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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
3.5*
Prefiero a Capote como cuentista. Pero por ser su primera novela (publicada a los 23 años, lo admiro/odio) no estuvo mal.
Prefiero a Capote como cuentista. Pero por ser su primera novela (publicada a los 23 años, lo admiro/odio) no estuvo mal.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
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
A great read for a taste of Southern Gothic and was pleasantly surprised that it was a coming-of-age story, too. My only qualms are not learning more about Joel's mother. With as much as she is referenced, I think Joel would be a more developed character with a concrete understanding of who his mother is.
One could bathe all day in the atmosphere of this southern gothic if one is of a certain romantic persuasion. Thick with languid beauty and florid observations, it fizzes with the energy of a summer storm about to break.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
This is Capote's debut novel, and it certainly shows. Other Voices, Other Rooms is beautiful but in many ways feels like an "imitation novel", with the author struggling to define his own voice and themes. However, Capote's genius shines through the pages like a prophecy, it is unstoppable, pouring through his mesmerizing descriptions and sentences so appealing they leave you starved for more. I love that he removed the overt hallucinatory symbolism and decided to ground himself in realism afterwards, with just enough distortion here and there to suggest something mystical.
I really enjoyed trying to figure out what was happening until my friend told me the last part was all a fever dream and now I'm more confused than ever.
Other Voices, Other Rooms definitely falls into the vane of other Southern Gothic novels written during the first half of the 20th century. Particularly, it reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Both of these make perfect sense, as Capote was childhood friends with Lee and was living with McCullers while writing this novel. If you like the Southern Gothic and some really good prose, read it. The only criticism I have is some plot points could have been played with a little more and elongated into longer arcs.
This book is undeniably very well-written throughout the entire thing, but it kind of lost me after the first half. In the beginning, I thought it had the potential to be five stars. It was unclear what Capote was trying to say with this book, and I honestly couldn't summarize the last eighty pages for you. I enjoyed reading it during class because it prompted some interesting discussions and theories, but I don't think I would've made it through the whole thing had I been reading it on my own.