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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
Too well-written for me to bail out, but not a fun reading experience living this guy's tortured life (think "We Need to Talk About Kevin"). The female author does an amazing job of the male pov, unfortunately (think "Carnal Knowledge"). I was happy with the ending, but I see this opinion is not shared by all.
Although I loved the setting (Paris!) and there was some quirky humor, overall I didn't like this book. It's told from the perspective of a cheating husband who is trying to win his wife back. My main problem was that the main character is so awful, I couldn't get past him. It's not just the cheating. He is also relentlessly pretentious, egotistical, and pathetic. And he never gets any better, even at the end. I wanted to throw hard objects at him, not keep reading his story. Decent writing, but not a great read.
this review perfectly captures how I felt: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/997587356
I hated the main character. He doesn't deserve his wife. however, I found the story engaging and interesting, and enjoyed it. (I feel like the word "incredulous" was overused in the middle chapters, but, whatever.)
I hated the main character. He doesn't deserve his wife. however, I found the story engaging and interesting, and enjoyed it. (I feel like the word "incredulous" was overused in the middle chapters, but, whatever.)
I'm surprised by the low average rating for this book. From a cursory glance at other reviews, it seems like people are turned off by the main character and couldn't get into it because of that. I agree that Richard Haddon is selfish, short-sighted, and whiny- so are a lot of people in real life. In many ways, I thought those characteristics made him more believable. I enjoyed the depiction of his marriage and the decision to be unfaithful, as well as the consequences of his infidelity. I will admit that I found his attempts to reconcile with his wife to be quite shallow, but overall I thought it was a good read.
True, the protagonist is highly unlikable at times, as many reviewers have said, but I think he is as unlikable as many of us would also be if someone were privy to all of our honest thoughts even though we may not ultimately make the same poor choices. Fitting and believable first person narrative.
Maum constructed a complicated narrator, one who was both likable and frustrating, and made for an engaging read. The book explored infidelity's many ramifications, and I appreciated that the work of marriage and mature love was not taken lightly. Recommend, if in large part because of the relative silence we keep on this subject.
#3: In my opinion, this was a quick, easy, summer read! 3.25/5 I was morally conflicted - not knowing who to root for, given the circumstances.
I think that 2 stars is me being generous. I just didn't connect with the story, the art, or the characters, yet there were tiny glimpses of truth about what marriage is and what infidelity is. There were also a few instances of absolutely brilliant humor that I wished would have continued through the whole book.
I didn't want to finish this book, didn't even want ti read it, but then I did and it was okay. I'm glad I got to the end for the resolution but I won't be recommending it, probably ever. the main character is a douche. I know you're supposed to feel that way, but even if it was more about his current struggles than his past sexy disaster of an affair, is probably be less critical. It just didn't leave me with a good taste in my mouth. that is all.
I don't understand the title of this book. It doesn't seem to fit, to me. It's not as if either of them went off to find themselves or something. And the blurb called it 'funny' and ... I did not find a single funny thing about this book. Not one.
But, I seem to have highlighted 22 passages. So that's something. It's not a bad book. In some ways it was both the worst and best book I could have chosen right now. Sometimes the writing was great; other times it was too ... pompous, or something like that. Meh. I'm not a big fan of art books either -- not that this is really an art book, but like... [b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378710146l/17333223._SY75_.jpg|24065147], [b:The Painter|18310201|The Painter|Peter Heller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409595558l/18310201._SX50_.jpg|25807269] .. Ok stories, but I was just not interested in the surrounding ambiance.
But, I seem to have highlighted 22 passages. So that's something. It's not a bad book. In some ways it was both the worst and best book I could have chosen right now. Sometimes the writing was great; other times it was too ... pompous, or something like that. Meh. I'm not a big fan of art books either -- not that this is really an art book, but like... [b:The Goldfinch|17333223|The Goldfinch|Donna Tartt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378710146l/17333223._SY75_.jpg|24065147], [b:The Painter|18310201|The Painter|Peter Heller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1409595558l/18310201._SX50_.jpg|25807269] .. Ok stories, but I was just not interested in the surrounding ambiance.