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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Harry Trellman is a man who just doesn’t belong. Raised in an orphanage (despite having two living parents), and possessed with an impassive face, he lives on the edge of society. Yes, he’s successful in business and has many acquaintances, but he doesn’t really connect with anyone, maintaining an observer’s distance. And he IS a keen observer. It is this skill that leads multibillionaire Sigmund Adletsky to hire Harry; and it is through Sig that he is thrown together with his first love, Amy Wustrin, whom he still loves and has loved silently for forty years.
Through his omniscient narrator, Bellow allows the reader insight into the thoughts, feelings, flaws and strengths of the characters.
Bellow is a wonderful writer but this slim little volume just didn’t do it for me. I appreciated it, but I didn’t love it. In fairness, I have to admit that I was reading it when I was sick and having trouble concentrating for more than a page or two at a time. As a result, a book that should have taken me just a couple of days, took me nearly a week to complete. I’m sure my enjoyment of this work suffered as a result, but there you have it.
Through his omniscient narrator, Bellow allows the reader insight into the thoughts, feelings, flaws and strengths of the characters.
Bellow is a wonderful writer but this slim little volume just didn’t do it for me. I appreciated it, but I didn’t love it. In fairness, I have to admit that I was reading it when I was sick and having trouble concentrating for more than a page or two at a time. As a result, a book that should have taken me just a couple of days, took me nearly a week to complete. I’m sure my enjoyment of this work suffered as a result, but there you have it.
gemi1y's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
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
3.5
lottepot's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars
I liked this a lot, it's very funny at parts and the last scene was very moving. It would have been a perfect ending without the bloody proposal in the last couple of lines! I think that I favour a sad Casablancaesque ending in general so it may just be me!
I'd like to read some of his novels as it is hard to invest in a novella sometimes but I really liked his prose. I would be interested to see more of his female characters.
I liked this a lot, it's very funny at parts and the last scene was very moving. It would have been a perfect ending without the bloody proposal in the last couple of lines! I think that I favour a sad Casablancaesque ending in general so it may just be me!
I'd like to read some of his novels as it is hard to invest in a novella sometimes but I really liked his prose. I would be interested to see more of his female characters.
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, and Infidelity
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very odd little book that I got through in 91 minutes. The four stars are for turning out to be romantic in the end, but it also raised a lot of questions I couldn't answer. The references to cell phones make it clear that it’s set in 1997 when the book was written, but aside from that, the main character, who is in his fifties, seems to be a contemporary of Bellow’s, reminiscing on his childhood when women wore pince-nez and teenage girls wore raccoon coats. It would have made more sense if this book was set in the 50’s or 60’s. As it is, it exists in a kind of timeless no-man’s-land.
lowercasepoet's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
happy_stomach's review against another edition
4.0
I’m between three and four stars, but this is Bellow and even in a novella, he can pack in more Chicago intimacies than any writer living or dead. Also, is there a stranger book about a lifelong crush?