A review by mmunek14
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

dark 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

3.75

Eugenides is a brilliant writer. I feel like he captured the end of college plight quite well. As twenty something’s though, the characters all made questionable choices quite often. Despite mostly disliking the characters, I was really invested in them and wanted to know what was next. The descriptions of students felt exceedingly accurate, especially as someone who attended Brown as well. Some of Mitchell’s musings about religion were overdrawn in my opinion, sort of like the agrarian reform bits of Anna Karenina. That said, I appreciated that in the end he was human with flaws which made his experience more relatable. I also thought Eugenides wrote about Bankhead’s manic depression beautifully, with compassion, empathy, and from the perspective of the patient as well as the caretaker. Overall a solid read if annoying at times because of the character’s flaws. 
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