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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
Quentin was perhaps the most annoying character ever (super entitled, rude, just generally an a-hole). I'm sorta compelled to read the sequel because I want to see what happens in general, and I want to know if Quentin ever grows as a person but I'm not sure if I can take another two books in his POV.
I liked this well enough I suppose, but the more I think about it the more I have problems with it. It's kind of a grown-up Harry Potter, in a way, but it's also kind of unfocused, and I have to say I wasn't crazy about the main character. I will likely read the sequel, in the hope that it's a little more sharply focused.
Quick summary: magic users suffer from the ennui of particularly unimaginative gods.
Longer Summary: Quentin is a bright student with a pretty good life which he is bone-achingly bored with. He read and was entranced by the magical world outlined in the popular series of children’s books, Fillory and Further, as a child, and has never quite escaped the feeling that his life would be so much better with a little magic. Then he was accepted into Brakebills—North America’s only magical university—and thought his wildest dreams had come true. Then…
Quentin has just graduated from an extremely exclusive magical university. He’s got a pretty good life; partying with friends every night, a wonderful girlfriend, and a life of decadence and excess supported by magic and the university’s slush fund for recently graduated students. He is bone-achingly bored with his life, and can’t shake the feeling that it would be so much better if only Fillory was real and he could actually live there. Then, a fellow graduate of Brakebills shows up with the means of traveling to Fillory. Then…
Quentin has traveled to the magical land of Fillory, and his life still fucking sucks.
Review: The summary is necessary to highlight why I went with three stars. The main character is extremely lethargic and unlikeable. Amazing opportunities fall into his lap, and all-too-quickly they become mundane and boring…and he’s depressed again. The other characters aren’t much better. This is not because the writing is bad. I finished the book because, from the way it was written, there were pretty good odds that there was a reason behind all this unpleasantness and ennui. And there is. It’s devastating, how much awful sense it makes once the pieces have clicked into place. If I were grading this solely on the ideas, execution, and how much I enjoyed them, I’d give it five stars. However, there were a few places where I put the book down and almost didn’t pick it up again because Quentin’s headspace was so unrelentingly and unpleasantly toxic (this was done on purpose, and I doubt the book would have been as powerful if the author hadn’t done it this way, but that doesn’t mean that I enjoyed the experience). I don’t think I could bring myself to read the sequel, no matter how much I really really really want to know what happens next. Also, I listened to this as an audiobook (which probably exacerbated the problem, because I couldn’t easily skim over the bits I didn’t like). Mark Bramhall’s performance of the novel was quite good, and I do tend to be picky about these things.
Longer Summary: Quentin is a bright student with a pretty good life which he is bone-achingly bored with. He read and was entranced by the magical world outlined in the popular series of children’s books, Fillory and Further, as a child, and has never quite escaped the feeling that his life would be so much better with a little magic. Then he was accepted into Brakebills—North America’s only magical university—and thought his wildest dreams had come true. Then…
Quentin has just graduated from an extremely exclusive magical university. He’s got a pretty good life; partying with friends every night, a wonderful girlfriend, and a life of decadence and excess supported by magic and the university’s slush fund for recently graduated students. He is bone-achingly bored with his life, and can’t shake the feeling that it would be so much better if only Fillory was real and he could actually live there. Then, a fellow graduate of Brakebills shows up with the means of traveling to Fillory. Then…
Quentin has traveled to the magical land of Fillory, and his life still fucking sucks.
Review: The summary is necessary to highlight why I went with three stars. The main character is extremely lethargic and unlikeable. Amazing opportunities fall into his lap, and all-too-quickly they become mundane and boring…and he’s depressed again. The other characters aren’t much better. This is not because the writing is bad. I finished the book because, from the way it was written, there were pretty good odds that there was a reason behind all this unpleasantness and ennui. And there is. It’s devastating, how much awful sense it makes once the pieces have clicked into place. If I were grading this solely on the ideas, execution, and how much I enjoyed them, I’d give it five stars. However, there were a few places where I put the book down and almost didn’t pick it up again because Quentin’s headspace was so unrelentingly and unpleasantly toxic (this was done on purpose, and I doubt the book would have been as powerful if the author hadn’t done it this way, but that doesn’t mean that I enjoyed the experience). I don’t think I could bring myself to read the sequel, no matter how much I really really really want to know what happens next. Also, I listened to this as an audiobook (which probably exacerbated the problem, because I couldn’t easily skim over the bits I didn’t like). Mark Bramhall’s performance of the novel was quite good, and I do tend to be picky about these things.
