steveatwaywords's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is definitely a book to read at least twice, the first to survey what Barnes is about, the second to go back and comprehend how she accomplishes it.
Most of the hype/reviews are accurate: this is a pearl of a work, savory and thick, similar in thought to writers like Joyce and (almost) equally satisfying.
Barnes's style gets some getting used to; her sentences wrap about each other like vines, their meanings extending further than most readers will find comfortable. Consider:
Most of the hype/reviews are accurate: this is a pearl of a work, savory and thick, similar in thought to writers like Joyce and (almost) equally satisfying.
Barnes's style gets some getting used to; her sentences wrap about each other like vines, their meanings extending further than most readers will find comfortable. Consider:
"She wanted to be the reason for everything and so was the cause of nothing. She had the fluency of tongue and action meted out by divine providence to those who cannot think for themselves. She was the master of the over-sweet phrase, the over-tight embrace."
A book filled with these! Yes, must go back and read yet again . . . these sad sad characters. . . .
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
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