Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
This was my first Joyce Carol Oates novel. After 500 pages I understood why people loved her writing but even though the story was intriguing I hated every character. It's hard to push on when you feel that way. But around page 500 everything changed and I tore through last couple hundred pages and loved it. Loved the debate about abortion and a great ending.
Very difficult subject to read about but overall it was about two families coping with tragedy.
Not quite what I thought it was going to be, but it was okay. I really liked the ending; a lot of this book's issue was that it just seemed to drag on. The details you were learning were important and helped flesh out the story, but at the same time it just constantly felt like there was too much and that it took forever.
Did I fully understand this book? No. Did I like it? I think so...?
This definitely didn't head in the direction I was expecting. I truly thought this book would be more about abortion and end up flaunting the author's views, but it wasn't like that. There was some weird symbolism for abortion sprinkled throughout, but the latter part of the book had very little to do with the controversy and very much to do with families surviving a tragedy. I enjoyed how the book made me think of how we are all products of our upbringings and of the assumptions made due to the beliefs of our parents.
To recap, I did not like the first section, which I thought was too reminiscent of [b:American Psycho|28676|American Psycho|Bret Easton Ellis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436934349s/28676.jpg|2270060] - those who have followed along for long enough know that I was not a fan of the deluded narrative (back in the day when I forced myself to finish books that I clearly disliked). The second section was probably my favourite, and I thought it best grasped the emotions of the Voorhees family. Overall I found the writing to be a bit too loose with the stream of narrators; it didn't add much but at least it wasn't that hard to follow. Another question I had is why the second half of the book used the adjective "eggshell" at least 5 times that I noticed, but that's a side point.
Read not for the buzzword "abortion", but for exploring the repercussions of loss on families.
This definitely didn't head in the direction I was expecting. I truly thought this book would be more about abortion and end up flaunting the author's views, but it wasn't like that. There was some weird symbolism for abortion sprinkled throughout, but the latter part of the book had very little to do with the controversy and very much to do with families surviving a tragedy. I enjoyed how the book made me think of how we are all products of our upbringings and of the assumptions made due to the beliefs of our parents.
To recap, I did not like the first section, which I thought was too reminiscent of [b:American Psycho|28676|American Psycho|Bret Easton Ellis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1436934349s/28676.jpg|2270060] - those who have followed along for long enough know that I was not a fan of the deluded narrative (back in the day when I forced myself to finish books that I clearly disliked). The second section was probably my favourite, and I thought it best grasped the emotions of the Voorhees family. Overall I found the writing to be a bit too loose with the stream of narrators; it didn't add much but at least it wasn't that hard to follow. Another question I had is why the second half of the book used the adjective "eggshell" at least 5 times that I noticed, but that's a side point.
Read not for the buzzword "abortion", but for exploring the repercussions of loss on families.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
As with all Joyce Carol Oates's books, I didn't see the ending coming.
This book was good and at times I loved it. The portrayal of abortion in the U.S. and the aftermath of grief when the doctor was killed were amazing. Especially the dissociative episodes Naomi experienced. However, the book is way too long and the author gets bogged down in description. There was much that probably could have been cut and the story wouldn't have suffered. In addition, and I don't even know how this is possible since I just said the book was too long, the ending felt rushed. It felt like we spent all this time getting to it and then it was a brief scene in the story. It made it feel contrived which I'm assuming was not the author's intention. So 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Yes
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. Not always a fan of JCO and was skeptical of this book bc of its size. Could not put it down. Outstanding.