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A review by lchamberlin97
The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner
4.0
This book was definitely not what I expected. Overall, it was well-written and thought provoking...partly because I will soon be in Copenhagen for four months! Granted, this was Copenhagen in 1950's, so I truly hope there are not still (as many)
But even beyond these parts, I thought Stegner did a great job of intriguing me with this guy who was struggling with aging - as I am neither male, a spectator, or seventy, this narrator was clearly not very relatable in circumstance, and yet I found myself sympathetic to his story. (Maybe that's my own fear of what it would be like to age like him?) It was a nice balance between complaint and humor and plot. And then, of course, you have that super interesting background of Astrid in Copenhagen - also a good balance, this time between stringing me along with the "what's really going on here" and keeping my attention with the other little plot points and interjections that he has. For example, I was weirdly entertained by his description of playing tennis.
Why? I couldn't really say - and that goes for the whole book, actually. Was it (any part of it) really thrilling? Definitely not. But I was along for the ride and content to be!
Spoiler
incest-ridden, near gothic estates hanging out just around the corner.<\spoiler> I'm also apparently part of the tech world, so it was interesting to hear the few little monologues on the growing Silicon Valley.But even beyond these parts, I thought Stegner did a great job of intriguing me with this guy who was struggling with aging - as I am neither male, a spectator, or seventy, this narrator was clearly not very relatable in circumstance, and yet I found myself sympathetic to his story. (Maybe that's my own fear of what it would be like to age like him?) It was a nice balance between complaint and humor and plot. And then, of course, you have that super interesting background of Astrid in Copenhagen - also a good balance, this time between stringing me along with the "what's really going on here" and keeping my attention with the other little plot points and interjections that he has. For example, I was weirdly entertained by his description of playing tennis.
Why? I couldn't really say - and that goes for the whole book, actually. Was it (any part of it) really thrilling? Definitely not. But I was along for the ride and content to be!