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mhall's review against another edition
3.0
Soon after Susan's husband dies on a trip to another country, she receives word she has inherited a mansion in Pasadena from a great-uncle she barely remembers. She ends up moving into a large house full of taxidermied animals in various stages of disrepair. As she is at loose ends with her life, she finds comfort in learning about them and feeling as though she is living in a old natural history museum.
The way this unfolded reminded me of [b:May We Be Forgiven|16061734|May We Be Forgiven|A.M. Homes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349221581s/16061734.jpg|19176680] by A.M. Homes. It felt restrained, though, and thoughtful.
The way this unfolded reminded me of [b:May We Be Forgiven|16061734|May We Be Forgiven|A.M. Homes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349221581s/16061734.jpg|19176680] by A.M. Homes. It felt restrained, though, and thoughtful.
lindsaysofia_25's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This is one of those novels that I appreciate for it's complexity and as a work of art but just didn't quite captivate me. I did like the second half better than the first though.
The social commentary, especially that pertaining to gender, was quite interesting and really served the story well. I enjoyed all the weird bits that seemed out of place at first but then after further contemplation were clearly smart symbolism and enhanced the atmosphere of the novel well. Millet is clearly a talented author.
I'm excited to read others by this author because although this one wasn't perfectly up my alley, I can tell by the writing style and the content that she clearly could write something I would absolutely love and I'm eager to seek that out!
The social commentary, especially that pertaining to gender, was quite interesting and really served the story well. I enjoyed all the weird bits that seemed out of place at first but then after further contemplation were clearly smart symbolism and enhanced the atmosphere of the novel well. Millet is clearly a talented author.
I'm excited to read others by this author because although this one wasn't perfectly up my alley, I can tell by the writing style and the content that she clearly could write something I would absolutely love and I'm eager to seek that out!
jessieb129's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
an_enthusiastic_reader's review against another edition
5.0
The final installment of the trilogy. Highly recommended for its feat of imagination and moral code.
maedo's review against another edition
4.0
The thing that I love most about Lydia Millet is that she not only captures the moment where one's brain goes off the rails into crazy talk born of desperate unhappiness in a way that's familiar, she takes it perhaps even a step further than you'd expect.
There is a scene in Magnificence where its protagonist, Susan -- late to an important appointment, a serial adulterer with a now-dead husband, heiress to a dusty mansion of taxidermied animals -- starts thinking about how she "loves pornography, loves gangsta rap, loves war video games" all of the simulated violence that "stops insane men from committing actual murder." It is hysterical to me, the way Millet dashes off these hyperbolic opinions with nonchalance. (She does so in Ghost Lights too, which you must read before reading this.)
There is a scene in Magnificence where its protagonist, Susan -- late to an important appointment, a serial adulterer with a now-dead husband, heiress to a dusty mansion of taxidermied animals -- starts thinking about how she "loves pornography, loves gangsta rap, loves war video games" all of the simulated violence that "stops insane men from committing actual murder." It is hysterical to me, the way Millet dashes off these hyperbolic opinions with nonchalance. (She does so in Ghost Lights too, which you must read before reading this.)
rdebner's review against another edition
5.0
A luminous novel about loss, both on the micro (human) level and on a macro level, and what one does with that. Finely observed characters, and some truly excellent sentences that shine.
nkrajnovich's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled with this read.. i had difficulty with it keeping my interest. Im not sure I could go back & read the first 2 books in the series, only struggled through this one because it was on a best of 2012 list Im slowly working through.
atschakfoert's review against another edition
3.0
Took me 3/4 of the book to get into...and then it was over. An alright story that would be much improved with a little pep. As is, it's kind of a snoozer.
dobeesquared's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying continuation of the story...Liked how in each of these novels you move on to the perspective of a new participant in the story, and also how species extinction plays a role without turning each novel into a polemic.
sullivank131's review
2.0
I loved this book for the house. The house was the best character and where the story shined. I loved the mystery of it and how it ended. The characters... could not have cared less about them. This might be due to that I did not know this was a part of a series; if I had read the others the characters may have been more compelling? I ended up skimming through a lot of this. Also, a private collection is not the same thing as a museum and the comparisons were driving me BANANAS but that is probably a personal problem (I have a M.A. in museology, so.)