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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Damn, this book sticks with you. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd never read any of Doctorow's work before, but after checking this one out I might have to go back and dig in to the rest of his oeuvre. I didn't even know that the Collyer brothers were real people when I started the novel, and so that added a whole extra dimension to things as well. Honestly, I recommend this to everybody. It's really short. It took me two days to read. And it has been on my mind ever since.
This was an interesting read about two reclusive, hoarding brothers, although the book lacked a few things for me. The brothers were definitely eccentric and it was fascinating to see how they turned even more so the older they got, but they were never likable to me. I am always interested in learning more about hoarders and why they hoard items, but this subject was not as much of a focus as it could have been. Also, I would have loved to have seen pictures of the brothers and their house. The brothers were a hot news item, so you would have thought that including some pictures would have helped the reader connect more with the story. Overall, it was good but not great.
Great storytelling. You really invest yourself in Homer as a character, even though you know how it's going to end.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
this was like, grossly misogynistic and racist and i only read it bc i had to for class 😀
This was a good read to follow Denis Johnson's _Train Dreams_ last week; both an outline of progress and the passage of time seen through the lens of an individual life.
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Droll and rambling account of two damaged but resourceful brothers knocking about in a mansion looking onto Central Park.
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fictionalized biography of a real person - not quite historical fiction, but close. Homer, the blind Collyer brother, types out his memoir of a life first lived in the beauty that was the Upper East Side at the turn of the century, then the increasing darkness as his eyesight fails, his parents die and his brother returns from WWI having been gassed.
How much of Langley's problems were due to the mustard gas is anyone's guess, but the life he and Homer lead is fascinating. Incredibly rich, but also incredibly weird, these two men became part of New York's "Believe it or not" landscape. Doctorow extends their lives (both died in 1947 in real life, but here they manage to survive until the 1980s) and has them meet flower children, react to the moon landing and mourn a former piano student-turned-martyred nun. Moving the mansion from Harlem to Park Avenue gives the story more pathos, which (quite frankly) wasn't needed.
With the exception of stretching another 40 years and the move, Doctorow stays quite close to the facts of their lives (the court battles, their "syndrome", etc.). It's enough to make someone want to learn more about the Collyers!
How much of Langley's problems were due to the mustard gas is anyone's guess, but the life he and Homer lead is fascinating. Incredibly rich, but also incredibly weird, these two men became part of New York's "Believe it or not" landscape. Doctorow extends their lives (both died in 1947 in real life, but here they manage to survive until the 1980s) and has them meet flower children, react to the moon landing and mourn a former piano student-turned-martyred nun. Moving the mansion from Harlem to Park Avenue gives the story more pathos, which (quite frankly) wasn't needed.
With the exception of stretching another 40 years and the move, Doctorow stays quite close to the facts of their lives (the court battles, their "syndrome", etc.). It's enough to make someone want to learn more about the Collyers!
beautifully written, kind of like two characters witnessing history from a limioted perspective kind of deal. I wish that he could have gone more magic realism ala GArcia MArquez or something, i feel that there is alot of missed opportunities, hoarder houses are so much fun