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ilupoli's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn’t expecting to love this book, but I LOVE THIS BOOK. It was such a beautiful depiction of a marriage between two flawed people. It grabbed me from the beginning!
lorikleininak's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Lauren Groff writes mesmerizing books with strong, fascinating characters. Fates and Furies is the third book of hers that I've read, and I can say that the two main characters, Lotto and Mathilde, are unforgettable.
Lancelot (Lotto) Satterwhite, the son of a rich man, loses his inheritance when he spontaneously marries Mathilde Yodor, an orphan who he meets two weeks before his college graduation. Theirs is a great love story. He's larger than life - a gregarious man whom everyone loves. She's his rock, a smile on her face and a solution for every problem. But who's really behind the curtain, pulling the strings?
The first half of Fates and Furies is Lotto's story (Fates). The second half (Furies) is Mathilde's version. Layers are added and peeled back. And the peripheral characters are almost as important as the main characters. This book is cleverly written - a complicated literary drama. I recommend!
Lancelot (Lotto) Satterwhite, the son of a rich man, loses his inheritance when he spontaneously marries Mathilde Yodor, an orphan who he meets two weeks before his college graduation. Theirs is a great love story. He's larger than life - a gregarious man whom everyone loves. She's his rock, a smile on her face and a solution for every problem. But who's really behind the curtain, pulling the strings?
The first half of Fates and Furies is Lotto's story (Fates). The second half (Furies) is Mathilde's version. Layers are added and peeled back. And the peripheral characters are almost as important as the main characters. This book is cleverly written - a complicated literary drama. I recommend!
mommaslonglegs's review against another edition
2.0
Respectfully this was bad. When you look up pretentious in the dictionary this book spits on you for using something as pedestrian as a dictionary. The concept was unique but the most interesting plotline is like the f plot (f for f*ck you for being curious about anything other than existential angst). 2/10 not a vibe
alissamk's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man I honestly almost gave up on this book. I put it down for a couple of months after reading halfway through but I'm glad I picked it up again. I really wasn't feeling the first half because I found Lotto to be completely insufferable and I didn't think I could stand to read about him for a whole 390 pages. But in the second half we learned the rest of the story from Mathilde's point of view and that was when the story of their marriage fascinated me until the very end. I was all set to put this book down and declare that I hated it but it ended up being a journey for me. This was a really interesting take on what it means to love and to be loved.
hongjoongie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It occurred to her then that life was conical in shape, the past broadening beyond the sharp point of the lived moment. The more life you had, the more the base expanded, so that the wounds and treasons that were nearly imperceptible when they happened stretched like tiny dots on a balloon slowly blown up. A speck on the slender child grows into a gross deformity in the adult, inescapable, ragged at the edges.
Begs to be reread.
morgpurv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
matt74915's review against another edition
4.0
At first, the whole "Guinevere/Lancelot/Gawain" and Greek chorus things were a little off-putting [trite, tired or precious]. But I'm glad I stuck with it, as a complex tales of perspectives followed. Definitely a good and worthwhile read.
suzecluez's review against another edition
2.0
I just couldn't get behind this book. Maybe it's even worse as an audiobook, though I could acknowledge that Groff has beautiful writing even while listening. This was a book I probably should have quit, but with many friends having enjoyed this when it first came out, I stuck with with it.
I agree with other reviews that the writing doesn't make up for the plot, confusing structure, unlikable characters, and overall everything about the story bummed me out. Lotto is unbearable throughout most of the book and his half seriously drags. Once we finally get to Mathilde I was further disappointed and disturbed.
2 stars for beautiful writing (though sometimes heavy handed), fleshed out characters (even though I didn't like them), and one plot twist I didn't see coming.
I agree with other reviews that the writing doesn't make up for the plot, confusing structure, unlikable characters, and overall everything about the story bummed me out. Lotto is unbearable throughout most of the book and his half seriously drags. Once we finally get to Mathilde I was further disappointed and disturbed.
2 stars for beautiful writing (though sometimes heavy handed), fleshed out characters (even though I didn't like them), and one plot twist I didn't see coming.