In "Flesh and Blood," Michael Cunningham takes us on a masterful journey through four generations of the Stassos family as he examines the dynamics...
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May 02, 2008
Elise
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I liked this book, but I kept feeling like I had read it before. Surely, I'm not that addled post-pregnancy, but there were certain scenes that just felt completely familiar whereas I had no recollection of other scenes or characters. I had read & loved The Hours many years ago, and there are similar themes, so maybe that's it? At any rate, the book is well-written as I would expect from Cunningham, but the family's saga seemed to have everything but the kitchen sink thrown in - immigrant bec
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Dec 31, 2008
Amelia
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Though Cunningham writes beautifully, he hasn't quite figured out how to balance his heavy subject matter with his wildly descriptive prose. The book becomes bogged down by the extreme familial drama that Cunningham creates for his characters. This book is a good read, but you'd be better suited to read "The House," where Cunningham's voice is fully realized.
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Jan 30, 2011
Tancredi
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"Jamal viveva in lui. (...) Non era amore, non quello che aveva immaginato fosse amore. Assomigliava di più a come aveva immaginato fosse il cancro, quello che aveva portato via la signora Marshall della casa accanto, una palla di cellule impazzite che, come diceva sua madre, l'avevano divorata. Come un cancro era lui e non era lui. Lo mangiava e sostituiva ciò che aveva mangiato con un'altra dose di se stesso."
Il secondo romanzo di Cunningham si presenta come un avvincente saga famili
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Oct 07, 2009
Davis
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So you think you have a dysfunctional family! Try this book on for size. It is a fascinating tale of a family which plays out over several generations. This gives the readers a real sense for how and where family dynamics come from.
It is a book that will appeal to many different groups of readers. Gay readers will embrace some of the affirming gay characters not to mention the endearing transvestite.
This is a book that speaks about love and forgiveness. This lends the boo More...
It is a book that will appeal to many different groups of readers. Gay readers will embrace some of the affirming gay characters not to mention the endearing transvestite.
This is a book that speaks about love and forgiveness. This lends the boo More...
Mar 07, 2009
Mbarkle
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This is my absolute favorite kind of book. It tells the story of a family over three generations, basically. I love the way the author is able to show the dysfunctional nature of the family, by going into each characters' head and describing their often conflicting thoughts. It's very realistic in that way, one minute a person feels one way, the next minute another, and then you see how they decide to act on their feelings.
I related to the story quite a bit, I am one of three sibl More...
I related to the story quite a bit, I am one of three sibl More...
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Dec 23, 2010
Eli
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Picked this up at Gay's the Word (the UK's only LGBT bookstore!) I've loved most of Michael Cunningham's other books, and this was good but definitely not my favorite. It's an American family epic in the same vein as Middlesex or The Corrections, but it doesn't have the cohesiveness that those books do. The story isn't driven by plot so much as the evolving relationships between family members over three generations; as such, it often seems to stutter and lose momentum. The thing that sustai
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Mar 25, 2010
Marsia
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FLESH AND BLOOD took me a long time to read because I put it aside and read two other books, then came back to it, determined to finish it.
Unless I'm mistaken, this was Cunningham's second novel, and I count myself among his fans, and there were several good moments, but generally it's a family saga about a group of characters for whom I just couldn't work up much enthusiasm or interest. From the first chapter, set in 1935, through 1995--plus a final chapter set in the future--it fo More...
Unless I'm mistaken, this was Cunningham's second novel, and I count myself among his fans, and there were several good moments, but generally it's a family saga about a group of characters for whom I just couldn't work up much enthusiasm or interest. From the first chapter, set in 1935, through 1995--plus a final chapter set in the future--it fo More...
Mar 04, 2008
Amy
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I hate to think that Michael Cunningham is writing the same book over and over, because really, he isn't, but this one seemed like it had his "stock" characters. Strong, but quirky women, a gay man with some guilt over his sexuality, etc. Depressing at the end. Still a fairly decent book, but go pick up At Home At the End of the World for a much better read by him.
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Aug 11, 2008
Kate
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On a few occasions when I went to hear Michael Cunningham speak, all the questions from the audience were about The Hours and A Home at the End of the World. Why does Flesh and Blood get so little airtime? This is a beautifully written and totally engrossing family saga that I didn't wanted to end. I love Cunningham's depth of empathy for his characters.
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Nov 17, 2009
Eliza
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This book has been on my shelf for a long time. I've been looking for "a good story" with "great characters" for a long time. Oh, look, it works.
I enjoyed the first third of this book immensely. The characters were wonderful and rich. In the second third the characters settled into more two-dimensional stereotypes, but they were still originally written (if not original characters) and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the final third of the book became tedio More...
