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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller (although it's not the "action-packed" type) set in rural France and focused on a commune known as Le Moulin. The espionage plot provides a framework for the cold-hearted protagonist (assumed name: Sadie Smith) and certain others (primarily Bruno Lacombe, via his intercepted emails to the Moulinards) to make proclamations and observations about various aspects of life, such as art, political activism, self-identity, oppression, Neanderthals, and the night sky.
There are many indelible scenes and stories within the story - e.g., Bruno's memory of playing with other boys and taking the helmet of a dead Nazi soldier they came across; Sadie observing the sexist division of labor in the commune; the history of the Cagot; Bruno hearing voices in his cave; and a seafaring tale about an 18th-century Polynesian.
Here's just one of many passages that made an impression on me: "When you look at stars, Bruno said, you merge into the flow of time, the right-now and the before and the to-come." Actually, I thought some of the writing about the stars connected well to Samantha Harvey's Orbital, which I read recently.
Usually I try to avoid audiobooks narrated by the author, but I'm glad I listened to this one. Kushner's straightforward delivery works perfectly with the book's dry humor.
There are many indelible scenes and stories within the story - e.g., Bruno's memory of playing with other boys and taking the helmet of a dead Nazi soldier they came across; Sadie observing the sexist division of labor in the commune; the history of the Cagot; Bruno hearing voices in his cave; and a seafaring tale about an 18th-century Polynesian.
Here's just one of many passages that made an impression on me: "When you look at stars, Bruno said, you merge into the flow of time, the right-now and the before and the to-come." Actually, I thought some of the writing about the stars connected well to Samantha Harvey's Orbital, which I read recently.
Usually I try to avoid audiobooks narrated by the author, but I'm glad I listened to this one. Kushner's straightforward delivery works perfectly with the book's dry humor.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
truly godawful insufferable. made it 60 percent and just couldn’t do it anymore
I am, admittedly, way too much of a pleb for this book, but I respected it for the most part. Many Booker Prize nominees are just garbled intellectual garbage, but you can tell Kushner is mastering the craft of somewhat wandering somewhat plotless but intriguing narrative structure.
I was into the book in the beginning, kind of had no idea what was happening in the middle, but came around at the end. I think it would have kept it together a bit more if the group Sadie was undercover for had more of a dramatic or compelling cause...it did feel rather French so maybe I just couldn't connect with it, but overall I didn't hate the book as a whole, though I couldn't possibly imagine the kind of person or situation I'd be in where I would recommend this book. Nonetheless, I may even take another stab at a Kushner. It was a fun challenge in the end.
I was into the book in the beginning, kind of had no idea what was happening in the middle, but came around at the end. I think it would have kept it together a bit more if the group Sadie was undercover for had more of a dramatic or compelling cause...it did feel rather French so maybe I just couldn't connect with it, but overall I didn't hate the book as a whole, though I couldn't possibly imagine the kind of person or situation I'd be in where I would recommend this book. Nonetheless, I may even take another stab at a Kushner. It was a fun challenge in the end.