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marnipresnall's review against another edition
I don’t know. The characters are strong. Do people need to experience that level of pain and isolation for us to see their humanity, their connection?
ashufnagle's review against another edition
5.0
Lauren Groff’s prose will punch you in the gut. Her choppy sentences are fueled by raw emotion. This story engaged my imagination in a way that I hadn’t accessed in a long time— with each page, you cannot help but feel intimately and deeply intertwined in the relationship of Lotto and Mathilde as well as invested in their individual development.
This story embraces love but also demonstrates that its immense power is often found in its apparent imperfections—the things left unsaid, misperceptions, fury, or excessive adoration.
Additionally, I love the way Groff plays with time in this book. The apparent “chronological end” falling about half-way through.
All in all, I can’t wait to read more of her work!
This story embraces love but also demonstrates that its immense power is often found in its apparent imperfections—the things left unsaid, misperceptions, fury, or excessive adoration.
Additionally, I love the way Groff plays with time in this book. The apparent “chronological end” falling about half-way through.
All in all, I can’t wait to read more of her work!
katsherms's review against another edition
2.0
Reminder to self: you have tried to read this a few times and always forget you already read it and really didn't like it
nancy33's review against another edition
3.0
Please don't throw rotten tomatoes (or virtual ones) at me. I didn't love it, the prose was often beautiful but I never got drawn into the characters and found the plot slow and pedantic.
I didn't find the main male character interesting at all. He was completely self absorbed, despite how the author keeps telling us what a great guy that he is, I found him pretty annoying. The book got more interesting when we learned more about his wife Mathilde, but it was too little too late for me.
Off to hide from the flying vegetables.
I didn't find the main male character interesting at all. He was completely self absorbed, despite how the author keeps telling us what a great guy that he is, I found him pretty annoying. The book got more interesting when we learned more about his wife Mathilde, but it was too little too late for me.
Off to hide from the flying vegetables.
wskm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
moi_stephanie's review against another edition
5.0
Starts off maybe just a bit slow and maybe you're thinking this book isn't for you, but I promise, it all ties together. The second part is definitely better that the first.
Relationships are complicated, marriage more so (I imagine). This is a book about how sometimes you do things you wouldn't expect, all out of love, and how that causes ripples years ahead.
Relationships are complicated, marriage more so (I imagine). This is a book about how sometimes you do things you wouldn't expect, all out of love, and how that causes ripples years ahead.
blaestacey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
3.0
This is probably more like 3.5 stars if I want to split hairs.
I loved the writing - the descriptions of the every day aspects of a partnership over the long term, the emotions, the impressionistic sense of place and time. I couldn't put it down because of these things.
The second half through me for a loop though. The massive amounts of secrets and decades-long vendettas that appeared here didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story (or what I liked about it, anyway). I appreciated that the tale was told from two points of view, but would have found it more powerful if it had stuck with the more ordinary secrets and withholdings of a life - or possibly even more than ordinary (Groff could have utilized one dramatic thing from Mathilde's life instead of half a dozen) - but the plot turned into some unnecessary "Gone Girl" -esque shit that felt really out of place to me.
I loved the writing - the descriptions of the every day aspects of a partnership over the long term, the emotions, the impressionistic sense of place and time. I couldn't put it down because of these things.
The second half through me for a loop though. The massive amounts of secrets and decades-long vendettas that appeared here didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story (or what I liked about it, anyway). I appreciated that the tale was told from two points of view, but would have found it more powerful if it had stuck with the more ordinary secrets and withholdings of a life - or possibly even more than ordinary (Groff could have utilized one dramatic thing from Mathilde's life instead of half a dozen) - but the plot turned into some unnecessary "Gone Girl" -esque shit that felt really out of place to me.