A review by the_vegan_bookworm
Less by Andrew Sean Greer

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I found this book to be a pretty boring read. I also found Less to be a deeply unlikeable main character. I was hoping he would become someone who I would identify with more strongly as the book went on. But he generally didn't offer any redeeming qualities for me to resonate with. This being said, I enjoyed some of the secondary characters and wish more time had been devoted to getting to know them instead of Less.

I also found portions of the book very slow-paced and hard to get through. While the descriptions of many locations were beautiful and created compelling visuals, I found myself skimming certain sections because they went on for too long.

This also seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I found the ending to be cliché and not compelling. So much of the novel focuses on Less coming to terms with his break-up and growing old, only to give him this victory without any of the redeeming work to achieve it. Given the reflective tone of the rest of the book, I would have preferred Less to just find comfort in his separation from Freddy instead of needing to have them get back together. As a reader, it left me feeling confused with what I was meant to take away from this book as everything felt the same as the start of the journey.


It was an okay read, but I don't think it would be a book that I would recommend to others.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings