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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
This was assigned in my metafiction class, and I ended up enjoying it more than I was expecting. I'm not ready to sort out my thoughts about it yet, but I hope to write a more in-depth review later. I haven't read McEwan before, but I am now eager to read more of his work!
I liked it a far bit more than the NPR reviewer I heard. The ending suggested the entire book was a love letter to Serena, but it undermined itself in its treatment of her -- it reads much more like the narrator is still miffed she lied. For all his belittling of novels with marriages, in the end, he seems to renege.
For the backdrop, the book made me want to read about secret opp funding of the creative arts. They seem to see the opportunity to construct their desired reality through writing but fall short of controlling invention successfully. I enjoyed Tom's stories with Serena, their questioning of reality and exploration of the darker impulses of humans. It went a long way to making Tom believable as someone who would forgive.
For the backdrop, the book made me want to read about secret opp funding of the creative arts. They seem to see the opportunity to construct their desired reality through writing but fall short of controlling invention successfully. I enjoyed Tom's stories with Serena, their questioning of reality and exploration of the darker impulses of humans. It went a long way to making Tom believable as someone who would forgive.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3 stelle e mezzo. come sempre su mcewan non ho un’opinione precisa, bello ma si poteva fare di più
gran bei personaggi
gran bei personaggi
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loved this. Extraordinary narrative perspective and leaves you with a question at the end about whose story is this, really? Another homerun for Ian McEwan.
Nearing the end of the novel, I found myself feeling a bit disappointed. I simply did not identify with the narrator/main character, finding her flat, unemotional and unsympathetic, maybe a bit robotic. Then...the final chapter.
Oh, dear Mr. McEwan, I should not have doubted that you would make it interesting and clever in the end.
Oh, dear Mr. McEwan, I should not have doubted that you would make it interesting and clever in the end.
I struggled with this book. The main idea was interesting but it didn't go anywhere for me. I found the characters unlikable, especially Serena, who falls in love with every man who crosses her path and just didn't seem to have her own agency. The author didn't have a very authentic female voice, which is tough. This was my first Ian McEwan book — possibly the wrong one to start with. I'll try another because people seem to really enjoy his work.