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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Why don't you swallow broken glass
This is a difficult novel to characterise or describe in just a few words, but one that came to mind was 'palindrome'. It reminded me of Idaho by Emily Ruskovich, it has a similar focus on the inner worlds of characters that, at the start of the novel, haven't been through much, but as the novel progresses the characters go through hell and have to reinvent themselves and their lives several times. Vincent and Paul are the most interesting characters with the most interesting relationship, but there are several other characters they share the stage with, and the story moves freely between them and between different time periods. St. John Mandel has a talent for keeping the story going, it never gets boring. There is a dreamy quality to the story, and even a sense that you're watching the characters through glass. It's an amazing work in terms of structure and characterisation, and every question mark is resolved by the time the novel ends. And the end made me cry. I was glad that Vincent got a voice in the final chapter of the novel, for a lot of the book, it felt like she wasn't speaking herself, people/narrators were speaking for her, and in the final chapter she took charge of her own story.
A beautiful novel, full of the tragedy of human life.
This is a difficult novel to characterise or describe in just a few words, but one that came to mind was 'palindrome'. It reminded me of Idaho by Emily Ruskovich, it has a similar focus on the inner worlds of characters that, at the start of the novel, haven't been through much, but as the novel progresses the characters go through hell and have to reinvent themselves and their lives several times. Vincent and Paul are the most interesting characters with the most interesting relationship, but there are several other characters they share the stage with, and the story moves freely between them and between different time periods. St. John Mandel has a talent for keeping the story going, it never gets boring. There is a dreamy quality to the story, and even a sense that you're watching the characters through glass. It's an amazing work in terms of structure and characterisation, and every question mark is resolved by the time the novel ends. And the end made me cry. I was glad that Vincent got a voice in the final chapter of the novel, for a lot of the book, it felt like she wasn't speaking herself, people/narrators were speaking for her, and in the final chapter she took charge of her own story.
A beautiful novel, full of the tragedy of human life.
I think it might be goodbye for me and this author; this is the second book I've read by her, and while I know the hype around her books is strong enough for me to feel confident that she's a great fit for some, it seems her writing style is just not for me. It's too vague and meandering for my taste. I came away from this one feeling like either I missed the point or this book missed its potential ... probably both. 2.5 stars rounded down.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audio. 2x just to make sure I really understood the story clearly. It was very well written but it just didn’t grab me as it has so many others. I felt the characters lacked enough depth for me to care about them.