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danchibnall's review against another edition
2.0
I know this book got some high praise, but it was simply not my kind of book. The characters seemed pretty empty to me. I had no real interest in any of them. The characters seemed to exist simply so Lethem could describe them. His writing skills are excellent, but this story really didn't go anywhere for me.
letsreadmorebooks's review against another edition
4.0
this is my first jonathan lethem novel. he's a fantastic writer. the story is quirky and strange and i love the way lethem uses words. this is one of the more intelligent works of fiction i've read in a while. i look forward to reading more of his books.
bookhouseboi's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ich würde es gerne mehr mögen, als ich es tatsächlich tu. Schaut lieber David Robert Mitchells "Under the Silver Lake" für einen ähnlich irren Plot, der deutlich besser funktioniert.
masonanddixon's review against another edition
4.0
Worked so much better as a hangout novel than the masterpiece of simulacra it so dearly wants to be.
houlette's review against another edition
2.0
I've been a Lethem fan for a long time, and I LOVED "Motherless Brooklyn." His two novels since then, however, have been sorely disappointing, to the point where I've had to force myself to finish them. His writing is gorgeous, and I can tell there are interesting socio/philosophical ideas lurking in there, but the plot and characters in "Chronic City" and "Fortress of Solitude" utterly failed to engage me enough to make me care at all. Maybe Lethem needs to write about someplace other than New York to break his trend of creating these hermetically sealed stories.
offbalance80's review against another edition
1.0
One of these days I'll remember Jonathan Lethem is a pompous, self-aggrandizing bore, and stop trying to read his books. It's hard to reconcile that the author of the engaging, funny, fantastic Motherless Brooklyn can't seem to create anything on the same level.
As for this? He lost me at Perkus Tooth and the narrator's endless name dropping, and never got me back.
As for this? He lost me at Perkus Tooth and the narrator's endless name dropping, and never got me back.
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
Weird and fun and smart and sort of tidy but not *that* tidy. My sort of navel-gazing. Might read this one again some day and will certainly look into more by Lethem.
elpanek's review against another edition
4.0
Very reminiscent of the novel/film Wonder Boys in that it chronicles a man's marijuana-laced mid-life crisis (though Chronic City's narrator, Chase Insteadman, is a bit younger than that). There are a few terrific scenes depicting zany hijinks in 2000's NYC, some neat philosophical riffs, but the feeling of dread and random destruction (vestiges of 9/11, perhaps) is never far off. The urban landscape plays a part (particularly the upper east side and other enclaves of privilege), but the real focus of the book is a quintessential NYC eccentric named Perkus Tooth. In the same way Lethem's Fortress of Solitude was primarily about an admiring male friendship, Chase's love for the broken Tooth is the heart of Chronic City.
I could've done without Lethem's flowery language. While there are moments of wit and poetry, most of the formal fireworks sound a false note coming from Chase, an out-of-work child actor.
In sum, if you're looking for a book to read about a melancholic/zany winter in New York City, if you have a soft spot for damaged, highly intelligent eccentrics (part of the enjoyment I got out of this was from the way Tooth reminded me so much of an old friend), and you liked Lethem's other work (Fortress of Solitude is better, so if you haven't read that already, do it), then Chronic City is worth your time.
I could've done without Lethem's flowery language. While there are moments of wit and poetry, most of the formal fireworks sound a false note coming from Chase, an out-of-work child actor.
In sum, if you're looking for a book to read about a melancholic/zany winter in New York City, if you have a soft spot for damaged, highly intelligent eccentrics (part of the enjoyment I got out of this was from the way Tooth reminded me so much of an old friend), and you liked Lethem's other work (Fortress of Solitude is better, so if you haven't read that already, do it), then Chronic City is worth your time.
roboshake's review against another edition
2.0
If I was conjuring up a self-indulgent socialistic alternate reality of Manhattan for myself, SOME GIRLS would not be the Rolling Stones album the main character would listen to most frequently. The clear choice is LET IT BLEED.
jackb's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
At times I absolutely loved it, others I felt it meandered a little bit. The writing is great, with the descent into paranoia and conspiracy, while all sorts of strange things are going on around the main characters particularly the mystery of the tiger. I hated Perkus by the end, he's just an idiot.