I enjoyed the first third of this book immensely. The characters were wonderful and rich. In the second third the characters settled into more two-dimensional stereotypes, but they were still originally written (if not original characters) and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the final third of the book became tedio More...
Dec 05, 2009
Ivan
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Basically there are two kinds of novels, those that detail a specific event (a love affair, a tragedy, etc) and those that just ramble hither and yon telling no specific story. As a rule, I'm not a big fan of novels that ramble. "Flesh and Blood" is a ramble. However, I was totally enthralled from start to finish. This is the story of the Stassos family. It begins in 1939 and ends in the present day. This is the most intimate portrait of a family I've ever read. Each of the characters
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Aug 13, 2010
Nezzo
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Това е от тези книги, които те карат да си казваш ‘Брррр’ и да тръскаш глава като мокро
Куче още в началните страници. Но не от отблъскваща силна, а от странните неща, които се подават от страниците, и които ти досега не си поглеждал в лицето.
През повечето си време не разбираме нищо от живота и прищявките му. Движим се в някаква си линия, която смятаме за правилна, докато не се появява нещо, което изкарва живота ни от пътя му. Живеем в мъничкият си, затворен и приветлив свят. Такъ More...
Куче още в началните страници. Но не от отблъскваща силна, а от странните неща, които се подават от страниците, и които ти досега не си поглеждал в лицето.
През повечето си време не разбираме нищо от живота и прищявките му. Движим се в някаква си линия, която смятаме за правилна, докато не се появява нещо, което изкарва живота ни от пътя му. Живеем в мъничкият си, затворен и приветлив свят. Такъ More...
Sep 14, 2010
Sarah
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This was a really easy book to get into; it's compelling, tragic and completely human. Flesh and Blood follows the lives of one family from 1935 to 2035. Constatine is a Greek immigrant in the United States who marries second generation Italian American Mary. As their lives unfold throughout the years and they raise three children, the reader sees moments in their lives filled with love, passion, violence and sometimes acceptance. The book is about the outsider trying to fit into American societ
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Nov 01, 2007
Jessica
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Personality of characters were similar to those in the Hours (which I enjoyed reading), but in this book, they began to get on my nerves. Book dragged on for tooo long, but I stuck with it until the end, and overall was glad I finished it.
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Feb 19, 2011
Alec
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A gorgeous writer. Can't get enough of how he writes. Will probably read everything he's written. Have almost done so. This is a multigenerational family story, with different chapters told from different characters' points of view. Exactly what I'm trying to do. And often it made me gasp at what he's able to pull off. Technically. But in the end, he loads this family down with too many sorrows, his book with too many hot-button issues. Spoilers: AIDS, drug addictions, shoplifting, affairs, comi
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May 02, 2011
Il secondo romanzo di Cunningham si presenta come un'avvincente saga familiare sullo sfondo della società americana del '900. Cento anni raccontati attraverso tre generazioni. Una famiglia, ed una miriade di personaggi diversi, con le loro storie, i loro pensieri, le loro ossessioni, paure, angosce. I loro amori traditi, quelli finiti, e quelli sopravvissuti. Pur essendo il romanzo che mi piace di meno - la prima parte, relativa all'odioso capofamiglia, mi ha annoiato - è una grande prova di cap
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Sep 25, 2011
Roberta
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Un romanzo densissimo, popolato da personaggi estremamente vivi, sofferenti, dolenti. Una famiglia, di origini miste (greche e italiane), la sua lotta per diventare americana a tutti gli effetti, le lotte individuali per emergere nella vita e rincorrere i propri sogni. Cunningham scava nella psiche dei personaggi in modo tormentoso (e a forza di scavare emerge ben poco di positivo) e affronta moltissime tematiche interessanti: l'abuso in famiglia, la morte, l'omosessualità, l'AIDS...Appassionant
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Mar 12, 2011
Ardesia
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Splendido romanzo lungo un secolo, pieno zeppo di quelli che Hornby nell'introduzione di "Una vita da lettore" definisce "meccanismi del cuore e della mente". Cunningham non solo ci fa entrare nel cuore e nella mente dei personaggi, ma ci fa sentire come se fossimo stati sempre lì e lo avessimo sentito da sempre l'eco di quei pensieri e di quelle emozioni che in quel momento magari non sono nostre, ma che potrebbero esserlo, forse fra un giorno, forse fra trent'anni, forse in
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Jul 22, 2011
Cynthia Karl
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I really enjoyed "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham so had high hopes for this book. Talk about a dysfunctional family - a hot headed Greek father, a prissy socially ambitious mother, a daughter that unhappily lives the "good" life with her lawyer husband, a gay son and a drug addict daughter. And that's just the family - even with these assorted personalities, the book most of the time seemed dull. The writing is good but the story never gels and the ending - good grief -
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Apr 22, 2010
Niki
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I remember really loving The Hours by the same author, so when I saw this one on sale, I snatched it up. Overall, I really enjoyed reading it. The characters are rich and interesting, and the story isn't predictable.
