kayleebob's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
amandaep916's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first.
rvlgonzalez's review against another edition
4.0
(edit to say I wrote this on my first reading) I just don't know. I'll have to star it sometime later. There were certainly parts I felt raptured. There were certainly parts that were too long (if you've gotten to the end of Lotto's part and are finding it tedious, I'd say push on.) Some of the writing was amazing, some was too self-conscious and ostentatious. The story was very interesting. All the characters have a subtle unlikability to them, which is both interesting and also not great because I think the writer wouldn't agree that they are unlikable.
kmsourada's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Recommendation: do not preview reviews (or consider that this book was Obama's favorite book of 2015) - go in blind - resist the urge to engage adjectives that might dissuade or set-up expectations.
What captured me - in the undertow:
What captured me - in the undertow:
- Groff's writing style, prose, and pacing are unexpected and (for this reader) exquisite in execution of nonconformity. Words that come to mind: visceral, poetic, evocative.
- Development throughout this book regarding love and marriage as complicated, transformative, and,...how it can deceive us over time. Myth and marriage.
- The notion of two sides to every story was written at a level I had not experienced in other books (think "Gone Girl"). But in this case more complicated.
- The use of mythology was so clever; including how Groff inserts herself with the use of [ ]; a nod to the omniscient Greek chorus.
What a trip - Mathilde, I will never forget you.
lizi789's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
findyourgoldenhour's review against another edition
2.0
*Unpopular Opinion Alert!*
Ugh. I can’t remember the last time my expectations were so high and the reality was so low.
This should’ve been an easy home run for me! It’s right in my wheelhouse! Literary fiction about a couple over the course of their 24-year marriage, told from the point of view of the husband for the first half, the wife the second. A book about marriage and friendships and family, a book that asks you to consider if you can truly know a person. Sounds good, right?
Sigh. The characters in this book are so completely unlikeable, I didn’t care what happened to them. It’s one thing if you have a high wire thriller like [b: Gone Girl|19288043|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397056917s/19288043.jpg|13306276], where you are supposed to recoil in horror at their behavior. Part of the fun of books like that is reading about characters you love to hate. But this was supposed to be a novel, you know? They weren’t compelling or interesting to read about; they were just super annoying and mostly awful. It reminded me of Johnathan Franzen’s [b: Freedom|7905092|Freedom|Jonathan Franzen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316729686s/7905092.jpg|9585796]. That is not a compliment.
And ooh boy, the sex scenes. So many bad sex scenes. Listen, I’m no prude. I enjoy a hot book scene as much as the next middle-aged white lady. But every time the author needed the characters to interact in any meaningful way, any time she wanted to convey any kind of intensity or real connection, she defaulted to sex. I literally rolled my eyes at one point. It just seemed so lazy.
I really liked her short story collection [b: Florida|36098092|Florida|Lauren Groff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510685620s/36098092.jpg|57682000]. She is a good writer! I’m not sure what happened here. This book has a lot of fans; I’m just not one of them.
Ugh. I can’t remember the last time my expectations were so high and the reality was so low.
This should’ve been an easy home run for me! It’s right in my wheelhouse! Literary fiction about a couple over the course of their 24-year marriage, told from the point of view of the husband for the first half, the wife the second. A book about marriage and friendships and family, a book that asks you to consider if you can truly know a person. Sounds good, right?
Sigh. The characters in this book are so completely unlikeable, I didn’t care what happened to them. It’s one thing if you have a high wire thriller like [b: Gone Girl|19288043|Gone Girl|Gillian Flynn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1397056917s/19288043.jpg|13306276], where you are supposed to recoil in horror at their behavior. Part of the fun of books like that is reading about characters you love to hate. But this was supposed to be a novel, you know? They weren’t compelling or interesting to read about; they were just super annoying and mostly awful. It reminded me of Johnathan Franzen’s [b: Freedom|7905092|Freedom|Jonathan Franzen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316729686s/7905092.jpg|9585796]. That is not a compliment.
And ooh boy, the sex scenes. So many bad sex scenes. Listen, I’m no prude. I enjoy a hot book scene as much as the next middle-aged white lady. But every time the author needed the characters to interact in any meaningful way, any time she wanted to convey any kind of intensity or real connection, she defaulted to sex. I literally rolled my eyes at one point. It just seemed so lazy.
I really liked her short story collection [b: Florida|36098092|Florida|Lauren Groff|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510685620s/36098092.jpg|57682000]. She is a good writer! I’m not sure what happened here. This book has a lot of fans; I’m just not one of them.
hadu's review
1.0
Ridiculous, pretentious, and overdone. The characters were all a-holes. The second half of the book goes completely off the rails in a Story of O tangent that isn't believable at all. Many unbelievable and outrageous parts that seemed to be trying too hard, and that's what I think bothered me the most.
mafaldasoduarte's review against another edition
4.0
Um escrita inovadora, inicialmente difícil mas com o desenvolvimento da ação e com o abraçar da história torna-se interessante e cativante. Uma história dispar daquilo que já li que me prendeu desde cedo e que é contada de uma forma muito especial. É um Bom livro.
hihenna's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dianaj23's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. What a ride! Second part is much better than the first. The language is beautiful, lyrical and rich, but the main characters are not believable and you have a hard time liking or hating them. Works as a holiday read, but you might not be able to put it down.