cami19's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nic_m_hud's review against another edition
1.0
I gave it 173 pages before I admitted defeat. Not sure exactly why this book was on so many "best of" lists. There have got to be better contemporary Russian American authors out there.
gr8reader's review against another edition
1.0
I read this book for book club and I hope that the dissuasion will improve my liking of this book. I frequently found myself re-reading paragraphs or pages when I discovered that I was not paying attention to what I was reading.
oceanlistener's review against another edition
2.0
While there are some brilliant scenes and some very funny bits, overall this book was a big let down. The characters made no actions, were in no situations, or had any interactions with other characters that made sense or rang true. The scenes didn't link together into an actual story. Rather, it read more like random bits that the author couldn't flesh out into a collection of related short stories OR an actual novel.
Maybe if I were an Ukrainian emigre to Brighton Beach, I'd be in on the joke and would have enjoyed it. Good on those people. But there's not much that's universal in this book.
Maybe if I were an Ukrainian emigre to Brighton Beach, I'd be in on the joke and would have enjoyed it. Good on those people. But there's not much that's universal in this book.
schellenbergk's review against another edition
Several good bits of writing and scenes don't compensate for the rambling, unstructured whole. It never coheres into a novel, and finally it just stops.
camdenbee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’m truly surprised to see so many people didn’t enjoy this book. Admittedly, it’s not a writing style I typically enjoy, but the disjointed timeline, slow-pace, and anticlimactic stylistic approach really seems to work for Akhtiorskaya. She shows just enough restraint that I’m not completely lost to the storyline.
The story is heavily driven by a character whose outward expression is honestly rather dull and unlikeable, and who makes a series of frustratingly selfish choices. It’s these choices, however, that portray the realism of the novel and the challenges presented to multigenerational family attempting to create a space for themselves in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It’s painfully honest, and yes, clearly written from the perspective of firsthand experience.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to, and I encourage you to give it a chance.
The story is heavily driven by a character whose outward expression is honestly rather dull and unlikeable, and who makes a series of frustratingly selfish choices. It’s these choices, however, that portray the realism of the novel and the challenges presented to multigenerational family attempting to create a space for themselves in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It’s painfully honest, and yes, clearly written from the perspective of firsthand experience.
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to, and I encourage you to give it a chance.
autumnscribe's review against another edition
3.0
This book was chaotic and random much of the time. If not for the occasionally brilliant writing, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. However, every time I was ready to call it quits, I would come across a sentence or two that would just make me stop and just revel in its marvel.
brittneyr's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. It seemed promising and funny; however first chapter in and I can't seem to keep interested. I hate starting and not finishing book, but life's too short for unnecessary suffering. Maybe some other time I'll try again.
sohnesorge's review against another edition
2.0
Beautiful writing, but it felt like autobiography. Not that this is a bad thing, and it is an early novel ... but all the risks felt confessional to me, not situational. On the other hand, I knew nothing about Brighton Beach or this particular immigrant experience, and I feel like I learned something and grew from having read it. Highly recommended.
laura1300fer's review against another edition
2.0
As much as I wanted to power through this book, which I was listening too on a long flight, I just couldn't. Once I got off the flight, I just wasn't drawn back to listen to it again. I think I got 1/3 of the way through. I'd recommend trying to listen to it, since I didn't have any of the problems with the punctuation that way. From what I did "read," it was witty and made me laugh a few times. Just not that engaging.