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sujuv's review
4.0
I finished this book with a newfound respect for squirrels :) Charming, warm, optimistic though armed with some biting commentary about consumerism and materialism, this book is a highly entertaining read. I've been accused by my family of only reading depressing books but this one proves them wrong.
zoshamarie's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
3.0
Quirky and amusing at times, the major gripe and drawback was that this caused the framing and pacing of the novel to be very uneven and fragmented. The character development and relatability of all characters also tended to be caricature-ish and on surface value, such that the humour of their situation fades off pretty quickly. However if you're looking for something to simply laugh and enjoy, it more than fits the bill.
meghan111's review
4.0
Quirky-literary hybrid with strong character appeal. Veblen was named after Thorstein Veblen and is happy in her rundown Palo Alto cottage, working as a temp, studying Norwegian and loving squirrels and typewriters. She had a pretty heavily dysfunctional childhood, walking on eggshells around her mom whose every emotional need took top priority.
Veblen is marrying Paul, a neurologist who's developed a device for use in combat zones to punch holes in skull to prevent traumatic brain injuries. Paul is much less quirky and a bit of a money-status-power seeking guy.
Will their relationship work out? Will Veblen learn to not always put other people's needs first? Is the same squirrel actually following her around and talking to her?
Veblen is marrying Paul, a neurologist who's developed a device for use in combat zones to punch holes in skull to prevent traumatic brain injuries. Paul is much less quirky and a bit of a money-status-power seeking guy.
Will their relationship work out? Will Veblen learn to not always put other people's needs first? Is the same squirrel actually following her around and talking to her?
spinstah's review against another edition
3.0
This was ok. I kept wondering if I should stop reading, but I enjoyed it while I was reading it. It just didn’t stay with me at all.
mmardybum's review
3.0
2.5 (or .7)
Now, "Veblen" isn't a bad book, by a long shot. It's just too much... like real life. With some talking to squirrels thrown in there, of course, but then again, I talk to spiders all the time, so I don't see how this would be weird.Maybe I am the one who's weird. Who knows. But spiders are cute. You know, in the creepy kinda way.
But the problem is that for the major part of the book I was wondering what are we trying to accomplish here, where are we going with this? I didn't dislike the writing (can't say I liked it, either, but at least I didn't hate it), but I was wondering where is the story going, what will be the outcome of all this? I didn't mind reading this book, at times I even enjoyed it a lot, but I wouldn't feel like I missed anything if I never picked it up again and just left it unfinished. I wasn't invested in the story enough to care what happens at the end.
Then I realized that we're actually not trying to accomplish anything, we're just going through life like a normal person would do. And this isn't a bad thing. Sometimes books need to be quiet and not demanding world domination, not trying hard to shove in your face all the messages they have hidden for you. This is actually good. But it's usually not how I prefer todrink my beer read my books.
I couldn't connect with the characters and quite frankly, they all sounded the same to me. And this may be my inner grandma talking here, but what's with all the pictures? Why? All they got from me was intense eye rolling and faster page turning.
Just when I got used to the idea of this book being just a book about life in general, the ending hit. And it hit hard. And not in the good way. I was thinking of maybe giving this four stars, but then... For me, this was a very strange decision. And so at odds with everything else.
So here we are. A 2.6.
Now, "Veblen" isn't a bad book, by a long shot. It's just too much... like real life. With some talking to squirrels thrown in there, of course, but then again, I talk to spiders all the time, so I don't see how this would be weird.
But the problem is that for the major part of the book I was wondering what are we trying to accomplish here, where are we going with this? I didn't dislike the writing (can't say I liked it, either, but at least I didn't hate it), but I was wondering where is the story going, what will be the outcome of all this? I didn't mind reading this book, at times I even enjoyed it a lot, but I wouldn't feel like I missed anything if I never picked it up again and just left it unfinished. I wasn't invested in the story enough to care what happens at the end.
Then I realized that we're actually not trying to accomplish anything, we're just going through life like a normal person would do. And this isn't a bad thing. Sometimes books need to be quiet and not demanding world domination, not trying hard to shove in your face all the messages they have hidden for you. This is actually good. But it's usually not how I prefer to
I couldn't connect with the characters and quite frankly, they all sounded the same to me. And this may be my inner grandma talking here, but what's with all the pictures? Why? All they got from me was intense eye rolling and faster page turning.
Just when I got used to the idea of this book being just a book about life in general, the ending hit. And it hit hard. And not in the good way. I was thinking of maybe giving this four stars, but then... For me, this was a very strange decision. And so at odds with everything else.
So here we are. A 2.6.
davidjordan's review
5.0
Some novels I abandon before completion, with some I force myself to soldier on until the end (expecting a big pay-off, or at least a reader's sense of accomplishment), and others I put down for a long time before picking them back up much later to see if I have the energy to finish them off. My favorite fiction, however, is the sort of novel that is a joy to read from start to finish. The Portable Veblen is one of those unusually compelling, entertaining, and delightful novels that remind me why I enjoy fiction. Funny, insightful, honest, and impressively well-written, this is a fantastic book that I cannot recommend highly enough. Family dynamics, conspicuous consumption, pharmaceutical malfeasance, and the military-industrial complex (oh: and talking squirrels...), what's not to love?
clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition
3.0
Quirky and amusing at times, the major gripe and drawback was that this caused the framing and pacing of the novel to be very uneven and fragmented. The character development and relatability of all characters also tended to be caricature-ish and on surface value, such that the humour of their situation fades off pretty quickly. However if you're looking for something to simply laugh and enjoy, it more than fits the bill.
honigbiene's review against another edition
I was really looking forward to this one, but I just didn’t connect with any of the characters. It was fine but I didn’t feel pulled to pick it back up. I also did not find it funny.