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A review by dbuoih
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
45% I reckon that’s far enough to a get a good idea of the book.
I wouldn't want to repeat much of what's been said before. A book this long should have a reason to be. This book didn't challenge me in any way. Didn't offer any new perspective or have me questioning what I thought about a certain subject. The narrator's thoughts went too fast for there to be any real meat, which is unfortunate. I feel a stream-of-consciousness book could have been more sticky, because thoughts are like glue. This was just free association. I believe Ellmann’s form hindered the plot of the piece. But I didn’t write it, so that must have been, on some level, a calculated choice.
At some point I just felt there could’ve been a deeper plot while using the thoughts as a structure to tell the story. Even if it was more tightly wound about the housewife’s mental state, dropping her kid’s off at school, a specific task at the PTA meeting, a vacation with her husband, etc. More focused intention is what I was itching for. Because every time the character got a hold of a good point that could be further analyzed, like about beauty or (a white view) of police brutality, it was quickly brushed off into the next thought. The next poem. Or some dream that only served to change a subject. More observation.
I wouldn't want to repeat much of what's been said before. A book this long should have a reason to be. This book didn't challenge me in any way. Didn't offer any new perspective or have me questioning what I thought about a certain subject. The narrator's thoughts went too fast for there to be any real meat, which is unfortunate. I feel a stream-of-consciousness book could have been more sticky, because thoughts are like glue. This was just free association. I believe Ellmann’s form hindered the plot of the piece. But I didn’t write it, so that must have been, on some level, a calculated choice.
At some point I just felt there could’ve been a deeper plot while using the thoughts as a structure to tell the story. Even if it was more tightly wound about the housewife’s mental state, dropping her kid’s off at school, a specific task at the PTA meeting, a vacation with her husband, etc. More focused intention is what I was itching for. Because every time the character got a hold of a good point that could be further analyzed, like about beauty or (a white view) of police brutality, it was quickly brushed off into the next thought. The next poem. Or some dream that only served to change a subject. More observation.