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A review by andrewspink
Sloop by Anna Enquist
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm not so keen on books with an anti-hero and I must say that I found the protagonist of this book a bit of an unattractive character. She is repeatedly described as not listening to what people say to her, even when it is important, which is irritating. She is hopelessly naïve when it comes to the relationship with her much older teacher. She internalises the negativity that her mother felt about her. Her weakness is shown in, for instance, her infidelity to Mark.
The switching between different time periods went ok, though I did sometimes get a bit confused about when the passage I was reading took place.
There are also things to like about the book. It is nicely written and easy to read. The insight into how a composer works was very interesting. I wonder how true to life that was, and how much that varies between composers. A lot of the process looked suspiciously like the process of writing a novel, but maybe the creative process is similar? The descriptions of how she was feeling insecure but still came up with a confident answer to her questioners was well done.
The plot was a bit haphazard. What was the point of the fish episode? Was that meant to be an analogy for something else, or was it just irrelevant to the rest? The interaction between the ups and downs of her attempts to have a child and her composition work was credible and interesting. Quite a lot of the plot was rather predictable, for instanceit was obvious that as soon as she stopped the fertility treatments that she would get pregnant which was a shame.
In general, a bit of a mixed bag, but worth reading.
The switching between different time periods went ok, though I did sometimes get a bit confused about when the passage I was reading took place.
There are also things to like about the book. It is nicely written and easy to read. The insight into how a composer works was very interesting. I wonder how true to life that was, and how much that varies between composers. A lot of the process looked suspiciously like the process of writing a novel, but maybe the creative process is similar? The descriptions of how she was feeling insecure but still came up with a confident answer to her questioners was well done.
The plot was a bit haphazard. What was the point of the fish episode? Was that meant to be an analogy for something else, or was it just irrelevant to the rest? The interaction between the ups and downs of her attempts to have a child and her composition work was credible and interesting. Quite a lot of the plot was rather predictable, for instance
In general, a bit of a mixed bag, but worth reading.