langwidere's review against another edition
4.0
beautifully written and compelling; what most struck me were the ways in which this felt like a truly original novel. what a treat!!
marksanders's review against another edition
4.0
A fantastic beginning yields to being overly self aware writing in the end. I enjoyed the Hemmingway-esque economy of prose.
meh_10's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
barbarabarbara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mvlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
This novel had everything I love in a story - political commentary, historically accurate references and cultural explorations. Motorcycles. Italians. Art History. Tension. Cinema. Flawed characters to hold dear. Will be reading more Kushner.
mcatsambas's review against another edition
4.0
I never liked pages of random details until I read Rachel Kushner.
zoemitchell's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookishwendy's review against another edition
1.0
"[T]hey referred to a discourse that artists such as Sandro wrote long essays about, and if you didn’t know the discourse, you couldn’t take them for what they were, or were meant to be. You were simply confused." -- a distillation of my Flamethrowers reading experience
Oof, this critical darling didn't land for me at all. It started off promising, with some lovely imagery as young Reno races her motorcycle across the the Nevada salt flats, then crashes in one breathless scene. But once Reno moves on to the art scene in New York City and later wanders about Italy, the imagery, Reno's budding personality and film career, even the motorcycle, all fuzzed together into a mush of talking heads and tedious discussions about... [art? I've already forgotten, it made so little impression on me]. Reno drifts aimlessly, falling in with a cycle of self-important, interchangeable men, generating in me roughly the same emotion and interest as a sterile hospital waiting room. By the half-way point I couldn't wait for it all to be over. The scenes and changing viewpoints felt jumbled and arbitrary, and I didn't have a sense of any greater pattern or plan. What should have been interesting events--protests in Rome! Blackouts in New York!--left me shrugging, because who or what am I supposed to even care about?
The big X on the mouth of the cover girl symbolizes the thematic misogyny the main character endures, but I guess I expected more to happen with it. I thought Reno was going to delve into this with her art, as referenced by her drawing Xs in the snow and salt in the beginning, but by the end she just seemed completely purposeless, and even if her ultimate "silencing" was intentional, I feel like I missed the raison d'être of this book. I'll concede that it could be too clever for me by half, and that purely aesthetic literary fiction that belies character, emotion and story, just doesn't work for me, though I know it works for many others. And thank goodness! No fewer than nine of my Goodreads friends have given this book 5 stars, but somehow the magic fizzled out on me.
Oof, this critical darling didn't land for me at all. It started off promising, with some lovely imagery as young Reno races her motorcycle across the the Nevada salt flats, then crashes in one breathless scene. But once Reno moves on to the art scene in New York City and later wanders about Italy, the imagery, Reno's budding personality and film career, even the motorcycle, all fuzzed together into a mush of talking heads and tedious discussions about... [art? I've already forgotten, it made so little impression on me]. Reno drifts aimlessly, falling in with a cycle of self-important, interchangeable men, generating in me roughly the same emotion and interest as a sterile hospital waiting room. By the half-way point I couldn't wait for it all to be over. The scenes and changing viewpoints felt jumbled and arbitrary, and I didn't have a sense of any greater pattern or plan. What should have been interesting events--protests in Rome! Blackouts in New York!--left me shrugging, because who or what am I supposed to even care about?
The big X on the mouth of the cover girl symbolizes the thematic misogyny the main character endures, but I guess I expected more to happen with it. I thought Reno was going to delve into this with her art, as referenced by her drawing Xs in the snow and salt in the beginning, but by the end she just seemed completely purposeless, and even if her ultimate "silencing" was intentional, I feel like I missed the raison d'être of this book. I'll concede that it could be too clever for me by half, and that purely aesthetic literary fiction that belies character, emotion and story, just doesn't work for me, though I know it works for many others. And thank goodness! No fewer than nine of my Goodreads friends have given this book 5 stars, but somehow the magic fizzled out on me.
justiceginger's review against another edition
Story is incredibly difficult to follow, especially as an audiobook. Most characters are terrible people that I have to interest in, or sympathy for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death