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toniherrero's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Única novel·la que he llegit de Philip K. Dick que no és ciència-ficció i, curiosament, potser la que més m'ha agradat. Dick no és un autor massa del meu estil, però em vaig voler acostar a aquest llibre perquè és una cosa molt diferent del que ens té acostumats. I l'he gaudit bastant.
El llibre es llegeix de forma àgil i la traducció d'en Martí Sales —sempre un valor segur— m'ha fluït molt bé. He trobat molt interessant la reconstrucció d'aquesta comunitat semirural estatunidenca de mitjan anys cinquanta; i dic semi perquè si bé la família protagonista viu al camp i rodejada de pastures i animals, ho fa en una casa de luxe i enyorant sempre el contacte amb la gran ciutat. Els protagonistes resulten molt creïbles, cadascun amb els seus clarobscurs, si bé és cert que tots estan una miqueta enllà. Però precisament això és el m'ha atret del llibre, ja que si no els seus pensaments i les accions que duen a terme no m'haurien resultat versemblants.
L'ambient rural té el seu encant i actua una mica com a bàlsam, però acaba resultant ineficaç per apaivagar un drama que es veu a venir des del minut u del llibre. Vull pensar que el retrat de la família i els personatges que l'orbiten és un reflex més realista del que volem admetre, allunyat del somni americà que sempre ens han venut amb famílies perfectes i tota la pesca. Dick ens mostra sense embuts com la societat pot arribar a enfonsar i esmicolar uns individus que viuen en una bombolla d'irrealitat que en qualsevol moment pot esclatar. I quan ho fa, és amb ira i violència desfermada. No podia ser de cap altra manera.
El llibre es llegeix de forma àgil i la traducció d'en Martí Sales —sempre un valor segur— m'ha fluït molt bé. He trobat molt interessant la reconstrucció d'aquesta comunitat semirural estatunidenca de mitjan anys cinquanta; i dic semi perquè si bé la família protagonista viu al camp i rodejada de pastures i animals, ho fa en una casa de luxe i enyorant sempre el contacte amb la gran ciutat. Els protagonistes resulten molt creïbles, cadascun amb els seus clarobscurs, si bé és cert que tots estan una miqueta enllà. Però precisament això és el m'ha atret del llibre, ja que si no els seus pensaments i les accions que duen a terme no m'haurien resultat versemblants.
L'ambient rural té el seu encant i actua una mica com a bàlsam, però acaba resultant ineficaç per apaivagar un drama que es veu a venir des del minut u del llibre. Vull pensar que el retrat de la família i els personatges que l'orbiten és un reflex més realista del que volem admetre, allunyat del somni americà que sempre ens han venut amb famílies perfectes i tota la pesca. Dick ens mostra sense embuts com la societat pot arribar a enfonsar i esmicolar uns individus que viuen en una bombolla d'irrealitat que en qualsevol moment pot esclatar. I quan ho fa, és amb ira i violència desfermada. No podia ser de cap altra manera.
jimmypat's review against another edition
4.0
Fay is a total b——.
Less about the titular crap artist, this book focuses on his terrible sister and her husband and contains some of Dick’s most brutally realistic characters.
Less about the titular crap artist, this book focuses on his terrible sister and her husband and contains some of Dick’s most brutally realistic characters.
cheezvshcrvst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
abbybee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
essinink's review against another edition
3.0
This book has one of the best opening lines I have ever seen in my life.
As usual, PKD killed it. Despite being his only published non-SF novel, that doesn't in any way make it bad. It's a laugh-or-cry suburban melodrama where the hilarity only just outweighs the angst, and the guy in the tinfoil hat may just be the sanest guy in the room.
This is a book about horrible people doing horrible things. PKD is at the finest level of scathing social commentary I've seen in a while, and the lack of sugarcoating makes it all uncomfortably close-to-home.
"Enjoy" isn't a word that should really apply to a book that makes you cringe in so many ways, but there it is.
My only question is why the Lit professors haven't dragged this into the classroom, yet.
As usual, PKD killed it. Despite being his only published non-SF novel, that doesn't in any way make it bad. It's a laugh-or-cry suburban melodrama where the hilarity only just outweighs the angst, and the guy in the tinfoil hat may just be the sanest guy in the room.
This is a book about horrible people doing horrible things. PKD is at the finest level of scathing social commentary I've seen in a while, and the lack of sugarcoating makes it all uncomfortably close-to-home.
"Enjoy" isn't a word that should really apply to a book that makes you cringe in so many ways, but there it is.
My only question is why the Lit professors haven't dragged this into the classroom, yet.
david_agranoff's review against another edition
2.0
Well should make an interesting podcast. There are fun and interesting things for serious Dickheads you might bump up the rating a star for that. Podcast recording soon.
el_entrenador_loco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
arthurbdd's review against another edition
3.0
More or less the only one of Dick's non-genre mainstream novels written in the 1950s to be worth serious consideration. It's the only one of that set published in his lifetime, and it deserved to be, both on the strength of a more vivid than typical cast and some signs of a fumbling attempt to criticise misogynistic ideas about gender, instead of just depicting women as arbitrary monsters whose actions don't make any sense. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/dick-out-of-joint/
larsinio's review against another edition
4.0
fun, interesting view into late 50s rural california where domestic drama ENSUES. You can tell it was written by PKD, but without any scifi. It was inadvertently good to read this after Time out of Joint, which is also about the 50s - provides a nice contrast and comparison.
Not enough of the crap artist himself, IMO. but he's utlimately more of a literary device than a character. I liked the ending, which i often dont do.
Not enough of the crap artist himself, IMO. but he's utlimately more of a literary device than a character. I liked the ending, which i often dont do.