charmedlassie's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
reggiewoods's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This story follows two American ladies of society who have grown bored of their lives and seek adventure with some bizarre choices. The book is basically plotless, relying instead on these ladies’ willingness to say yes to some, frankly, stupid situations. Bowles uses a wry humor, not all that different from Candide, telling a tale that does not make all that much sense. Any motivation behind the characters’ choices could only be answered with, “because they can,” and that is very intentional. Though scandalous in its time, it is quite tame by today’s standards, though the humor stands strong. If you like the idea of a wealthy lady saying, “fuck it,” to go slum it with a hobo for a week or go home with the first guy that talks to her at the bar, then this is the novel for you.
edamamebean's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
matthewmeriwether's review against another edition
5.0
third read. a novel unlike any other. its deep, confounding intelligence sneakily hides behind its playful, impish wit. one of the most perfect, resonant endings of a novel i've ever read.
robs320's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
katmackie's review against another edition
4.0
I feel totally comfortable admitting that it was the cover of the new Ecco edition of Two Serious Ladies that initially intrigued me. I knew nothing about Jane Bowles previously, but the premise sounded interesting enough for me to give it a go.
And I'm really glad I did. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I realized it was written and first published before my parents were even born. Two Serious Ladies was ahead of it's time.
The novel follows two acquaintances, the two serious ladies the novel is named for, and their unusual decent from respectable statuses into debauchery. One elects to sell her fine childhood home to live in poverty with a random gathering of new friends who urge her not to but follow nonetheless. The other, while on a trip with her husband, befriends a young prostitute who she comes to adore. Both continue in unusual directions. But what makes the novel so bright is the feeling that they're making all their choices in total earnest and each with their own unique code of ethics. They follow their morals endearingly, until their choices are no longer frustrating to the reader but expected and appreciated.
Both may appear from the outside as total train wrecks to their friends from before, but both have gained control of their lives in their own eccentric ways, and it's a delight to read. Though there is darkness in both of their stories, there is also inspiration. Both women push themselves out of necessity to grow and improve upon themselves, and they do it for no one else. Two Serious Ladies is about self discovery and following your own path as you continue to learn. As Christina Goering states at the beginning of the novel:
A quick, but lasting read, Two Serious Ladies is as hilarious as it is profound. (Christina's blunt observations are wonderful and hilarious. So much so that I actually took up my nasty habit of highlighting just so I could be sure to never forget some bits.)
Recommended.
And I'm really glad I did. It wasn't until I was halfway through the book that I realized it was written and first published before my parents were even born. Two Serious Ladies was ahead of it's time.
The novel follows two acquaintances, the two serious ladies the novel is named for, and their unusual decent from respectable statuses into debauchery. One elects to sell her fine childhood home to live in poverty with a random gathering of new friends who urge her not to but follow nonetheless. The other, while on a trip with her husband, befriends a young prostitute who she comes to adore. Both continue in unusual directions. But what makes the novel so bright is the feeling that they're making all their choices in total earnest and each with their own unique code of ethics. They follow their morals endearingly, until their choices are no longer frustrating to the reader but expected and appreciated.
Both may appear from the outside as total train wrecks to their friends from before, but both have gained control of their lives in their own eccentric ways, and it's a delight to read. Though there is darkness in both of their stories, there is also inspiration. Both women push themselves out of necessity to grow and improve upon themselves, and they do it for no one else. Two Serious Ladies is about self discovery and following your own path as you continue to learn. As Christina Goering states at the beginning of the novel:
"...it is against my entire code, but then, I have never even begun to use my code, although I judge everything by it."
A quick, but lasting read, Two Serious Ladies is as hilarious as it is profound. (Christina's blunt observations are wonderful and hilarious. So much so that I actually took up my nasty habit of highlighting just so I could be sure to never forget some bits.)
Recommended.
pran's review
adventurous
funny
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
ashleylm's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the opening pages and thought I was in for a treat—then I continued, still enjoying it, as our supposed protagonist acquired a companion, though it wasn't quite as much fun—until at last, bewildered, I was forced to follow (suddenly and without warning) a new viewpoint character, a woman we'd barely met, who travelled to Panama with her husband and (unaccountably) veers from sobbing because he won't let her stay in the 5* hotel, to paying prostitutes so she can sleep in their bed.
When characters don't act exactly the same as the humans I'm used to, it's fine, depending on tone: if it's an episode of 30 Rock, then I delight in ridiculousness. But this novel doesn't have that tone, and these Panamanian hijinks aren't funny, they're odd. I don't know what to make of any of the characters' pronouncements. If it turned out that the author's friends wrote dialogue on slips of paper and she had to draw them out of a hat and then connect them into a semi-coherent narrative, that would explain much.
So I've stopped, halfway through, because of my usual mantra: life is short, there are lots of books, I can't read them all, might as well stop and hope the next one is better.
Which is unfortunate, as I'd picked it up because I'd heard it was hilarious, and the opening pages indeed were.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)
When characters don't act exactly the same as the humans I'm used to, it's fine, depending on tone: if it's an episode of 30 Rock, then I delight in ridiculousness. But this novel doesn't have that tone, and these Panamanian hijinks aren't funny, they're odd. I don't know what to make of any of the characters' pronouncements. If it turned out that the author's friends wrote dialogue on slips of paper and she had to draw them out of a hat and then connect them into a semi-coherent narrative, that would explain much.
So I've stopped, halfway through, because of my usual mantra: life is short, there are lots of books, I can't read them all, might as well stop and hope the next one is better.
Which is unfortunate, as I'd picked it up because I'd heard it was hilarious, and the opening pages indeed were.
(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)