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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
This is the first book that I read by Wallace Stegner and I liked it a lot, mostly the first 2 parts, the third one was hard on me and in a way I felt it was useless and didn't add to the book, neither it brought it to an ending, but this is just my opinion. I liked the way the lives of this 4 people are intertwined and how their characters evolve in the course of the story, even if there are some that remains absolutely the same from the beginning till the end. Larry, Sally, Syd and Charity are staying long in my mind, even if I would have loved a different conclusion.
Questo é il primo libro che leggo di Wallace Stegner e mi é piaciuto molto, specialmente le prime due parti, mentre la terza è stata difficile per me e l'ho anche trovata piuttosto inutile e non credo aggiunga nemmeno molto al libro, anche perché per quanto mi riguarda, le dinamiche tra le coppie mi sono sempre sembrate piuttosto chiare. Mi é piaciuto il modo in cui le vite di questi quattro personaggi si intreccino e come i loro caratteri evolvano con il tempo, ma non tutti, un paio rimangono piuttosto stabili e concludendo credo che Syd, Charity, Larry e Sally rimarranno piuttosto a lungo nei miei ricordi, anche se avrei preferito una diversa conclusione.
Questo é il primo libro che leggo di Wallace Stegner e mi é piaciuto molto, specialmente le prime due parti, mentre la terza è stata difficile per me e l'ho anche trovata piuttosto inutile e non credo aggiunga nemmeno molto al libro, anche perché per quanto mi riguarda, le dinamiche tra le coppie mi sono sempre sembrate piuttosto chiare. Mi é piaciuto il modo in cui le vite di questi quattro personaggi si intreccino e come i loro caratteri evolvano con il tempo, ma non tutti, un paio rimangono piuttosto stabili e concludendo credo che Syd, Charity, Larry e Sally rimarranno piuttosto a lungo nei miei ricordi, anche se avrei preferito una diversa conclusione.
The first chapters are so poetic, I had to linger on each word. It's a beautiful story of friendship. Thanks, Marie, for recommending!
It was good, but nothing too terribly spectacular. I may have enjoyed it more in the summertime when I tend to enjoy "serious" books more thoroughly.
First sentence: Floating upward through a confusion of dreams and memory, curving like a trout through the rings of previous rising, I surface.
Favorite quote: "An umbrella? In the woods? The woodpeckers would die laughing."
This is my second attempt with this book. The first time I thought it was just too slow. This time I kept reading and found the descriptions of everyday living beautiful yet for me, the entire story is so depressing. I kept coming back to reviews of the book to see what I was missing. It just did not resonate with me. I could not connect complete with any of the characters. I am glad I have read it and to move on to new reads.
Favorite quote: "An umbrella? In the woods? The woodpeckers would die laughing."
This is my second attempt with this book. The first time I thought it was just too slow. This time I kept reading and found the descriptions of everyday living beautiful yet for me, the entire story is so depressing. I kept coming back to reviews of the book to see what I was missing. It just did not resonate with me. I could not connect complete with any of the characters. I am glad I have read it and to move on to new reads.
I always thought the Angel of Repose was Wallace Stegner's best novel. However after just finishing Crossing to Safety I think I may have to revise that opinion. Crossing to Safety is the story of the lives of two couples, it carries to the end of one individual's life. The dust jacket comment calls it "that rare novel which allows you to live lifetimes". In the novel two academics and their wives meet as new faculty at University of Wisconsin and as the successes and failures of their careers move them around continue to stay close friends. One of the wives, Charity, is powerful and controlling. She controls out of love I am sure. But does she do more harm than good? Stegner leaves us still asking that question when the book ends. That is perhaps the sign of an excellent novel, we carry the questions away with us when it ends and chew on them for who knows how long. Not like so many light weight novels where we forget the story as soon as we close the book.
When I think of Wallace Stegner I remember my father. Dad was reading through Wallace Stegner's works toward the end of his life. I remember discussing All the Little Live Things with him after we both read it. I thought it was a little sad but Dad who had lived a lot more of life than I had a that time thought it was profoundly sad.
When I think of Wallace Stegner I remember my father. Dad was reading through Wallace Stegner's works toward the end of his life. I remember discussing All the Little Live Things with him after we both read it. I thought it was a little sad but Dad who had lived a lot more of life than I had a that time thought it was profoundly sad.
slow-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I have heard Anne Bogel rave about this book on the What Should I Read Next podcast, so I’ve been wanting to read it for a while. It’s a quiet novel about four friends, two couples, and the ups and downs of their relationship over decades. It’s a book about friendship, writing, found family, marriage dynamics, and social status. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I can’t really decide how I feel about the ending.
When someone tells you they keep multiple copies of a book jsut so they can loan it out, and then they offer to loan you a copy, you take it. And you read it.
4/8/10: I just wanted to sit with this book and cuddle it. The language was so rich and savory and the characters were beautiful and flawed.
4/8/10: I just wanted to sit with this book and cuddle it. The language was so rich and savory and the characters were beautiful and flawed.
I first read this so long ago (at 19? 20?) and I loved it but didn't understand it and felt cheated somehow by the ending. Rereading it at almost 40 I get it. The whole beautiful, intricate, quietness of it sang to me. I'm pretty sure I'll hear it humming underneath my skin for the rest of my life.