curiosityp's review against another edition
3.0
I read this in a few hours. Without the 2 inches of margin on each page, this would have been a smaller book.
It wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the blurb because of the siblings' age difference. But it was still a good read. A pain-free death at the time of my choosing is the way I want to go!
It wasn't quite what I was expecting based on the blurb because of the siblings' age difference. But it was still a good read. A pain-free death at the time of my choosing is the way I want to go!
crazymogz's review against another edition
3.0
It was a pretty good book, with a powerful ending. Recently when I read David Gilmour, I feel though I am reading something autobiographical, not a work of fiction.
exurbanis's review against another edition
4.0
(Fiction, Canadian, Contemporary, Literary)
Long-listed for Canada’s prestigious Giller Prize for Fiction, Extraordinary became a controversial choice after comments made by the author that many saw as sexist. It was a challenge to approach this book then, without preconceived ideas about its value.
Very spare, it’s told from the viewpoint of a man asked by his sister to assist in her suicide. It’s perhaps as objective an account as can be told about this hotly debated subject.
Read this if: you’re interested in the collateral effect of the assisted death of an ill person. 4 stars
Long-listed for Canada’s prestigious Giller Prize for Fiction, Extraordinary became a controversial choice after comments made by the author that many saw as sexist. It was a challenge to approach this book then, without preconceived ideas about its value.
Very spare, it’s told from the viewpoint of a man asked by his sister to assist in her suicide. It’s perhaps as objective an account as can be told about this hotly debated subject.
Read this if: you’re interested in the collateral effect of the assisted death of an ill person. 4 stars
descentainesdelivres's review against another edition
2.0
Un soir, un homme se rend chez sa demi-sœur, âgée de 15 ans de plus que lui, car elle souhaite mourrir et lui a demandé de l’assister. Alors que s’entame sa dernière, la sœur et son demi-frère s’assoient ensemble et elle lui raconte sa vie. Alors qu’ils n’avaient jamais été proches, cette dernière nuit de confidences scellera leur lien fraternel à jamais.
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Ce livre n’en est pas un qui m’aura marqué et m’aura donné envie de m’y replonger une deuxième fois. La prémisse de l’histoire s’annonçait intrigante et intéressante mais, en réalité, il n’en fut rien. Alors que je croyais que cette dernière serait significative pour les deux personnages puisque le synopsis suggère qu’elle les rapprochera mais elle a plutôt été lassante, toujours sur le même ton. Même lorsque des souvenirs joyeux étaient évoqués, il y a avait un manque d’émotions chez les personnages qui m’empêchait d’être investie dans leur histoire. En gros, ce fut un roman gris, où il se passe quelque chose mais pas vraiment en même temps.
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Ce livre n’en est pas un qui m’aura marqué et m’aura donné envie de m’y replonger une deuxième fois. La prémisse de l’histoire s’annonçait intrigante et intéressante mais, en réalité, il n’en fut rien. Alors que je croyais que cette dernière serait significative pour les deux personnages puisque le synopsis suggère qu’elle les rapprochera mais elle a plutôt été lassante, toujours sur le même ton. Même lorsque des souvenirs joyeux étaient évoqués, il y a avait un manque d’émotions chez les personnages qui m’empêchait d’être investie dans leur histoire. En gros, ce fut un roman gris, où il se passe quelque chose mais pas vraiment en même temps.
ldv's review
4.0
More of a short story, really, so a novella, probably. Narrator and his older half-sister share an evening together before he enables her to commit suicide. Not a happy book, as they discuss her own past -- broken marriage, affair, move to Mexico where her tragic accident happened -- her troubled son's drug and theft problems, and her daughter's tumultous love life. It's just the one evening, no surprise endings, just a look at life and the crazy hands that are randomly dealt. The conclusion, when he sits with her dead body and sees her life -- her soul -- leave it, is an accurate observation. No romanticism, just reality.
carol26388's review
Here's why:
http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/blog/david-gilmour-building-strong-stomachs
"I teach modern short fiction to third and first-year students. So I teach mostly Russian and American authors. Not much on the Canadian front. But I can only teach stuff I love. I can’t teach stuff that I don’t, and I haven’t encountered any Canadian writers yet that I love enough to teach.
I’m not interested in teaching books by women. Virginia Woolf is the only writer that interests me as a woman writer, so I do teach one of her short stories. But once again, when I was given this job I said I would only teach the people that I truly, truly love. Unfortunately, none of those happen to be Chinese, or women."
'Nuff said.
Addendum: feel free to flag me. I encourage it.
ETA: New follow-up review! Read an update at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/728593312
sandrahodgson's review
4.0
Extraordinary is a great title and a great descriptor for the novel. Very quick read but will stay with me for a long time.
aoutrance's review
Sometimes you cannot separate an author from his works, especially if the author is as unapologetically sexist as Gilmour. I read the transcript of his interview that was "taken out of context"; he is straight up back-pedaling.
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