Reviews

10:04, by Ben Lerner

shaunnow38's review

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

layvitar's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

abst16's review

4.0

don't ask me to summarize this book, I can't, but just know I loved it

it felt like I was reading my own brain

(read for my college English class)

sacredblues's review

4.0

I really enjoyed reading Ben Learner’s 10:04. So much so, in fact, that I look forward to reading some of his other. This novel contains many elements that made it resonate with me: how Ben Learner’s background with poetry allowed him to imbue his prose with a beautifully detailed, yet succinct quality (not to mention the poem itself that’s found in the book), how intimate we become with the main character, how pop culture elements were integrated into the plot, how the conflicts are somewhat mundane, yet grandiose in their crushing realness. The book is also just plain humorous and I appreciate Learner’s use of it to keep the book from being too dismal. More than anything, I think this book hit a chord with me because it’s about being a writer and the act of writing itself. It’s very meta in a way that I can personally appreciate There’s an entire section in the novel rendered as a story that the main character was writing. The story both makes me intrigued yet terrified at the prospect of going to a residency. I cannot say for certain if everyone will love this book, since it will strike a chord with a specific person. Or maybe it’s broader than I took it for and am simply biased due to how I could see myself in the narrator as a fellow writer. Either way, 10:04 is quite the unique novel in form and content and I recommend you give it a read.

elianne2's review

3.0

Niet zo spannend als het genre deed verwachten, niet zo verrassend als het boek zelf zei te zijn. Fictie in fictie, poëzie, terug en vooruit in de tijd - maar een duidelijke plotlijn en geen gevoelens van vervreemding. Ok. Een oké boek. Ga toch maar iets anders lezen.

garong's review

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

nazyigiter's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

mattnauwelaers's review

4.0

Magnificently blurring the lines between fiction and non-fiction, Lerner takes you where he wants you and leaves you hungry for more

liamknox13's review

5.0

I’m writing this review two months after finishing this book, because I’m still thinking about it. Bold and funny and deeply moving in its sincerity. The earth truly is beautiful beyond all change.

ashleyhoss820's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.0