Reviews

Adverbs by Daniel Handler

lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition

1.0

About 70 pages in and this one is just confusing and seems to have no point. Each chapter appears to be a standalone short story? But they make no sense? And it's still written in novel form? Lame. Abandoning it.

deja_anae's review against another edition

3.0

unnaturally confusing yet intriguing

bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book took a lot of swings, and some of them were misses, and some were home runs. I alway like books that try to strike off on an unbeaten path, even if the ride is bumpy. However it was a challenge to finish reading the book, though I am glad I stuck with it. It is a book i would have to give a lot of caveats too if i were to recommend it. 

drsurgeonguy's review against another edition

4.0

Some of the individual stories are honestly better than the entire book as a whole, if that makes sense.

They're all connected but also not.

The one Danial Handler book I'd recommend the most overall.

vampiresundays's review against another edition

3.5

would be better to read all in 1 day

acollierastro's review against another edition

2.0

Very slow going

bobbiecabrera's review against another edition

"Adverbs: A Novel" it turns out is not really a novel. It's a collection of extremely confusing short stories so desperately woven together that nothing made sense to me at all.

I did not finish the book. Believe me, I tried. But at the third boring day of reading it, I could no longer deny the fact that I was reading it "just to finish" it. I could no longer register what the words are saying.

At first, the premise sounds interesting enough. The book is divided into chapters titled in different adverbs with love as the recurring theme. The idea sounded so interesting when I first picked it up. Sure, it has its moments when it spouts off seemingly "deep truths" like, "No, when you love someone you spend hours and hours with them, and even the mightiest forces in the netherworld could not say whether the hours you spend increase your love or if you simply spend more hours with someone as your love increases." But majority of what I read from it confused the hell out of me.

I understand how this book might appeal to poem-lovers or to those who like a challenge. I guess, I was under the impression that this is a novel, or at least a collection of stories that will make sense. But it didn't make sense, at least not to me. I like a book with a story. It doesn't have to be fiction--I just want it to make sense.

Giving it only one star. I don't imagine myself giving this book another chance in the future. :/

thaoeatworld's review against another edition

2.0

Finished it out of respect for Daniel, but it was really fucking hard. I had no clue what was going on the whole time. There were lapses of individual characters blending into plots that were supposedly disjointed, yet connected at the same time? What’s going on! I’m really trying to give more Daniel Handler work a chance, but even after 5 years between reading some of his other work, I’m still not pleased. Will try again later this year or something.

banans13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

katzreads's review against another edition

1.0

The blurbs made this book sound fascinating, but I gave up after 80 pages. The cover says it's a novel, but there are few continuing characters and no discernible plot. Very disappointing.