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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Challenging
A great book, but not an easy read by any stretch. Being a slow reader probably kept me from loving this book...I found it difficult to keep the different versions of Ferguson straight. It also was a bit jarring to reach the end of a chapter wanting to know what happened next and then switching to a completely different character. Still -- I never found the book to be boring and the excellent final stretch of the last chapter wrapped the book up in a far more satisfying way than I was expecting.
A great book, but not an easy read by any stretch. Being a slow reader probably kept me from loving this book...I found it difficult to keep the different versions of Ferguson straight. It also was a bit jarring to reach the end of a chapter wanting to know what happened next and then switching to a completely different character. Still -- I never found the book to be boring and the excellent final stretch of the last chapter wrapped the book up in a far more satisfying way than I was expecting.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's too challenging to read this book. The story is somehow uncatchable. If you like new style in literature, you should try this one. This book is not for those who seek relaxation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Wow! So original...so inventive. This is my second favorite Paul Auster book (behind Leviathan). I felt so attached to the characters. The bulk of the book takes place between the late 1940s and the early 1970s, following the lives of Archie Ferguson. The lives? Is that a typo? No, his life is split into four distinct narratives. It's hard to explain and probably sounds odd, but in the skillful hands of Paul Auster, it works. Highly recommended!
I’m still working out this book. It took me an insanely long time to get through (almost three months!) And while I enjoyed it, I’m still not sure whether or not I liked it.
The book centers around Archibald (Archie) Isaac Ferguson. Well, technically four different Archie Fergusons. While each Archie is genetically identical, each takes a slightly different path in life, and as he grows from boy to teenager to young man, those paths diverge (and yet, still converge) all the more. Archie is born in 1947, enjoys a sometimes more, sometimes less (depending on the Archie) bucolic childhood in the fifties, and comes of age during the tumultuous sixties. The stories follow each Archie as he grows, one chapter for each period of each Archie’s life. Throughout the story, we see how each Archie is separate and distinct, yet at the same time, similarities and sameness abound.
As I said before, I’m still not sure whether I like the book or not. The writing is phenomenal. Archie (in all his iterations) is brought to life as a fully-realized human being. The boy seems to live and breathe within the pages. So too, is the setting he finds himself in. You can almost feel yourself immersed in the 1960s as Archie grows older, taste the tang of revolution and change in the air, the frustration of the United States’ useless war in Vietnam, and the longing of the younger generation to enact broad social reform. This book is real, and Auster is certainly a master of his craft.
So what the hell is my problem? Honestly, it may be more of a formatting and grammatical issue than anything else. This book was a slog. At 800+ pages, it’s physically imposing. But more than that: the chapters are generally forty to fifty pages long, sentences run on for the length of a (very long) paragraph. And while you find yourself immersed in the story, at the same time, you just want it to end; for the sentence to finish, for the chapter to be over.I really had to push myself to finish the book, and took to reading one chapter at a time, in between books. While I’m fully aware that all this is likely just my ADD throwing itself at the walls, be warned: this book is great, but this book is a commitment (which I may or may not mean in the sense of being incarcerated).
So in sum, this is a good book, a very good book, and one written by a very talented author. But I have to say that the more casual reader may want to pass this one by. But if you’re looking for a literary challenge, this is the book for you.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
The book centers around Archibald (Archie) Isaac Ferguson. Well, technically four different Archie Fergusons. While each Archie is genetically identical, each takes a slightly different path in life, and as he grows from boy to teenager to young man, those paths diverge (and yet, still converge) all the more. Archie is born in 1947, enjoys a sometimes more, sometimes less (depending on the Archie) bucolic childhood in the fifties, and comes of age during the tumultuous sixties. The stories follow each Archie as he grows, one chapter for each period of each Archie’s life. Throughout the story, we see how each Archie is separate and distinct, yet at the same time, similarities and sameness abound.
As I said before, I’m still not sure whether I like the book or not. The writing is phenomenal. Archie (in all his iterations) is brought to life as a fully-realized human being. The boy seems to live and breathe within the pages. So too, is the setting he finds himself in. You can almost feel yourself immersed in the 1960s as Archie grows older, taste the tang of revolution and change in the air, the frustration of the United States’ useless war in Vietnam, and the longing of the younger generation to enact broad social reform. This book is real, and Auster is certainly a master of his craft.
So what the hell is my problem? Honestly, it may be more of a formatting and grammatical issue than anything else. This book was a slog. At 800+ pages, it’s physically imposing. But more than that: the chapters are generally forty to fifty pages long, sentences run on for the length of a (very long) paragraph. And while you find yourself immersed in the story, at the same time, you just want it to end; for the sentence to finish, for the chapter to be over.I really had to push myself to finish the book, and took to reading one chapter at a time, in between books. While I’m fully aware that all this is likely just my ADD throwing itself at the walls, be warned: this book is great, but this book is a commitment (which I may or may not mean in the sense of being incarcerated).
So in sum, this is a good book, a very good book, and one written by a very talented author. But I have to say that the more casual reader may want to pass this one by. But if you’re looking for a literary challenge, this is the book for you.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
Variations on a theme of fate and choices. The novel is organized in a unique way, following four versions of the same Ferguson character. The chapters proceed as 1.1,1.2, 1.3, and 1.4. Then 2.1, 2.2,etc. I read straight through in numerical page order, but what if I had read 1.1, then 2.1, then 3.1 and so on?
To me, that is the fabric of the novel. We don’t know how life will go, and we make choices and something happens that changes our entire course.
It’s tough to review, but I can give this praise to the novel: I would read all 866 pages again, but this time in a different order. Austen’s writing is enjoyable and this was a fantastic thinking piece.
To me, that is the fabric of the novel. We don’t know how life will go, and we make choices and something happens that changes our entire course.
It’s tough to review, but I can give this praise to the novel: I would read all 866 pages again, but this time in a different order. Austen’s writing is enjoyable and this was a fantastic thinking piece.
I am so disappointed by this book. The premise is amazing but the execution failed in my opinion. I skimmed large chunks because I just couldn't bear it. If I wanted a history lesson, I would read a history book. If I wanted to read about great sporting events, I would read about them as well. Never has a book made subjects I love into something I could barely claw my way through. Bleh.
great book ending imo didn't live up to it. enjoyed musings on life. interesting time pd
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated