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ida_s's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting read for the detailed picture it paints of a specific time in New York City. It is a bit difficult to keep track of all the different characters, which made me a little less emotionally invested than I like to be when I read a book.
kxiong5's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting aesthetic experiments — like Virginia Woolf type drifting without the focus on character — that don’t always feel like they work? But I can see why Dos Passos is doing what he’s doing.
athenidel's review against another edition
5.0
Bustling, jumpy and intense. For me, Manhattan Transfer was a different reading experience than I'm used to, but in a good way! Looking deep into New York life, you never get a sense that you're standing still, in the moment. There's always things going on around the single bit of narrative you're reading. Dos Passos' writing directly places you there, with fleeting looks at characters and detailed descriptions of the busy city. I, surprisingly, liked the complexity of this novel. It's not every day you get a book that pushes outside the boundaries, goes beyond what typically a novel can do. The wide range of characters either succeed or fail tragicly (Bud's story got to me), and, ultimately, thats just the way the city goes.
5/5 for storytelling, in a mish-mash sort of way. Writing that truly made me go 'wow'.
Favourite Quote: The terrible thing about having New York go stale on you is that there's nowhere else. It's the top of the world.
5/5 for storytelling, in a mish-mash sort of way. Writing that truly made me go 'wow'.
Favourite Quote: The terrible thing about having New York go stale on you is that there's nowhere else. It's the top of the world.
mmillerb's review against another edition
2.0
disjointed style may have been groundbreaking at the time of its writing, but i found it dry and ineffectual. dialog often felt like it was bludgeoning me to death
unrelated facts from dos passos’ wikipedia: e e cummings said he was the least american-looking person at harvard in 1912 and late in his life he campaigned for goldwater and nixon
unrelated facts from dos passos’ wikipedia: e e cummings said he was the least american-looking person at harvard in 1912 and late in his life he campaigned for goldwater and nixon
alethes's review against another edition
3.0
Denso y complicado, me habría gustado más si hubiera MÁS personajes todavía
bookish_5280's review against another edition
1.25
waaaaaaay too modernist. still have no idea who some of the characters are lol (and i was paying close attention throughout the whole read...not a positive experience :()
mono_86's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
imyerhero's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This style of writing is absolutely pleasurable for me. Part stream of consciousness and part poetic prose - Dos Passos does an incredible job of capturing both the setting of 1900s-1920s New York and the hopeless and hope filled lives of the inhabitants.