A review by vermilion_grus
Augustus by John Williams

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The choice to have this be an epistolary novel is interesting. I can’t help but feel that Augustus is just a side character in his own book, especially in part 2 of the novel when a lot of focus was put onto his family instead. I found it hard to trace Augustus’s character development throughout the book and until the end, he seemed to just be a distant presence in the novel. 

I only started enjoying the novel from part 2, when the focus is put onto Augustus’s family, particularly his daughter, Julia. John Williams impresses me once again with his skill at writing a nuanced female character that feels so real. This is also the second John Williams novel in which a father-daughter relationship is explored. Like in Stoner, it’s bittersweet and elegantly executed. 

You’ll never find me disliking a novel by this author. Few others are able to explore human nature with such a nuanced and compelling hand.