Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.75 AVERAGE
2.75 AVERAGE
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
I have not been this irritated by a book in a long time. Is it a coming of age story (for a privileged 30yo white dude)? Is it a cultural critique? Is it a biography? I'm all for books that do more than one thing, but a writer has to be able to do each thing well, clearly and with style, and tie them together in some sort of way. Palmer accomplishes none of those things. That it took me this long to read this rather slim book is telling; every time I picked it up, I wanted to put it down.
Also: Why are all these women attracted to this sad sack?
I'll add half a star for the sake of a handful of moments when I smiled or thought, yes, that's a true statment.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Deeply introspective novel that threads together the poetry of John Berryman and the reality tv show The Bachelor. Andrew Palmer is a colleague of mine, and I admire the inventiveness of this novel, as well as the prose.
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to absorb myself in this, but once the plot got going I was sucked in. Palmer writes beautifully about relationships and the ways that they crumble and grow. While the main character felt distant, the prose in this book helped me feel closer to him.
I was instantly sold by the premise of a man becoming obsessed with the Bachelor. Especially in the context of that obsession coming as a coping mechanism for a rather serious breakup. Admittedly I thought it would involve a little bit more of that dynamic though. Instead, the book delivers a lot of post break up introspection and moving back home following career success but love life demise vibes. Not my normal type of book to pick up but I still enjoyed it nonetheless
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I think this book will only be enjoyed by a very specific reader. I wasn’t into it for the first 30% or so though it did eventually grow on me. The narrator finds himself in a rut, broken up with his fiancé and house-sitting for his mother’s friend in his hometown of Des Moines. As he considers his next steps he begins to examine love and life through the lenses of poet John Berryman and the reality show The Bachelor (specifically Brad Womack 2.0, in case you were wondering). There is A LOT of Berryman in this book, too much for me personally since I didn’t know anything about him and this didn’t inspire me to learn more. The stream of consciousness style is very slow-moving and ultimately this book, with some nice moments, just didn’t hold my interest.