An unforgettable novel about love–and the first work of fiction by the author of the groundbreaking nonfiction bestseller In a Different V...
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Oct 26, 2008
Bill
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I just finished this novel. It is really unusual - it doesn't follow a simple narrative form which makes it intriguing. Most of all it addresses that most basic of questions - why do people who love each other mess up. I think the book is easier to understand if you've read Carol Gilligan's book "The Birth of Pleasure" because this novel plays out almost as a fictional account of the issues she raises in that non-fictional book.
How many books have you read in which the main c More...
How many books have you read in which the main c More...
Sep 01, 2009
Arlene
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This book is thinly written and the characters seem like projections or wish fulfillments. Gilligan wrote a book that challenged the reigning view of women's psychology, so I was curious to read her novel. There are ideas in the book but they aren't, I think, really embodied.
Oct 03, 2009
Mary
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Carol Gilligan had a big affect on me, years ago, with her book "In A Different Voice." So I thought I would give this a try. Not sure if it's the style, or what the characters were doing with their lives, but I just couldn't get into it.
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Jun 03, 2008
Kathleen
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In the mid 80's, I met the author when she was teaching at Harvard and pushing the edges of gender studies. So smart, articulate, visionary, Gilligan's seminars and earlier research informed my work as an educator. This first novel reflects all those qualities and more. Literature, opera, architecture, history and art are seamlesslly woven throughout the novel that deals with almost unspeakable loss and love. I reread passages out loud for the sheer beauty of the words and writing, and many t
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May 01, 2010
Dianne
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My advice - don't read books by academics who write a novel just to promote their philosophy. The characters, the dialogue and the situations in this book were so contrived. Don't bother reading this one...
Sep 03, 2009
Leslie
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Yes, the same Carol Gilligan of notable gender studies, which is why I picked it up. Love story, very internal in spite of some architecture and opera stuff. Nice read, not a wow, but that could just be me.
Feb 28, 2008
Lee
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Carol Gilligan is a brilliant woman who has written a better than average debut novel. I found the protagonist to be a fascinating woman and was especially interested in how beautifully Gilligan crafted descriptions of her career, daily life and traumatic history. The love story also was well drawn. I think that the passages about her therapy were overly complex for this novel (perhaps because I have read all Gilligan's scholarly writing my reaction to this was stronger and more critical than pe
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Apr 11, 2008
Wendy
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Although certain aspects of this book were interesting (e.g., learning a little bit about opera and architecture), I wasn't able to feel any sort of attachment to the protagonist. I couldn't relate to her and found her choices to be somewhat inexplicable and maddening which left me feeling less than sympathetic to her plight. I also thought that the description of the book created an expectation that was not delivered upon. The "shocking betrayal" wasn't overly shocking (in my opini
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Nov 18, 2010
Carol
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Engaging and engrossing her discussion of architecture as an externalization of mind is really worth the whole book.
Jul 12, 2009
Leslie
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Interesting more "scholarly" love story from a college professor who wrote In a Different Voice
Sep 26, 2010
Mariana
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Wounded people connect and disconnect. As I struggle this book brought me hope.
Jun 30, 2011
Erica
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Hmmm... I chose to read this being at least somewhat familiar with In a Different Voice. I knew it didn't get the greatest of reviews, but since I generally don't put much stock in reviews, that really didn't bother me. Well, it was... ok. I think the main reason I read it was because I was curious about the counseling relationship alluded to on the book jacket. I feel like there are very few helpful fictional depictions of that therapeutic relationship. Don't know that this one qualifies,
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Apr 11, 2008
Julie
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I didn't find this book to be a very enjoyable read. It was trying too hard to be profound and revolutionary. It was difficult to care about the main character; the plot was plodding; the "shocking betrayal" not that shocking, and the therapy sessions were vague and lame. It felt like the author wrote this book from the top down. If she was going to try her hand at fiction again, I recommend that she follow the basic writing advice: "Show, don't tell."
Jul 02, 2008
Liane
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I didn't understand what Kyra's problem was, with Andreas nor with Greta. Then, to top it off, I felt like Gilligan was suggesting that what Kyra wanted within the therapist/client relationship was unquestionably the right thing. I disagree. I think what Kyra was demanding from the therapist/client relationship was based on her own insecurities, and Gilligan's development of a new relationship from that place was misdirected.
Jun 19, 2008
Kiandra
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I wanted to like it becaused Eve Ensler gave it a great review. Maybe my life is just too vanilla in contrast to these was stories of love. One thing I liked was the interplay of Kyra and her therapist. The rest was pretty boring.
Mar 29, 2008
Suzanne
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The book is a meditation on evolving from loss and grief to an acceptance of love and life. The patient/therapist relationship was the most interesting part of the book for me. Gilligan is a lyrical writer.
Oct 09, 2008
Carey
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I couldn't get past chapter two. The book is full of overt metaphors and symbols. And it takes place in an impossibly rich academic setting that I don't even want to allow myself to fantasize about.
May 05, 2008
Stephanie
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Beautifully written, but goes nowhere. I was drawn enough to the characters to care about them, and to suffer through some ponderous (but beautiful) prose, but the end left me cold.
Mar 31, 2008
Kishwar
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Not so great as a novel but i could empathize more with the central character as I got further into the book. It did make me interested in reading her non-fiction works.
Oct 17, 2008
Candace
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I started it but couldn't finish. I'm a huge fan of Gilligan's work in feminist psychology but perhaps she's too scholarly/intellectualizing and detached?? for romance.
Aug 04, 2008
Vicki
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Gilligan's novel is a marvelous meditation on love, loss, and art. She writes fiction as beautifully as she writes essays. I highly recommend this book.
Jun 26, 2008
Lynn
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I found it hard to get into at first, but am now enjoying it a little bit more. Love the descriptions of the island scenes.
Jul 08, 2008
bryan
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The main character is a GSD prof. in the landscape which is interesting but everything else about it is not so great.
Jan 23, 2012
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