I can’t judge the narrator; I’m obsessed with these girls, too.
Synopsis: In the wake of their youngest sister’s suicide, the remaining four sisters slI can’t judge the narrator; I’m obsessed with these girls, too.
Synopsis: In the wake of their youngest sister’s suicide, the remaining four sisters slowly waste away. This is both a story of the sisters, but also about the unholy fixation of the narrator and his friends.
Major Themes: Obsession. How one idea gets lodged in your brain so that it can’t be shaken. How it can eat away at you until it leads to an inevitable conclusion.
The Myth of Jephthah’s Daughter. Although Jephthah’s daughter was in fact a historical figure, depending on your take on the Old Testament, the fascination with the unattainable female ideal is in fact fictional. The fabled image of an innocent girl tragically lost in her youthful virginity is a classic literary technique. Although, interestingly enough, the book is not so much an exploration into the Madonnas, but rather a critique on that typical fixation itself. Their innocence, lamented by the town, never really was.
The threat of isolationism. When you think you have all you need, you can’t cope with the darkness within. This is a very specific way of thinking, and it is surprisingly prevalent in American culture. This idea that cutting oneself off from the world offers protection from the monsters beyond one’s doors. But what do you do when the monster is inside your house?
What worked: The nuance is rife. Much of the book is a painting in dark hues and rank odors (yes…an odorous painting, just go with it). What we are left with is a vivid portrayal of a family (a house) slowly dying from the inside out and the refusal of its decision-makers to do a damn thing about it. Since the narrator and his buddies are still trying to piece together the mystery themselves, nothing is too on the nose. And yet, you’ll spend the whole book wanting to warn the characters of what’s coming next. To be fair, we know what it is because we read ahead to the ending. Even so…there are so many warning signs. It’s provocative, sick, and utterly damning.
What didn’t: I wouldn’t say it didn’t technically work, but this story is complicated thanks to the narrators own ignorance and the difficulty of the story itself. It’s disjointed, but it makes you work for it and that’s not exactly a bad thing. This story won’t be for everyone; for some it may hit too close to home in many ways. It could be a brutal read, so know that going into it. ...more
Summary: Ariah is a virgin bride, who marries (unwittingly) a gay man who throws himself into Niagara Falls following The Falls Demand a Sacrifice!!!
Summary: Ariah is a virgin bride, who marries (unwittingly) a gay man who throws himself into Niagara Falls following their wedding night. That is slightly traumatizing. Ariah now believes her family is cursed, and creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you’ve ever been to Niagara Falls, then you are acquainted with the fine Falls mist that covers everything. So, just picture that same mist covering the plot of this book. Everything is obscured, dark, somewhat depressing and smells faintly of the scent of mold. Or something. The plot is shrouded in mystery and jumps about erratically and, at times, haphazardly. You never know where you’re headed; maybe over the Falls and to certain death.
Joyce Carol Oates is obsessed with curses. (SEE: The Accursed) So our protagonist and family are “cursed”, and I use that term lightly because many times it seems that the curse is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Poor choices and poor judgement are often attributed to outside forces which cannot be controlled. One has to wonder, if you go around convinced that only bad will come your way, do you create your own destiny? It hearkens to the ancient principle that you attract what you expect.
Overall, I found it unnecessarily confusing. It was difficult to tell who was talking, there were so many characters who did not make frequent appearances, and the narrative was constantly jumping through time. Although I suppose the story does accurately recreate a gloomy day spent at Niagara, 500+ pages is just a little too much of that for my taste. ...more
Synopsis: Cece and Joan are childhood friends who are all grown up now, but nothing has really changed. And if your high schoDumb women do dumb things
Synopsis: Cece and Joan are childhood friends who are all grown up now, but nothing has really changed. And if your high school years were anything like mine, then you can realize why that is not a good thing.
This was one of the recommended picks from the Book of the Month Club. Since most of their picks are new works, it’s hard to tell for sure how good they’ll be. In this case, I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. It kept me engaged and painted a scene and feeling well. But the story itself just left me annoyed. It’s basically about a woman who lives her entire life as a satellite to her best friend. They even have the same name (Joan), but of course, our protagonist goes by her middle name. That’s just a great metaphor for the entire book.
The underlying mystery was not as shocking as I had expected. And considering how much buildup there was to Joan’s final storytelling scene, a lot hinged on the big reveal. And the reveal, in my opinion, was a bit of a letdown.
Overall, I just think the book wasn’t for me. It was a fast read, but the culture is not one that holds my interest and the decisions made were just frustrating. There’s a lot of sexism, and I have trouble getting immersed in a book that leaves me constantly saying, “You idiots, how do you not realize what you’re doing?” ...more
although this book does deal with the Great Depression, it deals a lot more with anti-Semitism during that era. it makes me wonder how widespread thesalthough this book does deal with the Great Depression, it deals a lot more with anti-Semitism during that era. it makes me wonder how widespread these issues are. was it the same in the states and we just don't hear about it? that is certainly possible....more
Dawnie's story is probably fairly realistic. I found this book engaging, with a dramatic, yet lighthearted plot. add to that the fact that Dawnie's brDawnie's story is probably fairly realistic. I found this book engaging, with a dramatic, yet lighthearted plot. add to that the fact that Dawnie's brother is autistic, before there was much, if any, help or support for autistic children, and the fact that Dawnie struggles with insomnia and anxiety, and this book deals with all sorts of tough issues!...more
Synopsis: Every chapter chronicles the a year in the life of the Langdon family.
Read this if you: like stories of no more than three pages.
As you maSynopsis: Every chapter chronicles the a year in the life of the Langdon family.
Read this if you: like stories of no more than three pages.
As you may guess from the synopsis, Some Luck moves at an extremely fast pace. For the first 50 pages, I enjoyed myself. The Langdons only have one or two children, we see the world through their eyes, which is tons of fun, and we get to know each character intimately well. But what starts out as such a creative idea quickly degenerates into a series of quick-hitter stories that feel completely disjointed from one another. By the time they had baby Claire, I didn't feel one iota of investment in the character's lives.
With the exception of Frank, of course, the oldest child who gets a disproportionate amount of page time. That's unfortunate, because of all of their children I found him the least likeable. Furthermore, his war stories, while also long and drawn out, were lackluster at best. A sniper? REALLY? And is it necessary to describe in detail how he expands his sexuality with an Italian hooker?
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With the few notable exceptions of Rosanna and Walter's relationship, nothing in this story seemed relevant.
It really is a creative idea. I want to like this novel for that reason alone. But with the addition of each new character, I lost interest.
5 stars for Walter and Rosanna finding moments of joy, even if that seems to be all they get.
5 stars for Joe figuring out which end is up, even if it takes until the last 50 pages of the book.
5 stars for creative ideas.
1 star for pointlessness.
1 star for annoying characters getting more attention than they deserve.
1 star for the horrible, horrible way this book ended!!! I think it could be redeemed if I read the next one, but