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laurool's review against another edition
I am marking this book as finished because I read 350 pages, god damn it. That's a novel's worth! It WILL be added to my yearly read count, but I FREE MYSELF FROM ITS SHACKLES.
sregitnig's review against another edition
5.0
What an experience. This 1000 page stream of consciousness novel is not for the close-minded or weak of heart, although with the attention this book as gotten, I hope that everyone picking this up knows what they're getting themselves into.
This is one of those pieces of literature that proves that every conventional rule can be broken while still producing something with great artistic value.
If you don't think this is your kind of thing, don't read it. If you've been at all intrigued or interested but just scared because it's so huge... just read it. Took me about a month to read but it is worth it.
This is one of those pieces of literature that proves that every conventional rule can be broken while still producing something with great artistic value.
If you don't think this is your kind of thing, don't read it. If you've been at all intrigued or interested but just scared because it's so huge... just read it. Took me about a month to read but it is worth it.
ianridewood's review against another edition
5.0
unbelievable, enormous, spellbinding, the fact that I had to change how I read to finish this book, the fact that it was a rewarding experience, the fact that I'm both glad and sad to be done ...
abby_writes's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5) I JUST finished this book and I still really have no idea what to make of it. Ducks, Newburyport is a 1000 page, single-sentence insight into the brain of a middle-class Ohioan housewife who bakes pies for a living, has four kids, a failed marriage, dead parents, and all the accompanying neuroses. It's also an indictment of American culture which is both appropriate and timely, filled with distinct Americanisms (American as apple pie!), but the narrator, for me, was SO unlikeable -- selfish, self-absorbed, an extreme mommy-martyr. She worries about being judged then fairly aggressively judges others. Luckily, I don't mind unlikeable narrators. I liked the rhythm of words, the copious lists, the cougar. But then, after worrying about guns in the hypothetical for the entire book, the ending felt a little too tongue-in-cheek for me. Was it meant to be funny? I'm not sure. It was an experience in form, not something I'd recommend to people who want a comforting read.
kazak's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
livlaw's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
HAVE NEVER TAKEN LONGER TO FINISH A BOOK BUT I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS!!!!!!
sber8121's review against another edition
5.0
This book is absolutely wild. Lots of people have been asking me if it’s worth reading. I would say if you’re not feeling the form at ~200 pages in then put it down. There’s a brilliant story in there, but you’ve got to work for it.
frasersimons's review against another edition
5.0
This is so stylistically and structurally unique that I’d have probably gotten enough satisfaction just from those elements. But in the extreme stream-of-consciousness of our quintessential Ohioan housewife there is a whole lot to unpack.
It is somewhat difficult to read. Not because it’s like 8 run on sentences separated with commas. But because within the stream there are so many references to media and memories and other associations. It’s emergent thinking. Not wholly unedited, of course. It’s self evident there is a lot of writer craft at work to make this consumable. The sentence construction, the timing of the references, and the length of the sentences themselves, all signal to the reader when the natural breathing points are. And the references will send your own mind out on spirals that mimic the digressions of the protagonist, so you’ll naturally be pausing.
I did sometimes get a bit too day dreamy and in my own head after some time though. I would take short breaks every 50 pages or so and then come back to it. And I think that’s sort of meant to be. The longer the text you’ve consumed percolates the more connections you’ll draw between things.
And things do coalesce quite a bit; more than I’d expected, actually. There begins to be some reoccurring themes. Mostly, they centre on modern anxieties such as gun violence, climate change, media consumption, political ramifications of Trump in office, pollution, the generational gap between herself and her kids, and death, in general.
These all become the centrifugal force with which our housewife orbits continually, which then draws them in sharper definition. They end up encapsulating the 2017-2018 “moment” of life in western culture and the US incredibly vividly. And, later, the sort-of plot situates those subjects directly into the housewife’s life. There is masterful foreshadowing at work.
It’s also just mesmeric and beautiful. Thoughts you’ve had, or ones like them, will appear from time to time, and those create a bond between the text and reader that rivals the empathy felt for other characters in other books, in my experience. Within the granularity there is a universal human experience that resonates.
Absolutely fantastic read and I think one id re read in the future. Recommend it as an off and on side book with other goings on. Take your time with it and be patient with yourself. It’s in no hurry (though the last 100+ pages will be gripping—I won’t say why).
It is somewhat difficult to read. Not because it’s like 8 run on sentences separated with commas. But because within the stream there are so many references to media and memories and other associations. It’s emergent thinking. Not wholly unedited, of course. It’s self evident there is a lot of writer craft at work to make this consumable. The sentence construction, the timing of the references, and the length of the sentences themselves, all signal to the reader when the natural breathing points are. And the references will send your own mind out on spirals that mimic the digressions of the protagonist, so you’ll naturally be pausing.
I did sometimes get a bit too day dreamy and in my own head after some time though. I would take short breaks every 50 pages or so and then come back to it. And I think that’s sort of meant to be. The longer the text you’ve consumed percolates the more connections you’ll draw between things.
And things do coalesce quite a bit; more than I’d expected, actually. There begins to be some reoccurring themes. Mostly, they centre on modern anxieties such as gun violence, climate change, media consumption, political ramifications of Trump in office, pollution, the generational gap between herself and her kids, and death, in general.
These all become the centrifugal force with which our housewife orbits continually, which then draws them in sharper definition. They end up encapsulating the 2017-2018 “moment” of life in western culture and the US incredibly vividly. And, later, the sort-of plot situates those subjects directly into the housewife’s life. There is masterful foreshadowing at work.
It’s also just mesmeric and beautiful. Thoughts you’ve had, or ones like them, will appear from time to time, and those create a bond between the text and reader that rivals the empathy felt for other characters in other books, in my experience. Within the granularity there is a universal human experience that resonates.
Absolutely fantastic read and I think one id re read in the future. Recommend it as an off and on side book with other goings on. Take your time with it and be patient with yourself. It’s in no hurry (though the last 100+ pages will be gripping—I won’t say why).