(From www.pingwings.ca)
I’ve been wanting to read this series for quite some time, but it was SyFy’s upcoming television adaptation that pushed me to read this book recently. I really want to check out that series, but not without reading the books first.
I loved the premise and had a very difficult time putting the book down – I just wanted to keep reading! But I can’t say that I loved this book, nor did I get too invested in the characters.
I think my favourite thing about this story was the way magic worked. Learning it was difficult and took work. It wasn’t just waving a wand and saying a couple of words. The world of Brakebills and magic was fascinating.
I’m definitely going to be reading book two!
I’ve been wanting to read this series for quite some time, but it was SyFy’s upcoming television adaptation that pushed me to read this book recently. I really want to check out that series, but not without reading the books first.
I loved the premise and had a very difficult time putting the book down – I just wanted to keep reading! But I can’t say that I loved this book, nor did I get too invested in the characters.
I think my favourite thing about this story was the way magic worked. Learning it was difficult and took work. It wasn’t just waving a wand and saying a couple of words. The world of Brakebills and magic was fascinating.
I’m definitely going to be reading book two!
Quentin, your average, depressed, college-bound young man, suddenly gets zapped into the fantastic world he's always dreamed existed. It's wonderful, but wait, it's not! Just kidding, it really is wonderful. And then, two sentences later, it's not.
I won't lie - I really did enjoy this novel. Grossman pulls everything together so neatly, sends you down all the right paths to get all the best endings, and gives us characters with so much potential. Some characters do end up achieving this: Alice and Eliot are given epic, larger-than-life roles. Grossman pushes poor, pathetic Quentin out of the way, and at times, I'm really glad he did. I found myself comparing Quentin to Holden Caufield on multiple occasions, and every time, regretting it more and more. This isn't "Harry Potter" for adults. This is Harry Potter for all those completely disillusioned with their world and can find no way to escape it. Well, that may be a lie. Physically, they can, but mentally, they can never escape it. Hence my enjoyment - Grossman's commentary on the human condition is superb. His execution of this, however, falls short. In my (unprofessional) opinion, Quentin was not the right vehicle for this, or was written to be far more miserable than was required of him.
I also really, strongly disliked how hard he seemed to be beating down on J.K. Rowling's interpretation of magic. Both Lewis' and Tolkien's are deemded acceptable, but hers is always a second-rate show. Magic wands are training wheels? Phony Latin spells? Need I say more? He even undermines this through Quentin's epiphany that magic is whatever you make of it, and whatever you want it to be. Heh?! This bore so many similarities to "The Chronicles of Narnia", but I found that they were refreshing updates and added to the "Narnia graduates" that this novel has been heralded as. The Neitherlands are a brilliant contrast to the pleasant forest we find ourselves in in "The Magician's Nephew", and Eliot's snarky remarks about kindly fauns made me giggle. Penny's fate and the Neitherlands left me perfectly content and almost wishing that Penny were, in reality, naught but a hamster wearing a yellow ring around his middle.
The story of the Chatwins was such a marvelous addition to this novel as a whole. I want to read these "Fillory and Further" stories for myself! Their connections to the story only serve to give it a painful reality that magic isn't always for the betterment of society, and it can corrupt even the best of persons. Martin's story line and Jane's meta-role made me smile at how perfect they were; how perfectly flawed every bit of their characters was. I ache to find out more about them. Martin marks the first character in a very, very long time that legitimately creeped me out; every bit of him was so unsettling and wrong that I love Grossman for it.
