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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
no rating until we talk about it in bookclub. this is the kind of book that needs some thinking (and talking) over
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Short, thankfully, as the structure was dense with the meandering thoughts on gender, freedom, and art. I appreciated the narrator’s thoughts on the privileges of being a white man and the freedom that comes with that, and I respected her as an “unlikeable heroine” who manages to keep her relationships intact with people he loves while still being unaccountably attracted to someone she sees clearly as a fraud in many ways. But wow, this was not an easy book to read. To much philosophizing for my personal tastes.
Some books are read for the story, plot, climax, and some are read just for the language and writing. For me, reading ‘Second Place’ was mainly about taking in the richness of language and savoring Cusk’s articulation and prose. I was so enchanted with the flow and writing, which I hadn’t felt for a long time while reading. Indeed, Cusk visibly labored over her vocalization and writing so well that there had been several excerpts which I read, re-read, and read again, only to appreciate her brilliance and the magic she creates from her words.
Written in first person and read as some letter to someone (Jeffers), this book hits like an autobiography of sorts - an autobiography of M. M lives on a secluded isolated marsh with her husband and rents her property - ‘second place’- to a famous artist L. L turns out to be nothing of M’s expectations and her outlook on life takes a major shift post his arrival. The narrative is atmospheric and suspended in the realm b/w fiction and reality, tangible and conceit. You get an idea in the first few pages itself how the book/story is supposed to unfold, the structure per se, which is very different and made me feel that this is a book for me.
I am falling short of words to describe how and what I felt on reading ‘Second Place’ (like after every good book). Nothing more than probably that Cusk is my newfound favorite author of this year, and books like these are likely ‘my type.’ Ruminations on life that’s not ‘lived,’ aging, parenthood, gender role, familial dynamics, art, and what it takes to be an artist are some of the many broad themes that drive this book. Another plus for me was its crisp, concise writing. It’s a mere 200ish pages, and so much to it on every page. So I learned (quite late for me to realize) that it’s the writing and not the length that has everything to do with the depth and dimension. I have read some 500 pages of my current read, The Museum of Innocence, and I still believe I had a lot to feel, think and ponder upon while reading ‘Second Place’ than this current one (hence the slump maybe?).
I believe I can talk a lot and still not be able to articulate enough how brilliant this book is! I hope it works for you the way it did for me; it indeed is magical.
Written in first person and read as some letter to someone (Jeffers), this book hits like an autobiography of sorts - an autobiography of M. M lives on a secluded isolated marsh with her husband and rents her property - ‘second place’- to a famous artist L. L turns out to be nothing of M’s expectations and her outlook on life takes a major shift post his arrival. The narrative is atmospheric and suspended in the realm b/w fiction and reality, tangible and conceit. You get an idea in the first few pages itself how the book/story is supposed to unfold, the structure per se, which is very different and made me feel that this is a book for me.
I am falling short of words to describe how and what I felt on reading ‘Second Place’ (like after every good book). Nothing more than probably that Cusk is my newfound favorite author of this year, and books like these are likely ‘my type.’ Ruminations on life that’s not ‘lived,’ aging, parenthood, gender role, familial dynamics, art, and what it takes to be an artist are some of the many broad themes that drive this book. Another plus for me was its crisp, concise writing. It’s a mere 200ish pages, and so much to it on every page. So I learned (quite late for me to realize) that it’s the writing and not the length that has everything to do with the depth and dimension. I have read some 500 pages of my current read, The Museum of Innocence, and I still believe I had a lot to feel, think and ponder upon while reading ‘Second Place’ than this current one (hence the slump maybe?).
I believe I can talk a lot and still not be able to articulate enough how brilliant this book is! I hope it works for you the way it did for me; it indeed is magical.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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