ecari's review against another edition
2.0
I bought this book on a whim, when I saw that Lethem was the author (I loved "Motherless Brooklyn") and it was on sale. I read it quickly (it's short) but I found the characters fairly uninteresting. The book's plot is intriguing (a woman falls in love with her physics experiment; her boyfriend struggles to hold his own), but the ending left me cold (which perhaps it was supposed to) and the physics talk - whether real or made up, I wouldn't know - was not particularly fun to read either. Most interesting piece was the underlying critique of academia, and I do enjoy Lethem's writing style which pulled me through. All in all, though, not high on my list.
auntblh's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't care for this book and almost didn't finish it. As it was, I skimmed the last several chapters and think I understood about as much as I did reading the early part of the book which wasn't much. I didn't care for the characters.
andrew_w's review against another edition
4.0
A very quirky book. It's short and the chapters are punchy so it was a quick read. It felt Vonnegut adjacent in that it played easily with humor and poignancy, but was a little more... wry about it, perhaps. The ending was very much not what I expected (I don't really know what I expected honestly), but just know that if you pick this one up it's a weird ride.
herlifewithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A desperate audiobook hunt led me to my first Jonathan Lethem. And I will definitely read more. I think genre-bending with a sense of humor and a literary bent might be my new thing. This one was about two professors who are romantically involved, but one is in love with her work. Like, seriously in love with it. It being a weird black hole that you can throw stuff in. Weird, funny, and all sorts of allegorical.
This was good on audio (same guy who narrated one of my all-time favorite audiobooks,Feed!!) but if/when I do read more Lethem, I think I will choose print. There were just too many great lines I wanted to revisit and a little too much symbolism for me to process through earbuds.
This was good on audio (same guy who narrated one of my all-time favorite audiobooks,Feed!!) but if/when I do read more Lethem, I think I will choose print. There were just too many great lines I wanted to revisit and a little too much symbolism for me to process through earbuds.
eric_roling's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing book. Some armchair philosophy behind this book, and the story was neither compelling nor told well.
The writing almost sounded like the author was trying to make a pun with every line, but missing. He also seemed to be trying to be really clever, and it just didn't connect.
The writing almost sounded like the author was trying to make a pun with every line, but missing. He also seemed to be trying to be really clever, and it just didn't connect.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
A story about blindness, figuratively and literally - drug through an academic satire (which didn't enthrall me). All tolled (or told) it was an entertaining book, and I did laugh out loud at times. 3.5 stars
trike's review against another edition
2.0
I figured out the ending by the halfway point, which greatly diminished my enjoyment of the book, as the sense of inevitability grew stronger. Other than. That it’s ok, I guess.
adunnells's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
plcbaker's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's hard to rate this book accurately since I started it right after reading Infinite Jest and now barely remember it. I should have taken a break I guess. The premise was an interesting one and he ended it well.