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amenahj's review against another edition
4.0
Nicole Krauss' way of writing about inevitable loss never fails to hold me.
barbaraalfond's review against another edition
4.0
This summer is shaping up to be the Summer of Non-Light Books. First "Townie", now this. Since my book group will be discussing "The Great House" in two weeks, I will not say too much, except that Nicole Strauss is very much an internal writer, whose intellect and whose ruminations sear like glowing embers on every page.
coolbritanja's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. Such beautiful writing and I love how the stories are woven together.
wordsmithreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
daphnesayshi's review against another edition
1.0
I just can't do this anymore......
I'm finding it very difficult to trudge through the meandering thoughts of the 4 (was it 4? 3? it could have been 300 and it wouldn't have made a difference) protagonists as they move their narratives towards some kind of a climax or conclusion. or so I assume, because I do not know and think never will.
But to be honest, this failing could be mine alone – I've never been very good at processing the stream of consciousness way some choose to write, and other writers like Woolf or Beckett have been failed by me before so...
I'm just gutted because I really liked A Man Walked Into the Room. Oh well, maybe next time.
I'm finding it very difficult to trudge through the meandering thoughts of the 4 (was it 4? 3? it could have been 300 and it wouldn't have made a difference) protagonists as they move their narratives towards some kind of a climax or conclusion. or so I assume, because I do not know and think never will.
But to be honest, this failing could be mine alone – I've never been very good at processing the stream of consciousness way some choose to write, and other writers like Woolf or Beckett have been failed by me before so...
I'm just gutted because I really liked A Man Walked Into the Room. Oh well, maybe next time.
bohoautumn's review against another edition
5.0
Interwoven self-contained tales threaded together by an object passing between the characters. Each story reveals minute details of inner lives, some of the situational facts, but so much more is left out, left unsaid.
If you enjoy your novels linear, focused on plot-development, without guess-work, and no loose ends then this one isn't for you.
I was totally immersed into the themes and subjects of secrecy, intense yet disconnected relationships, isolation, loneliness, memory, moral ambiguity, loss, creativity, Jewishness, regret, literal and psychological inheritance.
It's a novel of emotional arcs and pensive moods.
I found her writing as gorgeous as ever. And that endears her work to me. But I did also enjoy this multi-narrative premise.
If you enjoy your novels linear, focused on plot-development, without guess-work, and no loose ends then this one isn't for you.
I was totally immersed into the themes and subjects of secrecy, intense yet disconnected relationships, isolation, loneliness, memory, moral ambiguity, loss, creativity, Jewishness, regret, literal and psychological inheritance.
It's a novel of emotional arcs and pensive moods.
I found her writing as gorgeous as ever. And that endears her work to me. But I did also enjoy this multi-narrative premise.
searser's review against another edition
4.0
Great House was somewhat of a mystery to me, even if it isn't technically in the mystery genre; it was fun to see how all of the stories eventually connected and how the desk fit into all of the characters' lives. I found myself anxious to hear again from my more favored characters, but eventually grew fond of then all. I will be reading more from this author!
mapdock's review against another edition
4.0
I inhaled this book over the course of a few days and a cross-country trip. It's a bit awkward to be weeping openly during a plane ride, but that's exactly what happened several times while I was reading Great House. Krauss has put together this wonderfully disaggregated narrative that delves into the ties of family, the pain of loss, and Jewish identity, all woven around the central images of moving furniture and houses. Truly moving work.
porktheorc's review against another edition
The writing was too stuffy and self-aware for me. I couldn't get lost in it.