yogurtconnoissuer's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
this book was so fun! Starts off slow but gets so good once you are invested in the characters. A lot of different timelines all converge at the end; if you’re into that.
andrea_rebekah42's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't loved a book this much in a long time.
schylermartin's review against another edition
5.0
I'm trying to find the words to describe how much I loved this book, but so far I've had no luck. It was exactly what I needed in my life right now. Vast and warm and empathetic and remarkably gorgeous in so many ways, big and small. This book was what I needed, and I'll love it forever for that.
ktcarlston's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars but I'm rounding down on this one.
There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed but . but . but . there were many parts where I thought, "Where is this man's editor?" But I continue to read the books that were on that random Amazon best of 2016 list and thus I persevered. The book was interesting and it wasn't something that I didn't like but really I'm not out here saying "Best Book of 2016" - I think Amazon was dead wrong on that one.
The saving grace was that I listened to this and the narrator was ah-MA-zing.
There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed but . but . but . there were many parts where I thought, "Where is this man's editor?" But I continue to read the books that were on that random Amazon best of 2016 list and thus I persevered. The book was interesting and it wasn't something that I didn't like but really I'm not out here saying "Best Book of 2016" - I think Amazon was dead wrong on that one.
The saving grace was that I listened to this and the narrator was ah-MA-zing.
notasilkycat's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely love it! This is such a mature book that it’s hard to believe you’re reading a debut novel. What surprises me most how precise in his observations the author is, how neatly he builds the structure of his book, how deep and fascinating his characters are. I must say for such the beast of a book it keeps its reader in the permanent tension though you hardly can call this a book of action. While reading I kept catching myself on slowing down deliberately, so little I was ready to turn the last page and at the same time not able to put it down.
misslezlee's review against another edition
4.0
Multiple characters and storylines that almost come together and then fracture into further manifestations of the overall story. Loved it.
irena_smith's review against another edition
5.0
So you know that thing when you're reading a book that is totally immersive and absorbing and at a certain point the mass of the pages between where you're reading and the end of the book starts to dwindle and you go into a sort of mourning that the book will be over soon and oh my god, you will never again be able to frolic in its amazingly realized universe with the same exhilarating sense of discovery as you did the first time?
Yeah, I had that with The Nix about ten pages in. The last time I remember feeling that way was years ago, when I first read Bleak House, and I toiled for several hundred pages to get to that point.
Which is sort of apropos, because The Nix is in many ways Dickensian, particularly in the multiple plot lines that overlap and intersect and some of its over-the-top characters (one of them is a man of indeterminate age whose only known name is Pwnage—which happens to also be his screen name in a WoW-type massive multiplayer online game called Elfscape, where he spends most of his time). But ultimately (and putting aside all the other comparisons to Dickens and Jonathan Franzen and Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace (and, now that I think about it, Zadie Smith, because there's something in The Nix that evokes White Teeth)), it is utterly its own thing—a hybrid of Norwegian folklore, history (the 1968 Chicago riots are a major plot strand), and reflections on how those we love most are often those who do us the most damage.
And don't even get me started on the characters: apart from Pwnage, there's an unrepentant plagiarist, a judge with a grudge (and a doozy of a grudge at that), a disillusioned college professor unable to write the novel for which he has been paid a huge advance, a violin prodigy, mother who pulls a disappearing act, and Alan Ginsberg. And all of them together (plus legions of others) create a tapestry that is so vivid and human and alive and funny and heart-wrecking that, well, I'm still in mourning for having finished it. Go read it now so I can live vicariously through you.
Yeah, I had that with The Nix about ten pages in. The last time I remember feeling that way was years ago, when I first read Bleak House, and I toiled for several hundred pages to get to that point.
Which is sort of apropos, because The Nix is in many ways Dickensian, particularly in the multiple plot lines that overlap and intersect and some of its over-the-top characters (one of them is a man of indeterminate age whose only known name is Pwnage—which happens to also be his screen name in a WoW-type massive multiplayer online game called Elfscape, where he spends most of his time). But ultimately (and putting aside all the other comparisons to Dickens and Jonathan Franzen and Thomas Pynchon and David Foster Wallace (and, now that I think about it, Zadie Smith, because there's something in The Nix that evokes White Teeth)), it is utterly its own thing—a hybrid of Norwegian folklore, history (the 1968 Chicago riots are a major plot strand), and reflections on how those we love most are often those who do us the most damage.
And don't even get me started on the characters: apart from Pwnage, there's an unrepentant plagiarist, a judge with a grudge (and a doozy of a grudge at that), a disillusioned college professor unable to write the novel for which he has been paid a huge advance, a violin prodigy, mother who pulls a disappearing act, and Alan Ginsberg. And all of them together (plus legions of others) create a tapestry that is so vivid and human and alive and funny and heart-wrecking that, well, I'm still in mourning for having finished it. Go read it now so I can live vicariously through you.
whatnatisreading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
meredithw20's review against another edition
5.0
Holy wow. Rich, complicated, entertaining. That Pwnage Chapter is probably one of the most delightful passages I've read in a while. I can't get it out of my head. Also, can recommend reading this while in Chicago. :)