lainemg's review
4.0
What a jolting, lovely, bittersweet read! While this was slow for me to engage with at first, largely because I tend to struggle with the pacing of 19th-c. fiction, the acceleration of events in the latter half of the text completely reversed that beginning sentiment. Cassandra is a marvelous protagonist, and in her casual cruelty and counter-cultural desires, I actually couldn't help but compare her to the nameless narrator from Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation. The development of Cassandra and Veronica's relationship was painful yet beautiful to follow. I find myself most fascinated by the text's treatment of death, both in the suddenness of its writing, and in the nuanced relationships Cassandra has to each of the deceased characters. I can't wait to come back to this book in a year or two and ruminate on it even more.
dllh's review
2.0
This one just didn't do it for me. There were bits that I found funny (just the language, and imagining my own children using the sort of formal language children used early in the book), but there wasn't much that moved me or, frankly, interested me.
chia03's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
maplessence's review
2.0
2.5★
If you are from the States, you may have a different perspective on this novel. It was very unusual for a North American woman to be writing novels in this era (the 1860s) & Cassandra was such a different heroine - outspoken, ungracious & unpredictable.
But the plot (if you could call it that) became stalled & I started having trouble recollecting what I had read when my Kindle was still in my hands!
I had another brief try while I was on holiday, but frankly when you are in Martinborough it is a lot more fun to be downing a glass of Sav Blanc than trying to finish a novel you just aren't enjoying.
DNF @ 42%
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
If you are from the States, you may have a different perspective on this novel. It was very unusual for a North American woman to be writing novels in this era (the 1860s) & Cassandra was such a different heroine - outspoken, ungracious & unpredictable.
But the plot (if you could call it that) became stalled & I started having trouble recollecting what I had read when my Kindle was still in my hands!
I had another brief try while I was on holiday, but frankly when you are in Martinborough it is a lot more fun to be downing a glass of Sav Blanc than trying to finish a novel you just aren't enjoying.
DNF @ 42%
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshessonovel.wordpress.com
smemmott's review
4.0
A bit odd, but definitely worth reading. I think Stoddard's abrupt style suits her interesting, idiosyncratic characters.
ellamarieedel's review
1.0
Oh my word, this book. Uggghhh. I just can't even. Like, what exactly was the point of it? I didn't care about any of the characters, and even thought it was only 250 pages, it dragged on and on and on and had very little plot. The characters were strange and the writing unexceptional. Probably the worst thing I've read this year. Just, no.
ibergill's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While I don’t normally rate/review books I read in classes, The Morgesons deserves it. This novel should be a great American classic, and yet it seems as if it had been forgotten. It is brilliant, funny, insightful, refreshing, and feels much more modern than its publication date of 1862 would suggest. It was a wonderful read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
iabsi47's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lydsansthekidd's review
2.0
I wasn't a big fan of this one. The narrator is so jarring it made it hard for me to ever connect to it at all. So far my experiences with the bildungsroman genre have not been favorable. While this one was more tolerable, it was still pretty hard to stomach. Yet again, I skimmed another book for school out of disinterest or lack of time and am referring to it as "read".