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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
An excellent multi-generational exploration of nature vs nurture, religion, and cultural ideals versus reality.
Very slow in the beginning, but thankfully the succeeding "chapters" get better, leading up to a great finale
La saga de una familia debe presentar grandes dificultades para el escritor. Creo que Updike comienza de manera destacada pero la mitad de la historia cae en estereotipos, aburrimiento, se degrada; no por ello se puede dejar de apreciar la capacidad del escritor para emprender una novela de este alcance.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book is like sitting next to Garrison Keillor while he pages through a photo album of his sad, unfulfilled ancestors as he tries to describe sex to you, all the while self-obsessed with his own command of the English language. I quit 60% of the way through this dense, plodding mess because I just didn’t care.
dark
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
Updike writes wonderfully. However, sometimes his writing makes all his characters, no matter the age, very lust-ridden teenagers. I did not want to read borderline porn in order to enjoy the parts of his writing that I did enjoy.
Glad I stuck with this. The first 60-some pages were frustrating, but it definitely picked up and turned out to be a really satisfying read.
I'm glad I picked this book up used. I love Updike generally and this was no exception. It was different than his themes in other books I've read (like Couples or the Rabbit books) in that he followed a family through three generations beginning in the early 1900s, describing their faith or lack thereof (not necessarily in God) and the society in which each of the three main characters lived. I was captivated by his themes, rather than his characters or drawn into the plot (not a plot-driven book), and in love with his writing, formal, lovely, and dense.