Reviews

Les Fantômes du vieux pays by Nathan Hill

sydenee's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ferris_mx's review against another edition

5.0

That was amazing and the perfect salve to this frayed election season. Brilliantly conceived and executed, with a meta twist at the end that left me scratching my head. It reinforced and explored several lessons I've learned the hard way.

jonwesleyhuff's review against another edition

3.0

I am a bit conflicted about this book. On one hand, by the end of it, I thought it was a really good portrait of a mother and son (and a grandfather, to an extent) and how their lives and pasts interweave and repeat. The overall arc of the whole book is good, and I enjoyed the characters, especially Faye. On the other hand, the book did flag at times. The amount of time we spend with characters like Laura and Pwnage is fairly justified by the end, although these passages were made somewhat wearying in the audiobook by the reader's affected voices for both of them. But there is still a sense that maybe getting to know them isn't REALLY necessary, as the commentary the author makes on both feels a little obvious. But, when you zoom out and look at them as part of the larger whole, it's not so bad. Even if the things being said here aren't wholly original, I like the context in which they are said, even though there's something chilling about reading it in 2016 and feeling the light sense of optimism presented at the end of 2011 feels unfounded and we're cycling back into some old traps, at least as whole. I think it's a really great debut novel, though, and overall I found it an enjoyable read.

marc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

ichirofakename's review against another edition

5.0

I don't think of myself as an afficionado of family sagas, but here I've gone and read another great one. A mother tosses a handful of gravel at a reactionary politician and its treated as an act of terrorism. Her son is trying to figure out why she abandonned the family. It all goes back to a set piece during the Chicago 68 riots, with enough leftie snark to put off (just slightly) your leftie reader. And further on back to Hammerfest, at the top of Norway.

Everybody's guilty, NOTHING is as it seems. Filled with good writing and ideas that only occasionally, at the end, get too preachy. Reasponsibility, life choices, empathy, how to be bad.

Recommended.

Alternate opinions?

lo_babyy_'s review against another edition

5.0

This is one of the most incredible books I've read in a long time. I devoured all 700+ pages in just a few days. A poignant, funny, heartbreaking, redeeming story about our inner secrets that somehow never came across as too contrived or unbelievable.
The character development was perfectly paced, and despite the variation in decades and stories, it was possible to like each character and respect their perspective. A great read that I literally couldn't put down.
"Sometimes we're so wrapped up in our own stories that we don't see how we are supporting characters in someone else's."

bellara's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

schen119's review against another edition

5.0

highly recommend the audiobook! it's got a slow start making it hard to break into if reading, and the narrator does a great job with voices for each character.

zeggie's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ra042312's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5