julziez's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
lucymccarthy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
greebytime's review against another edition
2.0
I very rarely rate a book 2-stars because I tend not to finish books I don’t enjoy. But that’s where Asymmetry is interesting - it’s three stories, the first of which is over half the book and tells the fictionalized story of author Lisa Halladays relationship with Phillip Roth (here called Ezra Blazer). Its interesting and I guess salacious enough to hype the book up though it’s not particularly revelatory or insightful (I always assumed Roth wasn’t the most wonderful person).
The next story follows an Iraqi being held in a UK detention center while he tries to travel, and while parts of that story are interesting it feels insanely disjointed and wholly disconnected from the first story. This doesn’t even include a four page discussion of a medical condition a minor character has in almost purely clinical terms. I kept reading because the title of the third story references Ezra Blazer and I figured it would tie it all together.
It does not. And the third story is one of the most unnecessary stories I can remember reading (it’s the supposed transcription of the author Blazer talking about his favorite music and then hitting on the female host of the show).
I don’t get this book or the hype, and definitely don’t recommend it. The first story is solid enough to get two stars but that’s it. Avoid this one.
The next story follows an Iraqi being held in a UK detention center while he tries to travel, and while parts of that story are interesting it feels insanely disjointed and wholly disconnected from the first story. This doesn’t even include a four page discussion of a medical condition a minor character has in almost purely clinical terms. I kept reading because the title of the third story references Ezra Blazer and I figured it would tie it all together.
It does not. And the third story is one of the most unnecessary stories I can remember reading (it’s the supposed transcription of the author Blazer talking about his favorite music and then hitting on the female host of the show).
I don’t get this book or the hype, and definitely don’t recommend it. The first story is solid enough to get two stars but that’s it. Avoid this one.
tarttist's review against another edition
4.0
One part better than the other. Got hooked up with the Philip Rothesque affair on the first part, but the second part around the life of an american-iraqi economist is the best of the book.
gjpeace's review against another edition
4.0
Damned subtle, to the point where I finished the “revelatory” coda at the end and was so bewildered that I started googling. (The Bookforum review does a good job of sussing out what, exactly, the thematic connection is between the three sections.) Now that I’ve done that though, I can see I probably would have figured it out eventually—or perhaps I’m just not as good a reader as I thought I was. I’m baffled at how this is as popular as it apparently is, and I have to chalk some of that up to the Roth association of the first section. Halliday does indeed nail how I imagine Philip Roth talked (unsurprisingly given her past with him). The writing, including the dialogue, is uniformly excellent, never coming off as too fussed-over but also quite clearly worth the fuss that was put in. A very intelligent, very tight book with more ambition than one may think it has at first. More of this, please.
milola's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars only because I really enjoyed, and was engrossed in, the first third of the book. The second story held my attention, but I found it to be boring and slightly disjointed. The final section undid the love ai had in the first section. This, mostly, because I finally came to admit what a prickbastastardnarcissist Ezra Block is
kenziedigennaro's review against another edition
2.0
Although I thought “folly” was very well written, the other two parts failed to live up to it. I’m not sure how the second part tied in with the first and third part. I felt like I was reading a different book while reading the second part. The author and story had potential and with all of the buzz around the book, I felt like it was a let down.
alicefiancet's review against another edition
challenging
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? Yes
2.5
Starts off strong but doesn’t hold up. Became a big of a slug to read towards the end.
jennu__u's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I haven't read anything like this yet. if you're looking for a unique and short read, this would be a good book to try. The only way to describe it is a mixture of stream-of-consciousness, philosophical, and humbling.