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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
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
fast-paced
reflective
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
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of this or so really dragged. Korelitz treads through the well worn territory of satirizing rich people, overly earnest progressives, and conservatives. Despite the title and book flap, the latecomer herself doesn't really oenter the story until after page 300, and her existence is not much of a precipitating factor--instead, it's a fairly standard family drama, with not many plot twists (it will certainly disappoint many fans of The Plot). I could live with that if the book had dragged less and if the arch tone hadn't been positively grating at some points. The final section picks up after a 16 year jump, and wraps everything up too quickly. The jump is clearly because if everything continued at the same pace, this book would be 1,500 pages long, but the problem would have been better fixed by picking up the pace earlier.
Took me a while to finish this book. There were parts that got too political and religious which I was not expecting. The storylines were a bit random.
I was underwhelmed by the author’s much-acclaimed The Plot but I LOVED this audiobook, splendidly narrated by Julia Whelan.
The novel, following the Oppenheimer family, is abrasive and very funny, while thoughtfully reflecting on religion, race, art, and politics. The family dynamics are cracked: the triplets can’t stand each other and often deny their sibling’s very existence; the parents’ connection is based on one tragedy before finishing in another.
Of particular interest to me is the terrifically jaundiced evisceration of educational establishments. The Walden School in Brooklyn Heights has a socialist ethos and paradoxically high tuition that feels a lot like the school I work at. Several Oppenheimers go to Cornell though this is preceded by donations of Old Masters. One triplet, conservative blowhard Harrison, attends Roark University for a rugged and early 20th century education. The details are so hilariously precise that I can only imagine the author’s own experience is in some way reflected.
Does it get a little mushy towards the end? Yes, the ending is tidier and cozier than felt entirely appropriate but was still satisfying. I highly recommend listening but I’m sure it reads well on the page too.
The novel, following the Oppenheimer family, is abrasive and very funny, while thoughtfully reflecting on religion, race, art, and politics. The family dynamics are cracked: the triplets can’t stand each other and often deny their sibling’s very existence; the parents’ connection is based on one tragedy before finishing in another.
Of particular interest to me is the terrifically jaundiced evisceration of educational establishments. The Walden School in Brooklyn Heights has a socialist ethos and paradoxically high tuition that feels a lot like the school I work at. Several Oppenheimers go to Cornell though this is preceded by donations of Old Masters. One triplet, conservative blowhard Harrison, attends Roark University for a rugged and early 20th century education. The details are so hilariously precise that I can only imagine the author’s own experience is in some way reflected.
Does it get a little mushy towards the end? Yes, the ending is tidier and cozier than felt entirely appropriate but was still satisfying. I highly recommend listening but I’m sure it reads well on the page too.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a tragic, yet hopeful by the end, story of a dysfunctional rich family. Triplets who can't stand each other, a distant father beset by a tragic accident from his college years who cares only for art, and a mother who can't understand why her family is so disconnected despite her tries to bring happiness to the house. When the triplets go off to college the mother convinces the dad to have another child, who after 17 years or so, managed to bring the disparate threads of their lives together. The book is a well-written, absorbing story, a bit long at times, with a few interesting twists and very interesting characters.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes