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soavezefiretto's review against another edition
4.0
It somehow seems in tune with this book that my review should consist mainly of the fact that I enjoyed it very much, but my enjoyment was marred by the thought that it was taking me too long to read it and that was keeping me from reading other books and probably would mean I couldn't accomplish my reading goal for the year. I loved the whole family (especially Leo and Stacy, of course), felt compassion about the protagonist and first person narrator, and even came to like the passages about the cougar so much that I looked forward to them and was sorry when they ended - and I *never* like any kind of literature about animals. Recommended if you like long books and are worried about the state of the world.
alisonvh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think I liked this book? It's definitely unlike anything else I've ever read, but once I got used to the writing style, it was actually went pretty quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Sexism
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Racism
ahoffkosik's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mcchonchie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
dbuoih's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
45% I reckon that’s far enough to a get a good idea of the book.
I wouldn't want to repeat much of what's been said before. A book this long should have a reason to be. This book didn't challenge me in any way. Didn't offer any new perspective or have me questioning what I thought about a certain subject. The narrator's thoughts went too fast for there to be any real meat, which is unfortunate. I feel a stream-of-consciousness book could have been more sticky, because thoughts are like glue. This was just free association. I believe Ellmann’s form hindered the plot of the piece. But I didn’t write it, so that must have been, on some level, a calculated choice.
At some point I just felt there could’ve been a deeper plot while using the thoughts as a structure to tell the story. Even if it was more tightly wound about the housewife’s mental state, dropping her kid’s off at school, a specific task at the PTA meeting, a vacation with her husband, etc. More focused intention is what I was itching for. Because every time the character got a hold of a good point that could be further analyzed, like about beauty or (a white view) of police brutality, it was quickly brushed off into the next thought. The next poem. Or some dream that only served to change a subject. More observation.
I wouldn't want to repeat much of what's been said before. A book this long should have a reason to be. This book didn't challenge me in any way. Didn't offer any new perspective or have me questioning what I thought about a certain subject. The narrator's thoughts went too fast for there to be any real meat, which is unfortunate. I feel a stream-of-consciousness book could have been more sticky, because thoughts are like glue. This was just free association. I believe Ellmann’s form hindered the plot of the piece. But I didn’t write it, so that must have been, on some level, a calculated choice.
At some point I just felt there could’ve been a deeper plot while using the thoughts as a structure to tell the story. Even if it was more tightly wound about the housewife’s mental state, dropping her kid’s off at school, a specific task at the PTA meeting, a vacation with her husband, etc. More focused intention is what I was itching for. Because every time the character got a hold of a good point that could be further analyzed, like about beauty or (a white view) of police brutality, it was quickly brushed off into the next thought. The next poem. Or some dream that only served to change a subject. More observation.
elliemccabe's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the voice and the experiment of this novel, but I did find it too long to be truly enjoyable, impactful, or read by a wide audience.
h2oetry's review against another edition
Quite a reading experience — as if the Penelope episode of ‘Ulysses’ and Markson’s ‘Wittgenstein’s Mistress’ got together for lunch, then time-traveled into the current cultural milieu and spoke (or rather, used stream-of-anxious-daydream conscious) with the frenetic pace of Gilmore Girls dialogue.
sstagg99's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
alia0ftheknife's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
bradleyisspiffy's review against another edition
5.0
The cover of Ducks, Newburyport displays a quote from the Booker Prize’s jury citation, “Unstoppable ... like nothing you’ve ever read before.” They’re right. While I think Lucy Ellmann has created a fantastic book, I finished wondering if this was a masterpiece or if I had been conned for 1,000 pages.
Most of the book is devoid of any sort of plot: it’s the inner monologue of an Ohioan housewife. While it’s undoubtedly engaging, I wonder if it needed to be THIS expansive. I read a review that asked if this book could’ve been written in 200, 500, or 800 pages. While they concluded the excess is the point, I’m not so sure.
At times, I wonder if Ellmann is trying to be too experimental. The word association sometimes becomes grating. There’s a 30-page piece of poetry that seems out of place. But in the end, I did enjoy the book quite a lot. It draws you in. It makes you think about motherhood. It makes you think about American society in 2019.
You’ll find when you put Ducks, Newburyport down, you’re left thinking about it — maybe not in an uncontrollable single-sentence monologue like the narrator — but still quite vigorously.
Most of the book is devoid of any sort of plot: it’s the inner monologue of an Ohioan housewife. While it’s undoubtedly engaging, I wonder if it needed to be THIS expansive. I read a review that asked if this book could’ve been written in 200, 500, or 800 pages. While they concluded the excess is the point, I’m not so sure.
At times, I wonder if Ellmann is trying to be too experimental. The word association sometimes becomes grating. There’s a 30-page piece of poetry that seems out of place. But in the end, I did enjoy the book quite a lot. It draws you in. It makes you think about motherhood. It makes you think about American society in 2019.
You’ll find when you put Ducks, Newburyport down, you’re left thinking about it — maybe not in an uncontrollable single-sentence monologue like the narrator — but still quite vigorously.