Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
Finished it a few days ago, and realized that although it was so effing sadness-inducing and teary and just plain emotionally packing, this book was not perfect.
Sadly. Because I thought that Everything Is Illuminated was pretty much close to perfect. And while Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was totally in-yo-face awesome and incredible and powerful, it didn't really get to that five-star level. Maybe 4.7 star level, but not 5. But because everyone else already discussed what makes this book amazing, I'm going to rant about the specific things that might make this book less amazing.
For one, Oskar kind of... irritated me. Sort of like someone with a really awkward rash. The rash being his precocious know-it-allness, his ability to process ideas that are really, really impressive--even though the entire book basically deals with his inability to process emotions. In EIL, the characters were believable; in ELIC, they were interesting and a constant source of pathos, but not strictly believable.
A part of it, I guess, is the kind of magical realism storytelling that Foer likes to streak through the book. Not like it's totally apparent, but many elements were very magic-ky and bizarre; Oskar going on a 5-borough journey every week with his old, deaf neighbor to find every person whose last name is Black, a man tattoos No and Yes on his hands because he becomes mute, etc, etc. Not the most realistic junk, for a book that yearns to serve as commentary on a real-life catastrophe.
So yeah, I felt pretty ambivalent about this whole magic realism thing.
Finally, Foer does this thing that kind of annoys me. My friend does it too--he makes a list of really intelligent-sounding insights that sound really cool and literary-like and then incorporates them into a piece of narrative. This book is basically that--a narrative within which exist little gems that we can all relate to that just read off the page awesomely.
Sorry, not the most labored-over review. Just my thoughts.
But yeah. Read this book! It's great and beautiful and so many things in it made me go "ahh" and "bahh" and "aww" and a silent tear washing down my cheek. Yeah, it's that kind of a book. And even though it will be a page-turner, don't expect it to totally demolish your world.
Sadly. Because I thought that Everything Is Illuminated was pretty much close to perfect. And while Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was totally in-yo-face awesome and incredible and powerful, it didn't really get to that five-star level. Maybe 4.7 star level, but not 5. But because everyone else already discussed what makes this book amazing, I'm going to rant about the specific things that might make this book less amazing.
For one, Oskar kind of... irritated me. Sort of like someone with a really awkward rash. The rash being his precocious know-it-allness, his ability to process ideas that are really, really impressive--even though the entire book basically deals with his inability to process emotions. In EIL, the characters were believable; in ELIC, they were interesting and a constant source of pathos, but not strictly believable.
A part of it, I guess, is the kind of magical realism storytelling that Foer likes to streak through the book. Not like it's totally apparent, but many elements were very magic-ky and bizarre; Oskar going on a 5-borough journey every week with his old, deaf neighbor to find every person whose last name is Black, a man tattoos No and Yes on his hands because he becomes mute, etc, etc. Not the most realistic junk, for a book that yearns to serve as commentary on a real-life catastrophe.
So yeah, I felt pretty ambivalent about this whole magic realism thing.
Finally, Foer does this thing that kind of annoys me. My friend does it too--he makes a list of really intelligent-sounding insights that sound really cool and literary-like and then incorporates them into a piece of narrative. This book is basically that--a narrative within which exist little gems that we can all relate to that just read off the page awesomely.
Sorry, not the most labored-over review. Just my thoughts.
But yeah. Read this book! It's great and beautiful and so many things in it made me go "ahh" and "bahh" and "aww" and a silent tear washing down my cheek. Yeah, it's that kind of a book. And even though it will be a page-turner, don't expect it to totally demolish your world.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book, and I think it could have been really great but I was too distracted by the authors noisy brain. Was it Something or Nothing? It had such potential to be a good story but I had hard time getting past all the symbolism and abstractness. I found it irritating to slog through the chapters that were flipping back and forth between the little boys story and his grandparents, and don't get me started on the blank pages or the pages with one tiny sentence or photo. Although I like a family of eccentric neurotics as much as the next person I couldn't get to know these people enough to like them.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a captivating book. Oskar is lovable and laughable, but intellectually innocent - not a speaker who typically gets a voice. The story is brilliant, each character endearing. This book intrigued me and took me on a roller coaster of experiences unlike any other.