Reviews

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Only show reviews with written explanations

sverocchia's review

Go to review page

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

savento95's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Interesting and moving. Definitely depressing, but a good analysis of the depth and complexity of human relationships and the differences of how people process both trauma and joy. I wanted more clarity by the end, though.

brob1856's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Love the writing style of this author and can envision him so well as a child through his writing. I enjoyed this book much more than everything is illuminated but also think watching the movie will give me some better insight and I intend to do so. This beautiful picture of grief through the eyes of a child is gripping, highly recommend this book!!! I enjoyed listening to it and the voices he did were amazing from Mr. Black to Ron they were so on point! If you have considered reading this book please do take the plunge!

radiojen's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This book is extremely awesome and incredibly addictive. I had a really hard time putting it down. It made me experience so many emotions. I laughed and cried, and while I was laughing I felt a bit sad, and while crying, I was still happy.

From the first page, I was hooked. Oskar is a precocious, inventive child. (I wonder if the author created this boy or if Oskar is strongly based on someone he knows.)

There isn't a lot of character development outside the protagonist. Not all the book's questions are answered, but I have the feeling this is one of those books that the more times you read it, the more you discover. This book is a great journey for the reader. It's less of a story and more of an experience.

For readers who need all the questions answered and all the storylines wrapped up in a neat, little bow, this may not be for you. But if you are okay making some interpretations on your own, you should love this little boy and his vivid imagination, his idiosyncrasies, and his drive to continue searching for answers.

There were a couple of times I wasn't sure where the book was going. It wasn't until I kept reading that I figured it out, but I enjoyed the pace and the style. And as I pointed out earlier, I'm sure that reading this book more than once will show the reader new insights. I'm looking forward to reading it again.