lmz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
karieh13's review against another edition
3.0
It's hard to read, and obviously to write, any book that takes place in the New York of September 2001. Ultimately, no matter what the purported subject matter of the book, the story ends up being about that day, that event. The writer runs the risk of being accused of either including 9/11 to make a political statement or alternatively, if the author ignores the tragedy, s/he can be accused of minimizing what happened. It's a lose/lose situation.
All through "The Emperor's Children", I kept crossing days off the mental calendar in my head. I knew what was coming, even though the characters did not. It was impossible for me to shed this knowledge...which might be one of the reasons I felt such impatience with the incredibly self-absorbed characters that are the emperor's children. Halfway through the book, I was almost eager for them to arrive at September 2001 so that the events of that day (month, really) might smack them across the face and make them think for 2 seconds about something outside their entitled little lives. (I won't go so far as to say I hoped one of them might schedule a breakfast meeting in lower Manhattan that Tuesday morning, but I wouldn't have shed any tears had one of them done so.) I guess Messud might have/probably meant Julian, Marine, Danielle and Murray to represent the US and our inability to see ourselves as part of the world instead of the most important thing(s) in it...but that certainly didn't make me like these people...
I have a disadvantage as a reader in that it's hard for me to like a book in which I can't find ONE character to like or to sympathize with or at the very least, to relate to. (My friend Jennifer is always disappointed in me for this flaw.) The only character in TEC I might have had a chance with was Annabel...but she remains so fare removed from anything that happens in the book that she is little more than a ghost character, a placeholder.
There were a few lines I made note of. When Murray (the emperor of sorts) is considering whether his daughter is special (like he is) or simply ordinary, he thinks, "Wasn't irrelevance, the dutiful petty life what everyone ultimately wanted to shed? And wasn't shedding as important as embracing, in the formation of an adult self? And then he thought of Marina, raised as he'd wished to have been raised, and stymied, now, by the very lack of smallness, by the absence of any limitations against to rebel."
The one character we are supposed to root for, I suppose, Frederick/Bootie, comes from that small life and has much against he can rebel. He is ensconced for a short while in the sheltered circle around Murray, given privileges but does not embrace them as the others do. Instead, he drifts too close and then is burned. "...surely this was where the man's greatness lay. How could Bootie have failed to understand? Because, of course, it guaranteed, it predetermined his own failure; and there had been too much at stake for him in that. Until now: this (9/11), the end of the world as he knew it, had known it, changed everything. The Tower of Babel tumbling. An end to false idols. And Murray, whose greatness lay not in his words or his actions but simply in his capacity to convince people of his greatness, starting, naturally, with himself..."
Although Murray is the most obviously self-absorbed character in this novel, all of them are insufferable. Danielle is far more upset by her love life than by the massive death and destruction right outside her door, Marina lives at home at the age of 30 but doesn’t want to get an “unimportant” job…the list goes on.
And yet? Despite all of this – I have written one of my longest reviews ever. I suppose “The Emperor’s Children” gave me more food for thought than I realized…hmmmm….
All through "The Emperor's Children", I kept crossing days off the mental calendar in my head. I knew what was coming, even though the characters did not. It was impossible for me to shed this knowledge...which might be one of the reasons I felt such impatience with the incredibly self-absorbed characters that are the emperor's children. Halfway through the book, I was almost eager for them to arrive at September 2001 so that the events of that day (month, really) might smack them across the face and make them think for 2 seconds about something outside their entitled little lives. (I won't go so far as to say I hoped one of them might schedule a breakfast meeting in lower Manhattan that Tuesday morning, but I wouldn't have shed any tears had one of them done so.) I guess Messud might have/probably meant Julian, Marine, Danielle and Murray to represent the US and our inability to see ourselves as part of the world instead of the most important thing(s) in it...but that certainly didn't make me like these people...
I have a disadvantage as a reader in that it's hard for me to like a book in which I can't find ONE character to like or to sympathize with or at the very least, to relate to. (My friend Jennifer is always disappointed in me for this flaw.) The only character in TEC I might have had a chance with was Annabel...but she remains so fare removed from anything that happens in the book that she is little more than a ghost character, a placeholder.
There were a few lines I made note of. When Murray (the emperor of sorts) is considering whether his daughter is special (like he is) or simply ordinary, he thinks, "Wasn't irrelevance, the dutiful petty life what everyone ultimately wanted to shed? And wasn't shedding as important as embracing, in the formation of an adult self? And then he thought of Marina, raised as he'd wished to have been raised, and stymied, now, by the very lack of smallness, by the absence of any limitations against to rebel."
The one character we are supposed to root for, I suppose, Frederick/Bootie, comes from that small life and has much against he can rebel. He is ensconced for a short while in the sheltered circle around Murray, given privileges but does not embrace them as the others do. Instead, he drifts too close and then is burned. "...surely this was where the man's greatness lay. How could Bootie have failed to understand? Because, of course, it guaranteed, it predetermined his own failure; and there had been too much at stake for him in that. Until now: this (9/11), the end of the world as he knew it, had known it, changed everything. The Tower of Babel tumbling. An end to false idols. And Murray, whose greatness lay not in his words or his actions but simply in his capacity to convince people of his greatness, starting, naturally, with himself..."
Although Murray is the most obviously self-absorbed character in this novel, all of them are insufferable. Danielle is far more upset by her love life than by the massive death and destruction right outside her door, Marina lives at home at the age of 30 but doesn’t want to get an “unimportant” job…the list goes on.
And yet? Despite all of this – I have written one of my longest reviews ever. I suppose “The Emperor’s Children” gave me more food for thought than I realized…hmmmm….
trudecal's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Took me a chapter or two to get into, but when I did I could hardly put it down! Weaves the lives of the characters together really well, and you really get to know them individually. Wonderfully done, too, with it's inclusion of 9/11, without being overdone.
marynolanpleckham's review against another edition
So descriptive - was skimming whole pages.
crispeta601's review against another edition
2.0
I was excited to read this book around a trip to NYC -- I envisioned a rich compelling cast of characters and a strong sense of time and place. Though I can see that Messud has a talent for writing, and I enjoyed some of her turns of phrase and chapter titles, I did not actually enjoy reading the book. I did not find a single character likeable, and in the end there were not any truly redeeming qualities. It did not make me want to go to New York City at all, and the book lacked the warmth and life I was hoping for.
mattyzmom's review against another edition
4.0
This was a long novel. Messud is very detailed in her writing but it makes for an interesting read. The end was surprising. She really got into the events of 9/11. I would recommend this book to anyone.
bookwitchkatie's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a particularly easy ready. There are so many commas used, and the language can be contrived. The characters are not very likable. That being said, there are some interesting things going on thematically, and it's an interesting enough read once it picks up in the second half.
zoemaja's review against another edition
2.0
library book on kindle. It is difficult going back and forth between this and The Signature of all things, the audio book I am listening to right now. The tone is just so different. It was jarring to go from 11/2/1963 to this as well. But I am in the groove a few chapters in and while not quite liking the characters, at least not yet, at least being interested in them.
I actually abandoned this book halfway through. I just couldn't read one more page about privileged characters agonizing over their specialness. Not in the mood.
I actually abandoned this book halfway through. I just couldn't read one more page about privileged characters agonizing over their specialness. Not in the mood.
skidiva's review against another edition
1.0
Simply awful. Boring, badly written, cliche characters, a mess. Why this got any decent reviews is a complete mystery. Do not read this book