oohsarracuda's review against another edition
2.0
I know it's a novella and not a novel, and thus did not allow for much in the way of character depth and exploration, but I really did not understand anything about any of these characters. I had no sense of who they were or why they did the things they did. Unsatisfying and, honestly, a little icky.
gabieowleyess's review against another edition
3.0
Reading Rush Book #3 - Read A Book “Completely Outside”
I absolutely LOVE this movie, so I was very excited to hear that it was based off of this novella. I was interested in the story because I love the movie so much, otherwise I probably would not have liked this as much as I did, the movie I eons better than the book, but this was still a fun read.
I absolutely LOVE this movie, so I was very excited to hear that it was based off of this novella. I was interested in the story because I love the movie so much, otherwise I probably would not have liked this as much as I did, the movie I eons better than the book, but this was still a fun read.
twiinklex's review against another edition
3.0
"Liz said to Roz she was so happy it made her afraid. 'How could anything possibly be as wonderful?' she whispered, afraid to be overheard - by whom? No one was anywhere near. What she meant was, and Roz knew she did, that such an intense happiness must have its punishment."
Oh geez, I don't know how I feel about this book exactly. I wasn't expecting to like it but the further I read on, the more I got sucked in. And it's a very unique book because it was sooo taboo without an ounce of sleaze or any sexual scenes/descriptions. The writing style is also very different from what I'm used to as the author uses A LOT of commas.
I wouldn't have minded a longer book but funnily, at the same time, I think the length was just nice.
Now I wanna watch the movie 😂
Oh geez, I don't know how I feel about this book exactly. I wasn't expecting to like it but the further I read on, the more I got sucked in. And it's a very unique book because it was sooo taboo without an ounce of sleaze or any sexual scenes/descriptions. The writing style is also very different from what I'm used to as the author uses A LOT of commas.
I wouldn't have minded a longer book but funnily, at the same time, I think the length was just nice.
Now I wanna watch the movie 😂
tytti's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, I admit, I saw the movie and wanted to read the book next, or the novella in this case. I had never even heard of it before and would have thought that I would read [b:On Cats|4794097|On Cats|Doris Lessing|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372045677s/4794097.jpg|4859165] from Lessing before anything else. This isn't even the right edition, so it messes up my page count (that one had four stories and I am not interested in them at the moment). Oh, well...
So I liked the story, hardly a surprise there, considering that I already knew what was going to happen. It had weird, even a bit disturbing relationships but I like weird, it makes things interesting. I am not sure if I like Lessing's writing, though. I read this in English and haven't read anything else from her before so I might be missing something. I wasn't always sure what she meant by some sentences, but then again, I usually like when everything isn't spelt out. I also both liked and disliked the ending. I would have liked to read more about them but I also like open endings because then I can "write" my own. I guess I just can't have it both ways.
So I liked the story, hardly a surprise there, considering that I already knew what was going to happen. It had weird, even a bit disturbing relationships but I like weird, it makes things interesting. I am not sure if I like Lessing's writing, though. I read this in English and haven't read anything else from her before so I might be missing something. I wasn't always sure what she meant by some sentences, but then again, I usually like when everything isn't spelt out. I also both liked and disliked the ending. I would have liked to read more about them but I also like open endings because then I can "write" my own. I guess I just can't have it both ways.
amyjoy's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. It was all right, I guess. The love affairs were a little weird but not sexy enough to be interesting, and the ending was super abrupt.
sophiemooch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kinglee's review against another edition
2.0
You know when you read the summary of a book and think it should be rather interesting, but then as you start reading you are left utterly disappointed? That's Adore.
Roz and Lil are childhood friends who end up falling in love with each other's sons. It sounds like it should be interesting albeit gross and wrong on every level, right?
The writing throughout this was so dull that I didn't even get to know the characters beyond that they were sleeping with each other's sons. Everything was written so matter of fact that I felt like I was reading a catalog or something rather than a short story. I was left very disappointed for what could have been an interesting short story.
Roz and Lil are childhood friends who end up falling in love with each other's sons. It sounds like it should be interesting albeit gross and wrong on every level, right?
The writing throughout this was so dull that I didn't even get to know the characters beyond that they were sleeping with each other's sons. Everything was written so matter of fact that I felt like I was reading a catalog or something rather than a short story. I was left very disappointed for what could have been an interesting short story.
girlygirlbookworm's review against another edition
1.0
To me this is exactly why I hate novellas. I bought this book from book outlet thinking it was a full length novel. This just felt like a waste of time. I didn't care for any of the characters because I had no chance to really get to know them or feel for their story. The writing style was also very off to me. The beginning the author throws all of these character names at you, which makes it hard to figure out whose who and what their connections are. Unfortunately this was a miss for me.