cozylittlebrownhouse's review
2.0
Ahh, Andre Dubus. I read your "House of Sand and Fog" and loved the first half only to be horribly disappointed by the second part of the book. Now, I have listened to 12 CDs of "The Garden of Last Days" only to feel the same way. Some parts of the book were horrifying (the nonchalance combined with dedication of the 9/11 terrorists in the days leading to the horrific event) and some were completely uninteresting (the story about AJ). I couldn't believe I liked the main character, who was a stripper. If this is on your reading list, I would go for something else. It wasn't a total waste of time, but this author constantly builds my hopes and loses me.
yacobbie's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mindyhoffer's review
4.0
An interesting read that forces you to see a situation from a different perspective.
kdtoverbooked's review
3.0
I was pulled in to this novel almost immediately and was intrigued by the setting, which is a Gentleman's club. I really thought that the book would take a different turn than it did. I would tell more but then it might give away what some would feel is a critical component of the novel.
I like that the author wrapped up all the characters at the end of the book. Left everything in a nice tidy package for me. :D
I like that the author wrapped up all the characters at the end of the book. Left everything in a nice tidy package for me. :D
dylanperry's review
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
A fantastic novel through and through. I dock half a star because I felt one character's story dragged in the last third of the book and I predicted the resolution it was building to early on, which took away some of the impact from the finale. Overall, I loved this novel and can't wait to get my hands on more by Andre Dubus III.
A fantastic novel through and through. I dock half a star because I felt one character's story dragged in the last third of the book and I predicted the resolution it was building to early on, which took away some of the impact from the finale. Overall, I loved this novel and can't wait to get my hands on more by Andre Dubus III.
zetus_lupetus's review
2.0
I only kept reading to find out what happened with the kid situation.
Reading this became work.
I don't recommend
Reading this became work.
I don't recommend
thrifty_librarian's review
4.0
I discovered [b:House of Sand and Fog|359770|House of Sand and Fog|Andre Dubus III|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348670870s/359770.jpg|932849] earlier this year and now count it among my favorites. In many ways, this feels similar - detailed internal dialogues of characters filled with idiosyncrasies, an overarching sense of inevitability, quite a bit of drama.
This is not as artfully executed as [b:House of Sand and Fog|359770|House of Sand and Fog|Andre Dubus III|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348670870s/359770.jpg|932849], though it is significantly longer and includes far more characters. It still moves quickly and draws on many emotions, and again here Dubus shows his gift for rendering characters.
I enjoyed seeing from so many characters' perspectives. Each character is unique. What is most remarkable, though, is the way in which the characters are similar, and I think that's at the heart of the story. Each character has an unflagging belief that he MUST do something, but it is clear (to the reader) the thing that feels inevitable to the character isn't at all. I loved that - to me it's so true to life.
This is not as artfully executed as [b:House of Sand and Fog|359770|House of Sand and Fog|Andre Dubus III|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348670870s/359770.jpg|932849], though it is significantly longer and includes far more characters. It still moves quickly and draws on many emotions, and again here Dubus shows his gift for rendering characters.
I enjoyed seeing from so many characters' perspectives. Each character is unique. What is most remarkable, though, is the way in which the characters are similar, and I think that's at the heart of the story. Each character has an unflagging belief that he MUST do something, but it is clear (to the reader) the thing that feels inevitable to the character isn't at all. I loved that - to me it's so true to life.
urlphantomhive's review
2.0
READ IN DUTCH
The premise was good, and I liked the title as well. Unfortunately, those were like the only positive aspects I recall from reading the book.
It is about the people who had chance-meetings with the terrorists who later hijacked the planes on 9/11. But it was so boring. It took me a lot of discipline to pick up this book each day and finish reading. Nothing really happened, or I just couldn't care about it.
Part of the problem was probably in the writing. There should be a balance between showing and telling, which was absolutely absent. And everything is spelled out before you, all the tragic backstory is told, nothing is just implied. (As if the author didn't believe we could find out some things ourselves)
I was really disappointed, I wouldn't recommend it.
The premise was good, and I liked the title as well. Unfortunately, those were like the only positive aspects I recall from reading the book.
It is about the people who had chance-meetings with the terrorists who later hijacked the planes on 9/11. But it was so boring. It took me a lot of discipline to pick up this book each day and finish reading. Nothing really happened, or I just couldn't care about it.
Part of the problem was probably in the writing. There should be a balance between showing and telling, which was absolutely absent. And everything is spelled out before you, all the tragic backstory is told, nothing is just implied. (As if the author didn't believe we could find out some things ourselves)
I was really disappointed, I wouldn't recommend it.
apatrick's review
5.0
I started this book Saturday evening and finished it Sunday night (Monday morning at 1:15). It was exactly what I needed to pull out of a reading funk. My bookcase at home is magical: books that I absolutely MUST HAVE at the store become instantly bland-looking and unintriguing once placed in it. This transformed back and deserves the critical praise it got. Here's my write-up on LiveJournal, because I'm too lazy to write it twice: (cut and paste) http://whatandreareads.livejournal.com/64564.html