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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Reading this book felt like running the NYC Marathon, although the latter is task I admittedly have no intention of ever attempting.
There were moments of transcendent beauty, but those were overwhelmed by the seemingly ceaselessly and grueling pounding of pavement.
The plot yawns on, spurred forward only by strings of coincidence and tragedy. I actually prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven stories, but the characters here were hollow, with little depth or motivation. The characters seem to be divided into three broad categories: the rich elite who relate to art as collectibles, a means to signal status; the middle class who could never own fine are, but can truly appreciate it; and the trashy poor who live in the world of reproductions and false glitz— in a heavy-handed move, they literally reside in Las Vegas.
The human relationship to art and objects is central to the book, but the attempt to moralize grew tiresome well before the end of its 770 pages. By about 60% through the book, I no longer cared about the story, the characters, or the outcome. I was bored, disinterested, and weary of the constant and flat depictions of drug use. By the final pages, I felt the elation of approaching the finish line, and Theo’s bizarre extended monologue on the inevitability of death felt like a final uphill push, an annoying final hurdle to get through. And when I finally finished, I wanted someone to give me a medal and shiny space blanket.
There were moments of transcendent beauty, but those were overwhelmed by the seemingly ceaselessly and grueling pounding of pavement.
The plot yawns on, spurred forward only by strings of coincidence and tragedy. I actually prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven stories, but the characters here were hollow, with little depth or motivation. The characters seem to be divided into three broad categories: the rich elite who relate to art as collectibles, a means to signal status; the middle class who could never own fine are, but can truly appreciate it; and the trashy poor who live in the world of reproductions and false glitz— in a heavy-handed move, they literally reside in Las Vegas.
The human relationship to art and objects is central to the book, but the attempt to moralize grew tiresome well before the end of its 770 pages. By about 60% through the book, I no longer cared about the story, the characters, or the outcome. I was bored, disinterested, and weary of the constant and flat depictions of drug use. By the final pages, I felt the elation of approaching the finish line, and Theo’s bizarre extended monologue on the inevitability of death felt like a final uphill push, an annoying final hurdle to get through. And when I finally finished, I wanted someone to give me a medal and shiny space blanket.
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No. I enjoyed about 400 pages of this book, and let could have easily done without the remainder. I'd love to read an abridged version of this. I literally skimmed the last hundred pages, and this was the best decision I made regarding this book.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No clue why I decided to slog through this entire thing. Very depressing. Could have been shortened by a few hundred pages.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning, middle, and end of this book all felt like different books. It was quite slow at times, but I couldn't put it down when I got to the last 200 pages or so (because it was so packed, quite a departure from the middle section).
To be so honest, I judged this book by the cover (it called out to me from the bookstore shelf one day), and when I read this, I was really into long, slow, narrative/literary novels. It is probably not something I would pick up now, but I can a lot people enjoying this one.
To be so honest, I judged this book by the cover (it called out to me from the bookstore shelf one day), and when I read this, I was really into long, slow, narrative/literary novels. It is probably not something I would pick up now, but I can a lot people enjoying this one.