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486th out of 557 books
—
445 voters
Poison: A Novel
The death of flamboyant writer and womanizer Peter Grosvenor sets in motion a series of spiraling events surrounding his legacy and his estate. His bitter third wife, his two children, his sister, his friends, and his would-be biographers are drawn into a maelstrom of intense memories and painful encounters as each of the major players in Peter's life seeks to appropriate...more
Paperback, 624 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 2006)
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Nov 10, 2011
Maeta
added it
I am stopping with this book after 100 pages. I promised myself I would give it at least 100 pages before giving up. It is boring, hard to follow, and written in a kind of stream of conciousness that is very irritating. It would be different if the author would follow some sort of logic in her writing, but she literally jumps from one character to another in the middle of thoughts, and never seems to finish and thought. After 60 pages, I still did not know who the main character is, nor did I re...more
The author really likes the word "travesty," and that's what this book is: a travesty of an epic novel about Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. It's been awhile since I've forced myself to finish an awful book, and I'm amazed that a fictionalized tale of the fascinating lives of those two could be so weak. Ironically, the flowing, almost stream of conscious, narration gave the sense that things are moving when almost nothing happens in this 600-page book. A man dies. His heirs fight. All of them are e...more
I started rereading this book without realizing I'd read it before. It's as depressing as I remembered it.
The set-up of two talented wives who committed suicide via gas in kitchen range while married to a man who was also a well known and "handsome" man reminds too tritely of Sylvia Plath. Now the man has died and his sisters, son, daughter and third wife are having neverending squabbles. I may quit or may skim through to see if there is anything of value I missed before. Too bad--I enjoy Schaef...more
The set-up of two talented wives who committed suicide via gas in kitchen range while married to a man who was also a well known and "handsome" man reminds too tritely of Sylvia Plath. Now the man has died and his sisters, son, daughter and third wife are having neverending squabbles. I may quit or may skim through to see if there is anything of value I missed before. Too bad--I enjoy Schaef...more
Not a satisfying read. Like life itself, nothing really changes in the process, until death itself calls a halt. A good description of the human condition and the foibles inherent to it. Overall a depressing volume, but beautifully written.
Truth is very elusive in this novel, but i think that is the point. It is well-written, but almost unbearably sad. One must hope that the human predicament is not as dire as portrayed here.
Ehhh... This one was not very good. It was much more centered around the characters than the plot and even then, in the end, nothing was resolved at all.
In the beginning, it hinted at secrets, resolutions, but largely it failed to deliver - astonishing for it being a 600 page plus book. The writing was very good, though the P.O.V. was a little confusing at times.
The only good thing that was fun in reading about the envy-inspiring lifestyles of these writers. Other than being the catalyst for som...more
In the beginning, it hinted at secrets, resolutions, but largely it failed to deliver - astonishing for it being a 600 page plus book. The writing was very good, though the P.O.V. was a little confusing at times.
The only good thing that was fun in reading about the envy-inspiring lifestyles of these writers. Other than being the catalyst for som...more
Ahkay. Just bought this :) Yahuuu. Next to Brida.
I dare you to read this and NOT know who the writers are in this book.
AWFUL! Could barely finish this book :(
OMG! I loved this book. It is the definitive work on relationships and marriages. It is 606 pages but every page is a revelation.
I gave up on this book after 103 pages. It was very difficult for me to keep track of who was talking. There were so many run on sentences and character switches I just couldn't keep it all straight. In addition to that, just wasn't my type of book. I like adventure and thrillers and mysteries and this book wasn't really any of those things.
Sep 05, 2008
Jan
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those with insomnia
Shelves:
library-copy
I enjoyed "Time in Its Flight" immensely and kept reading this book hoping that I would eventually like this one as well. It never happened. An utter waste of 606 pages. I have to remember that I really don't have to finish the books I start; there are too many other out there to waste ones time on something less than enjoyable.
I want to get through this book and like it, because I've thought one of her other books was phenomenally written...
Not as good as the golden rope by the same author
One 700 page poem.
Jun 12, 2013
Whitney
marked it as to-read
Jan 10, 2013
Angelle
marked it as to-read
Dec 01, 2012
Bookslut
marked it as to-read
Nov 19, 2012
Jill
is currently reading it
Oct 20, 2012
Kelly
marked it as to-read
bleh
Aug 10, 2012
Donna
marked it as to-read
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