinatory visions of Speedo-clad water polo captains and Carly Simon, but I didn't care for the magical absurdity of the last few pages of the novel.
McSweeney's did a great job choosing author Jessica Anthony as the first winner of the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award. The Convalescent is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes stories about non-verbal midget meatmongers.
Like Everything is Illuminated, the sections taking place in the past are filled with elements of magical realism, which eventually spills over into the present-day plot. As much as I enjoy the magical realism, the one problem I had with the novel was the Kafkaesque ending. I was fine with Rovar's hallucinatory visions of Speedo-clad water polo captains and Carly Simon, but I didn't care for the magical absurdity of the last few pages of the novel.
McSweeney's did a great job choosing author Jessica Anthony as the first winner of the Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award. The Convalescent is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes stories about non-verbal midget meatmongers.
jalapenyokai's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, this book is definitely on my list of top 5 favorite covers. It is stunning.
Second, I am staggered by Jessica Anthony's ability to humanize and revolt, to portray the grotesque with grace and nausea. Her utilization of the disenfranchised and contemptible was appropriately complex. She offers no straightforward axiom or hamfisted moralistic rebuke. Everyone appears more tawdry through the eyes of this book and yet everyone seems a bit more resplendent as well.
Third, I can't decide how I feel about surprise magical realism elements. Come back to me on that one.
Second, I am staggered by Jessica Anthony's ability to humanize and revolt, to portray the grotesque with grace and nausea. Her utilization of the disenfranchised and contemptible was appropriately complex. She offers no straightforward axiom or hamfisted moralistic rebuke. Everyone appears more tawdry through the eyes of this book and yet everyone seems a bit more resplendent as well.
Third, I can't decide how I feel about surprise magical realism elements. Come back to me on that one.
prcizmadia's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not quite sure what I just read... but I know that I loved it. Maybe I wasn't supposed to laugh at the hapless and hopeless narrator, but I did, in public, on buses and stuff so people probably think I'm crazy. I found this to be incredibly imaginative and immersive, and I can't wait to see what Ms. Anthony will be doing next. Really, it's a short and compact read, so if you like truly creative fiction and can just go with the ride, pick this up.
rpmirabella's review against another edition
3.0
Short Review: Good writing that, at times, suffered from annoying quirks. Excellent characterization. Moments of real and vivid magic (incredible birth scene). Though the ending was lovely, I felt let down, sort of abandoned by the character as the writer took her ongoing metaphor to the point of completion (personally, I think the metaphor is a cliche- I won't give it away here though) I think if she'd stayed with the character a little longer, it would have been more satisfying. We leave him too early. The chapters of Hungarian history were interesting and contained some of the best writing, but I found myself wanting to know more about the main character, Rovar. Worth reading. There should be more novels with this much heart and magic. Jessica Anthony's next novel should be amazing; she's a real talent. Hopefully, she has more books in her.
snmrrw's review against another edition
4.0
So awesomely weird. Well-crafted. The middle fifth drags a bit, but the rest is a joy.
oliviaquinn's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
runningreader's review
2.0
I tried really hard to like this book since I've heard great reviews about it. I just couldn't get past the flipping back and forth between current times and a long time ago in Hungary.
emilyinherhead's review
4.0
This was a completely unexpected story with a lot of funny moments that made me chuckle out loud. I had no idea where the ending was going, but in retrospect I think it worked very well.