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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Love a good 'yeast extract ' book and this one has certainly polarised reviewers; so I'm giving it 5 stars; in your face naysayers!
Reminded me of Plath; Plath when she doesn't wash; picks her nose; her scabs.
Not only did this evoke the period it evoked the literature of the period, very clever. Also squalid and grotty and nasty. Really nasty.
Not really a ''Crime ' novel , and probably pissed off a few fans waiting for a twist or a mystery or some sort of suspense - there isn't really any. Eileen is a coming of age story, a character study, albeit an evil skanky one.
When you finally get to the. ..well I was shocked, I am easily shocked and I was shocked.
A Christmas story too.
Well read by Alyssa Bresnahan.
Reminded me of Plath; Plath when she doesn't wash; picks her nose; her scabs.
Not only did this evoke the period it evoked the literature of the period, very clever. Also squalid and grotty and nasty. Really nasty.
Not really a ''Crime ' novel , and probably pissed off a few fans waiting for a twist or a mystery or some sort of suspense - there isn't really any. Eileen is a coming of age story, a character study, albeit an evil skanky one.
When you finally get to the. ..well I was shocked, I am easily shocked and I was shocked.
A Christmas story too.
Well read by Alyssa Bresnahan.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
The favourable NYT review had me. I immediately went onto the VIRL and requested the book. I can understand the hype and numerous 5 star reviews, but nevertheless, I was disappointed. Am I too old to enjoy a book with the protagonist being such an unappealing person? Yes, I guess I am. Now, I understand it is going to be a major motion picture. I will pass on watching it.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Hmmm... Not sure. The writing is certainly clever and taut and well done. But... the narrator is not someone you will like, and to be candid, the "story" doesn't really get going until about page 200 out of 250 or so pages - the event described on the back cover which you assume will form the substance of the story in fact only happens pretty much towards the end, so there's a long lead-up, albeit well-written, with frankly not much happening. It's pretty bleak. It is not quite clear at the end what happens to one of the main characters - I can't say anything without giving it away, but I wasn't sure whether one line was meant to represent either the narrator's day-dream or actual actions within the story. All in all, four stars for the writing, two for the "story" and one for likeability. On balance, a miss. And leaves a rather unpleasant aftertaste.
“It’s remarkable what people become blind to when they’re in such darkness.”
I bought this book kind of on a whim, and to my surprise I actually really enjoyed this book. I usually like a more fast paced, thriller-type book, and this book didn’t really fit that mold, but I still enjoyed it.
The book is about a much older Eileen telling a story of herself when she was in her 20’s. She is a very flawed character with a pretty rough life, and the older Eileen narrator is extremely honest about her younger self and all her inner thoughts.
The first 75% of the book feels like not much is actually happening, but the way the author writes, and the raw and sometimes almost too-honest of details she includes held my attention easily. The last 25% of the book started to pick up and it ended in a way I didn’t expect. Overall I would rate it a 4/5.
I bought this book kind of on a whim, and to my surprise I actually really enjoyed this book. I usually like a more fast paced, thriller-type book, and this book didn’t really fit that mold, but I still enjoyed it.
The book is about a much older Eileen telling a story of herself when she was in her 20’s. She is a very flawed character with a pretty rough life, and the older Eileen narrator is extremely honest about her younger self and all her inner thoughts.
The first 75% of the book feels like not much is actually happening, but the way the author writes, and the raw and sometimes almost too-honest of details she includes held my attention easily. The last 25% of the book started to pick up and it ended in a way I didn’t expect. Overall I would rate it a 4/5.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Super. Liebe diese Schriftstellerin. So gut psychologisch portraitiert, innovative Erzählform (50 Jahre ältere Hauptprotagonistin). Antiheldin kommt immer gut.
Den Gefängnisdirektor, einen stumpfsinnigen und brutalen Mann, beschreibt Eileen so: "Er hatte ein dickes, rotes Gesicht mit einer riesigen Nase und kleinen Schweinsäuglein, aber es war so gepflegt, so militärisch sauber, dass ich ihn seltsamerweise attraktiv fand." Solche Sätze stehen auf jeder Seite. Moshfegh beginnt mit einem Klischee, um in letzter Sekunde das altbekannte Bild doch noch interessant zu machen.
An den entscheidenden Stellen schreibt Moshfegh kalt und prägnant. Wenn es um das kaputte und hasserfüllte Verhältnis zu ihrem Vater geht, erzählt Eileen, wie sie ihn aus seiner Stammkneipe abgeholt hat, damals besuchte sie noch die Highschool: "Er legte mir den Kopf auf die Schulter und lallte, dass ich ein gutes Mädchen sei, dass er mich liebhabe, wie leid es ihm tue, dass er mir kein besserer Vater sein könne. Anfangs war ich gerührt, aber dann ließ er seine Hand auf meinen Busen rutschen. Ich habe das nie jemandem erzählt." Sätze wie Leberhaken.
https://www.buecher.de/shop/usa/eileen/moshfegh-ottessa/products_products/detail/prod_id/48167574/#reviews-more
Perlentaucher-Notiz zur WELT-Rezension
Ottessa Moshfeghs Roman "Eileen" hat Rezensent Elmar Krekeler aus den Socken gehauen. Denn die in den Sechzigern spielende Geschichte um die vielfach missbrauchte Eileen, die auf einem Dachboden haust und bei ihrer Arbeit im Jugendknast auf Menschen trifft, denen Ähnliches widerfahren ist, ist so abgründig und "finster", dass selbst Hitchcock den Hut gezogen hätte, meint der Kritiker. Mehr noch: Wie Moshfegh in diesem Noir vom "White trash avant la lettre" erzählt, ebenso ernsthafte, zugleich spielerische und lange nachhallende Sätze in die Welt wirft und mit Klugheit und atemberaubender Genauigkeit "erzmännliche Erzählmuster durch alle Genresäurebäder jagt", ringt dem Rezensenten größte Anerkennung ab. Von Moshfegh wird man noch einiges hören, glaubt Krekele