Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
The beginning had me hoping that disparaging reports of this book were false, but it quickly devolves into pages and pages of well-written but pointless prose. It picks up for a moment in a section about Leonard's experimentation with his medication, but quickly ends in one painful, dying decrescendo.
No idea why this book keeps getting panned. I really enjoyed it. Review to come.
I had such high hopes but this book disappointed me. If it were up to me I would have cut out so much of it. I understand that for a love triangle to work we need to "know" all three characters. But I honestly could have done without 95% of the Mitchell story and had the same feelings toward the triangle. Also, if I wanted a course on semiotics, I would just take one. I really do not enjoy authors using their stories to show off knowledge they possess that does not further the plot in a meaningful way.
I enjoyed a number of aspects of Eugenides's most recent novel, but as a whole, it felt like something was missing. The stories of Madeline, Leonard, and Mitchell converge on the campus of Brown University in the 1980s and then continue as the three travel on their interwoven post-college paths. Much of it reads like a modernized homage to the "marriage plots" of Madeline's preferred field of study, 18th century British literature, but I felt like some of the character development was lacking. While I enjoyed reading about Mitchell's travels as the wandering, lovelorn, spiritual poet, I felt like the central character of Maddie did not get the opportunity to establish her own voice. She often felt like the acquiescing woman caught between two dynamic, complex men - perhaps that was intentional on Eugenides's part as a commentary on the Austen literature that Maddie so loved?
Falls flat compared to his other works. Some flashes of brilliance but overall pretty boring -- unlikeable characters, story is trudging and unsatisfying.
disappointing, eugenides is such a talented writer that there were still moments of great writing but the plot was pretentious and predictable and the ending was contrived
This book felt like it was trying to make me feel smart for reading about it, which was awkward because I don’t think it said anything particularly insightful about relationships or the literature about relationships the title refers to.
It also depicted too many sex scenes for my taste, but for less prudish readers this will be less of a concern. However, at times the writer seemed to be using language that insinuated that thinking about sex is shameful (mostly when the female character was thinking), which felt somewhat at odds with all the sexual content.
It also depicted too many sex scenes for my taste, but for less prudish readers this will be less of a concern. However, at times the writer seemed to be using language that insinuated that thinking about sex is shameful (mostly when the female character was thinking), which felt somewhat at odds with all the sexual content.
I sense that this book has a lot of personal meaning for the author, but it did not stir me much at all. I did, however, appreciate the empathetic and detailed descriptions of Leonard's bi-polar struggles.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes