edamianif's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mandyherbet's review against another edition
1.0
Lionel Shriver holds some rather strong opinions about the obesity crisis and boy, is she keen to let you know EXACTLY what she thinks. As a result, the characters in this book lack depth and the narrator (Pandora, AKA Lionel herself really) lacks any real compassion or understanding for human behaviour.
Pandora is married to Fletcher (although why, I still have no idea since they both seem to be nasty and judgemental assholes) and they live in Iowa with Fletcher's two kids. Fletcher is a health nut who abhors any kind of joy, and Pandora runs a company that creates nasty dolls that mock people, pretty much. She's loaded, he's not and there you have the dynamic in their 'marriage'. Fletcher also seems to be a jealous, possessive ass, who resents Pandora's relationship with her brother, Edison.
Pandora and Edison are supposedly really close, or so we're told over and over and over again. Except she hasn't seen Edison in 4 years. By that definition, I'm close to my postman. REALLY close. So when Edison is down on his luck, Pandora ignores Fletcher and sends her brother a plane ticket and cash to come stay with them, I mean her, I mean them. Oh, who cares. Anyway, Edison arrives and it turns out that he's turned into a lard ass. He's morbidly obese and eats sugar from the packet so it coats his face. In other words, he's the ultimate cliche, the flattest of flat characters who only serve a purpose to illustrate Lionel's distain for FATTIES EVERYWHERE.
And voila, we have Pandora stuck in the middle between her healthy nazi husband who hates happiness and her lard-ass brother who stuffs his face full of crap, breaks things and clogs the toilet up with his sh&t. Literally. He stays with them for two months, during which Pandora's marriage pretty much falls apart and, on the eve of his return to New York, he confesses that he has nothing to go back to. Pandora decides to leave her husband (although that's not what she calls it) and move into an apartment with Edison to help him lose weight, because that's what family does. Let's just say that my family doesn't do that. No family I know does that. It's stupid.
And anyway, she has some weight to lose because apparently gaining even 20 pounds in your 40s is BAD and HOW CAN YOU LIVE, so she and Edison go on this unsustainable meal-replacement diet for a frigging YEAR and wow, Edison loses all the weight on schedule, because in Lionel Shriver's world, there's no such thing as a plateau or real life. Because it's all about WILL POWER, dontcha know?
There's more to it but I'm tired. One thing I do have to say is that Lionel Shriver has the most incredible vocabulary I've ever seen. There are more words in more sentences than you'll find anywhere else. In fact, I'll bet that every word in the dictionary features in this book. The longer the better.
Pandora is married to Fletcher (although why, I still have no idea since they both seem to be nasty and judgemental assholes) and they live in Iowa with Fletcher's two kids. Fletcher is a health nut who abhors any kind of joy, and Pandora runs a company that creates nasty dolls that mock people, pretty much. She's loaded, he's not and there you have the dynamic in their 'marriage'. Fletcher also seems to be a jealous, possessive ass, who resents Pandora's relationship with her brother, Edison.
Pandora and Edison are supposedly really close, or so we're told over and over and over again. Except she hasn't seen Edison in 4 years. By that definition, I'm close to my postman. REALLY close. So when Edison is down on his luck, Pandora ignores Fletcher and sends her brother a plane ticket and cash to come stay with them, I mean her, I mean them. Oh, who cares. Anyway, Edison arrives and it turns out that he's turned into a lard ass. He's morbidly obese and eats sugar from the packet so it coats his face. In other words, he's the ultimate cliche, the flattest of flat characters who only serve a purpose to illustrate Lionel's distain for FATTIES EVERYWHERE.
And voila, we have Pandora stuck in the middle between her healthy nazi husband who hates happiness and her lard-ass brother who stuffs his face full of crap, breaks things and clogs the toilet up with his sh&t. Literally. He stays with them for two months, during which Pandora's marriage pretty much falls apart and, on the eve of his return to New York, he confesses that he has nothing to go back to. Pandora decides to leave her husband (although that's not what she calls it) and move into an apartment with Edison to help him lose weight, because that's what family does. Let's just say that my family doesn't do that. No family I know does that. It's stupid.
And anyway, she has some weight to lose because apparently gaining even 20 pounds in your 40s is BAD and HOW CAN YOU LIVE, so she and Edison go on this unsustainable meal-replacement diet for a frigging YEAR and wow, Edison loses all the weight on schedule, because in Lionel Shriver's world, there's no such thing as a plateau or real life. Because it's all about WILL POWER, dontcha know?
There's more to it but I'm tired. One thing I do have to say is that Lionel Shriver has the most incredible vocabulary I've ever seen. There are more words in more sentences than you'll find anywhere else. In fact, I'll bet that every word in the dictionary features in this book. The longer the better.
zeelee's review against another edition
3.0
Unsure how to rate this book. It kept me wanting to reading at times other than just the usual allotted half hour or so before bed; I was always wanting to pick it up. That being said, the writing style irked me (unnecessarily pompous). I disliked all the characters - pretentious, selfish, and somehow wooden, despite the amount of time that was spent describing them. None of their actions really made sense to me, especially Fletcher's lack of understanding for his wife's commitment to her sibling. I also didn't enjoy the creepy yet very subtle vibe that incest may be lurking around the corner at any moment. The story itself was somewhat unrealistic and the ending I would've considered a complete let-down if not for reading an article justifying Shriver's use of it. Within the context of her personal experience, I can see why she wrote it the way she did, but unfortunately it means the entire meaning of the book is relegated to the last few pages.
coops456's review against another edition
4.0
I so enjoyed reading this book. I just really enjoy Shriver's style and despite some of the characters being a bit spiky or unlikeable, I wanted to spend time with them.
Food for thought - sorry pun intended - about when or if blood is thicker than water.
Food for thought - sorry pun intended - about when or if blood is thicker than water.
alibi313's review against another edition
4.0
While a lot of readers seemed to have faulted this novel for its ending, critiquing the book more harshly, I actually bumped my review up a notch because of the surprise. Besides hating on the title character's love of and discussion of jazz in his hipster patois and his sister's inordinate self-sacrifice throughout much of the book, I found myself getting progressively more annoyed at the notion that Edison would have a . Uh-uh, no way. When the story was Except for the jazz. God I hate jazz.
Spoiler
personality change to accompany his dramatic weight lossSpoiler
revealed to be nothing more than the narrator's guilt-ridden fantasy, it put the whole thing in a more realistic perspective. It was a bit of a downer, but preferable to the author peddling this rose-colored view as anything resembling real life--I always thought Shriver was a better novelist than that. And it turns out she is. Redeemed the book for me.nicolebonia's review against another edition
3.0
Shriver also has a way of playing with readers in a major way, particularly with her endings. You’ll either be angry, disbelieving, inspired or gradually resigned to the way she chooses to bring closure to her novels. Pandora wraps up her story in a way that isn’t entirely satisfactory, but not unexpected if you’ve read any of Shriver’s previous novels. The groundwork is laid for the ending but it has a “fool me once, shame on you…” type feeling. We Need To Talk About Kevin sparked much discussion on whether it’s ending was a gimmick (and whether or not it was a successful one), and Big Brother certainly comes up the the line and kisses it. I would have been more upset with it had I not already come to think of Shriver’s works more as astute observations of social issues masquerading as novels. Big Brother seemed less plausible as a novel than some of her other work. It felt like reading an “issues” book, a screed on obesity.
Nevertheless Big Brother is a compelling, thought provoking read, and it characters are well drawn, if annoying. Many theories and perspectives compete for the readers attention - to be agreed with and disavowed, to be ashamed of and accepted, sometimes within the same paragraph. Never for the faint of heart, Shriver’s latest effort is both haunting and sad. Though I have many reservations, it’s hard not to recommend Big Brother for consideration especially for those looking for something of relevance and worthy of discussion.
Nevertheless Big Brother is a compelling, thought provoking read, and it characters are well drawn, if annoying. Many theories and perspectives compete for the readers attention - to be agreed with and disavowed, to be ashamed of and accepted, sometimes within the same paragraph. Never for the faint of heart, Shriver’s latest effort is both haunting and sad. Though I have many reservations, it’s hard not to recommend Big Brother for consideration especially for those looking for something of relevance and worthy of discussion.
rebecca2023's review against another edition
4.0
Lionel Shriver takes on the social issues of the day head-on. If you have ever even had the tiniest urge to take in-hand a close friend or family member with dysfunctional behaviors, this book will resonate. What if we really could "fix" someone's addiction or compulsive behaviors, by moving in and taking control? Shriver images the possibilities, as she tells the story of a brother and a sister, a sister who does not stand idly by as he slowly kills himself. Can she save him? What is her responsibility, anyway?
babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition
2.0
While the last one hundred pages of this book are worth the read it does not make up for the rest of the book. I found it incredibly condescending and the characters to be very one dimensional.
littlemisselvis's review against another edition
1.0
Normally I write a review as soon as I finish but this one took a bit more thinking about as I didn’t want it to be a knee jerk reaction to the “twist” in the plot. However, on reflection, my original reaction stands. The plot twist left me feeling cheated. Felt very much like the old “and then I woke up and it was all a dream” thing we’re all taught to avoid when we first start writing stories. Yes, there was an element of the second part of the story being too good to be true, but I think for writing to be compelling, you have to be able to trust the narrator, and Shriver destroyed the narrator’s credibility and thus my enjoyment of the work.
laura_blackmore's review against another edition
3.0
Funny at times. Though Faulkneresque and witty, Shriver's sentences, at times, became entangled and hard to follow. The ending is certainly not what I expected.