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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
3.5 but rounded up. I’m a sucker for the author. Has all the hallmarks of a typical Perrotta that I’ve read (small town drama), but that doesn’t make it less enjoyable. Like CP, if you can do something well, why shift.
Anyway. The ending was a little too tied up with a bow, despite the little callback to the start (what even was that). But I really enjoyed the middle, particularly Julians narration and the way his story played out.
As for the writing, some good lines, and definitely made me reflect periodically.
Anyway. The ending was a little too tied up with a bow, despite the little callback to the start (what even was that). But I really enjoyed the middle, particularly Julians narration and the way his story played out.
As for the writing, some good lines, and definitely made me reflect periodically.
Oh dear. A group of self-absorbed but hardly self-aware characters behaving badly. Was there a likeable one in the bunch? (Come to think of it, isn't that what I said after reading "Little Children?" And also after "The Leftovers"? Perhaps there's a pattern here.) Divorced mother Eve and her 18 year old son Brendan both manage to indulge in some stunningly cringe-worthy behaviors and by book's end I was thoroughly creeped out. Perrotta is a glib, accomplished writer so the pages fly by, but this was not a rewarding read. Sorry.
Really loved this book, but it's not for everyone. This is indeed a mature-audiences-only read, and gets into uncomfortable territory. That said, I loved the characters, storyline and even the stuff the made me squirm. I will definitely recommend this to my sex-educator friend...dying to get her perspective. Reads like chick lit, with a punch. Tom Perrotta delivers once again.
I've never read Perrotta's work before, and this was enough to make me want to jump in to the rest of his catalog headfirst. This book is all character. Very little driving plot to speak of, basically an examination of one unremarkable 3 month period from the perspective of ~10 distinct narrators. What I loved about this was that each storyteller had their own voice - too often all an author's characters take on the same vocabulary and tone, but this avoids that pitfall handily.
Would have been a five star score if it weren't for a gratuitous, and totally implausible hookup late in the novel. This one chapter feels totally out of place with the small, well drawn moments of the rest of the story, and really disappointed me.
Would have been a five star score if it weren't for a gratuitous, and totally implausible hookup late in the novel. This one chapter feels totally out of place with the small, well drawn moments of the rest of the story, and really disappointed me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Mrs. Fletcher is the story of Eve, a divorced mother who is disconnected from her college-age son, and her son, Brenden, a teenage jackass who learned everything about sex from online porn.
According to the dust jacket, Eve takes a course in gender studies and gets addicted to online porn. I read Part I (60ish pages) and stopped because none of that had happened yet, and I was bored with the extensive building of stereotypical characters. In 60 pages learned nothing about them other than how I described them above. I skimmed some GR reviews here, and while a few almost persuaded me to keep reading, I've decided not to.
The back of the hardcover dust jacket includes "Praise for Mrs. Fletcher" from Maria Semple (author of [b:Where'd You Go, Bernadette|13526165|Where'd You Go, Bernadette|Maria Semple|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1338822317s/13526165.jpg|17626728], which I read) and Richard Russo. It's typical effluvient marketing hype that grossly oversells the book, like the picture of a Big Mac in a TV ad versus the real thing. Semple says the book is "hilarious" (I didn't smile in 60 pages); "provocative" (I guess if you've never used the internet); "relateable" (Ok, I'll give her that one); and "every moment a joyride." Yeah, the anecdote from a college dormmate about eating a so much pizza he puked was so fresh and original it warranted the two joyous pages of description.
Russo's praise is more egregious. He calls Perrotta a "wet-your-pants-funny satirist." Again, I found the characters too rote and predictable to be amusing. Also, who or what is he satirizing? Satire uses shame as a weapon. Is he shaming stupid young men who don't know any better? Or emotionally disconnected middle-class single mothers? Either Russo doesn't understand what satire means, or Perrotta's victims are undeserving and his attitude pretentious for assuming himself in a place to shame them. An adjective often associated with satire is "biting," but this book is more like a toothless gumming.
According to the dust jacket, Eve takes a course in gender studies and gets addicted to online porn. I read Part I (60ish pages) and stopped because none of that had happened yet, and I was bored with the extensive building of stereotypical characters. In 60 pages learned nothing about them other than how I described them above. I skimmed some GR reviews here, and while a few almost persuaded me to keep reading, I've decided not to.
The back of the hardcover dust jacket includes "Praise for Mrs. Fletcher" from Maria Semple (author of [b:Where'd You Go, Bernadette|13526165|Where'd You Go, Bernadette|Maria Semple|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1338822317s/13526165.jpg|17626728], which I read) and Richard Russo. It's typical effluvient marketing hype that grossly oversells the book, like the picture of a Big Mac in a TV ad versus the real thing. Semple says the book is "hilarious" (I didn't smile in 60 pages); "provocative" (I guess if you've never used the internet); "relateable" (Ok, I'll give her that one); and "every moment a joyride." Yeah, the anecdote from a college dormmate about eating a so much pizza he puked was so fresh and original it warranted the two joyous pages of description.
Russo's praise is more egregious. He calls Perrotta a "wet-your-pants-funny satirist." Again, I found the characters too rote and predictable to be amusing. Also, who or what is he satirizing? Satire uses shame as a weapon. Is he shaming stupid young men who don't know any better? Or emotionally disconnected middle-class single mothers? Either Russo doesn't understand what satire means, or Perrotta's victims are undeserving and his attitude pretentious for assuming himself in a place to shame them. An adjective often associated with satire is "biting," but this book is more like a toothless gumming.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
interesting exploration of sexuality gender relationships and addiction through the lenses of multiple characters all with different backgrounds and histories. at tim’s i wished we had more specific insights into the main 2 characters but i also really liked the variety