My final problem lies in the last chapter. Suddenly, everything is okay again! Huzzah! I had to re-read the last chapter a second time to properly follow the sequence of events. So much was shoved into those last few pages! I know that no one wants the curse of something being long and drawn out past its welcome, but with all of Quentin's previous moping sessions, I would have liked to see some more depth to our parting with him. But, alas, we'll have to wait. And Julia! I cannot help but be annoyed at her sudden reappearance. How did Eliot and Janet track her down? What purpose does she serve, aside from something else for Quentin to sing the blues about? (The answer: none; she's apparently the only person in the world more miserable than he!) Oh well.
All in all, this was worth the read. I'm excited to see what comes in "The Magician King"; if this was was the first installment, I have no doubt that the second will only build on its excellence. Well done, Grossman, well done. (Now, if you could write the Fillory books, we'll all be squared away!)
I won't lie - I really did enjoy this novel. Grossman pulls everything together so neatly, sends you down all the right paths to get all the best endings, and gives us characters with so much potential. Some characters do end up achieving this: Alice and Eliot are given epic, larger-than-life roles. Grossman pushes poor, pathetic Quentin out of the way, and at times, I'm really glad he did. I found myself comparing Quentin to Holden Caufield on multiple occasions, and every time, regretting it more and more. This isn't "Harry Potter" for adults. This is Harry Potter for all those completely disillusioned with their world and can find no way to escape it. Well, that may be a lie. Physically, they can, but mentally, they can never escape it. Hence my enjoyment - Grossman's commentary on the human condition is superb. His execution of this, however, falls short. In my (unprofessional) opinion, Quentin was not the right vehicle for this, or was written to be far more miserable than was required of him.
I also really, strongly disliked how hard he seemed to be beating down on J.K. Rowling's interpretation of magic. Both Lewis' and Tolkien's are deemded acceptable, but hers is always a second-rate show. Magic wands are training wheels? Phony Latin spells? Need I say more? He even undermines this through Quentin's epiphany that magic is whatever you make of it, and whatever you want it to be. Heh?! This bore so many similarities to "The Chronicles of Narnia", but I found that they were refreshing updates and added to the "Narnia graduates" that this novel has been heralded as. The Neitherlands are a brilliant contrast to the pleasant forest we find ourselves in in "The Magician's Nephew", and Eliot's snarky remarks about kindly fauns made me giggle. Penny's fate and the Neitherlands left me perfectly content and almost wishing that Penny were, in reality, naught but a hamster wearing a yellow ring around his middle.
The story of the Chatwins was such a marvelous addition to this novel as a whole. I want to read these "Fillory and Further" stories for myself! Their connections to the story only serve to give it a painful reality that magic isn't always for the betterment of society, and it can corrupt even the best of persons. Martin's story line and Jane's meta-role made me smile at how perfect they were; how perfectly flawed every bit of their characters was. I ache to find out more about them. Martin marks the first character in a very, very long time that legitimately creeped me out; every bit of him was so unsettling and wrong that I love Grossman for it.
My final problem lies in the last chapter. Suddenly, everything is okay again! Huzzah! I had to re-read the last chapter a second time to properly follow the sequence of events. So much was shoved into those last few pages! I know that no one wants the curse of something being long and drawn out past its welcome, but with all of Quentin's previous moping sessions, I would have liked to see some more depth to our parting with him. But, alas, we'll have to wait. And Julia! I cannot help but be annoyed at her sudden reappearance. How did Eliot and Janet track her down? What purpose does she serve, aside from something else for Quentin to sing the blues about? (The answer: none; she's apparently the only person in the world more miserable than he!) Oh well.
All in all, this was worth the read. I'm excited to see what comes in "The Magician King"; if this was was the first installment, I have no doubt that the second will only build on its excellence. Well done, Grossman, well done. (Now, if you could write the Fillory books, we'll all be squared away!)
I wanted to like this. Magic, people my age! Finally!..........nope.
I didn't like Quentin, I didn't like his friends, I found Fillory boring and annoying. Nothing interesting happened at the school. The magic didn't feel like magic. There was almost nothing magical about this book. I dragged myself through his time at Brakebills hoping it would get more interesting after he graduated, but I found myself getting more and more bored and annoyed. I basically stopped reading. I just skimmed through the pages. Technically I can't say I actually finished it.
I didn't like Quentin, I didn't like his friends, I found Fillory boring and annoying. Nothing interesting happened at the school. The magic didn't feel like magic. There was almost nothing magical about this book. I dragged myself through his time at Brakebills hoping it would get more interesting after he graduated, but I found myself getting more and more bored and annoyed. I basically stopped reading. I just skimmed through the pages. Technically I can't say I actually finished it.
Unexpectedly amazing despite the slow start. I struggled with this for a while, but once the story gained momentum I couldn't put it down.
[More elaborate thoughts to follow, possibly.]
[More elaborate thoughts to follow, possibly.]
as a devotee of the show this was.......... weird to read
It started out really awesome. I was thinking - hey, this might be my new favourite fantasy novel!
Alas, it was not to be.
The description of the book on the jacket cover says that Grossman "pays homage to" C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. This is true, if by that phrase you actually mean "totally rips off." A complete lack of originality enveloped most chapters, taking worlds and ideas from other authors and simply giving them different names.
Quentin Coldwater is brilliant. He happens to be solicited by a magical university called Brakebills and attends for five years, extremely happy that he's leaving his mundane and empty life in Brooklyn for an exciting life of magic and adventure. So far, so good, right?
Nah. It goes uphill for a bit, and then plummets. Keeps dropping. Okay, getting near the bottom now... nope, still some more. Okay now let's trudge along rock bottom for the rest of the book.
The characters are jaded (they leave Brakebills to drink and do drugs and sleep around for a couple of years), and completely static. Towards the end, it seems like Quentin finally going to be a dynamic character, but nope. In the end, he is never satisfied. There is no fulfillment: life is a joke and a lie and not worthwhile except for things you do - which are usually just as non-fulfilling and painful as everything else.
I like parts of it - I mean, Grossman has a quirky literary style, but it's not good enough to mask the horrible story.
Second time around: I started reading this again because of its rise into popularity, and for the fact that my husband was reading it. I basically had the same progression as I had when I read it the first time: seemed like it might be okay (maybe I judged the book too harshly?) before realizing it was a boring, abysmal book that spends most of the time on Quentin feeling sad and entitled and treated the plot as an afterthought. In the end, the story was pointless and meant nothing, and Quentin was basically exactly the same as he was in the beginning of the book. Everything that happened in between was just there so Quentin could fucking complain about it all.
Alas, it was not to be.
The description of the book on the jacket cover says that Grossman "pays homage to" C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. This is true, if by that phrase you actually mean "totally rips off." A complete lack of originality enveloped most chapters, taking worlds and ideas from other authors and simply giving them different names.
Quentin Coldwater is brilliant. He happens to be solicited by a magical university called Brakebills and attends for five years, extremely happy that he's leaving his mundane and empty life in Brooklyn for an exciting life of magic and adventure. So far, so good, right?
Nah. It goes uphill for a bit, and then plummets. Keeps dropping. Okay, getting near the bottom now... nope, still some more. Okay now let's trudge along rock bottom for the rest of the book.
The characters are jaded (they leave Brakebills to drink and do drugs and sleep around for a couple of years), and completely static. Towards the end, it seems like Quentin finally going to be a dynamic character, but nope. In the end, he is never satisfied. There is no fulfillment: life is a joke and a lie and not worthwhile except for things you do - which are usually just as non-fulfilling and painful as everything else.
I like parts of it - I mean, Grossman has a quirky literary style, but it's not good enough to mask the horrible story.
Second time around: I started reading this again because of its rise into popularity, and for the fact that my husband was reading it. I basically had the same progression as I had when I read it the first time: seemed like it might be okay (maybe I judged the book too harshly?) before realizing it was a boring, abysmal book that spends most of the time on Quentin feeling sad and entitled and treated the plot as an afterthought. In the end, the story was pointless and meant nothing, and Quentin was basically exactly the same as he was in the beginning of the book. Everything that happened in between was just there so Quentin could fucking complain about it all.