The one problem I had with the book was Cunningham's writing style, which I mostly really liked .. but often his descriptions of character emotion were a little too flowery or obscure for me. Brief little sentences that were more prose than anything else. Those moments were som More...
The one problem I had with the book was Cunningham's writing style, which I mostly really liked .. but often his descriptions of character emotion were a little too flowery or obscure for me. Brief little sentences that were more prose than anything else. Those moments were som More...
Feb 10, 2012
Jenny
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no. this is it. i'm not reading any more multi-generational books set in nyc & surrounds and touching on big relevant issues (aids, 9/11) of the 00s/90s/80s and exhaustively chronicling complex family dynamics. i've read three now and I cant distinguish between them - this by michael cunningham, one by jennifer egan, and claire messud's the emperors children - all intelligent books but lacking heart. it's a niche genre I've somehow stumbled into, and all i can say is, i've finished each book, an
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Apr 07, 2011
Rick
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This book was a melancholy dissection of family dynamics and a family's history. It was lyrical at times and was easy enough to read. I was engaged and wanted to know what was going to happen to this family. Some of the characterizations were full and flowery and others were much more flat and rushed. The author didn't seem to care for/identify with some of the characters in the novel as much as others.
There was scarcely a moment of happiness or elation among these pages. It is More...
There was scarcely a moment of happiness or elation among these pages. It is More...
Jul 18, 2008
Andrew
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This is Cunningham's worst book, I think (he wrote it before THE HOURS made him a literary superstar), and yet it still resonates with me, and it may possibly be his most beautifully written. There are entire paragraphs I can excerpt that are worthy of being published as a poem. For instance, this:
"Zoe sipped her coffee, looked out the steamed window at Waverly place. An obese man walked a gleeful-looking yellow dog he had dressed in a white blouse and a plaid skirt. There was a More...
"Zoe sipped her coffee, looked out the steamed window at Waverly place. An obese man walked a gleeful-looking yellow dog he had dressed in a white blouse and a plaid skirt. There was a More...
Jul 05, 2011
Suzy
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About halfway through, I have decided to quit this book--something I don't often do so deep in--but I realized I was rather dreading than looking forward to reading it as I drove home from work today. It's just such a downer! All the main characters--members of the same immigrant family--are just so lost and sad--and there is really no hint of redemption by the end of the book. So, even though Cunningham writes well and the story, though complex, moves along with interest, it's just too grim
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Mar 07, 2009
Phil
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I love Michael Cunningham books because he tells stories about unhappy people. Flesh and Blood explores three generations of an American family, from the Greek immigrant patriarch to the gay son and free spirit daughter he doesn't understand to the mixed race grandson he is embarrased by.
Flesh and Blood is a perfect title because these people are very real, and by the books finish you are devestated by what has happened to them and uplifted at the same time. They are faulty people, con More...
Flesh and Blood is a perfect title because these people are very real, and by the books finish you are devestated by what has happened to them and uplifted at the same time. They are faulty people, con More...
Jul 24, 2009
Jaime
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An intense family drama filled with passion, as each character tries to define his/her own life, often using love and sex. The characters themselves are well developed, and have to face discrimination, an incestuous relationship, gay initiation, drugs, AIDS, divorce, illness, suicide, unplanned pregnancy, family rejection, and death. It is a very complex book that you won’t forget, specially their characters and their tumultuous lives.
May 16, 2007
Alexa
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Michael Cunningham is a beautiful writer- his narration style is one of my favorites, and there are few modern writers who delve into description so well.
That being said, my reading of Flesh and Blood was marred by one large problem- it is bizarrely similar to The Hours (which was published 2 years later and won the Pulitzer). Although the background/period is very different, reading Flesh and Blood is like reading Michael Cunningham's prepatory notes for The Hours. Mary Stassos ago More...
That being said, my reading of Flesh and Blood was marred by one large problem- it is bizarrely similar to The Hours (which was published 2 years later and won the Pulitzer). Although the background/period is very different, reading Flesh and Blood is like reading Michael Cunningham's prepatory notes for The Hours. Mary Stassos ago More...
Nov 23, 2008
Jaime
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I read this book over the course of three days becasue I needed to get to the end. I couldn't put it down, and yet, it was too fast. There is so much in there that it deserves another read. Oddly enough, the reason I picked it up in the first place, because it has GBLT themes, is not what I remember most about it. That storyline is not the one that stands out in my mind. It's a great book. Read it. Twice.
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Jan 29, 2012
Orrieux
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Constantin Stassos, un immigrant grec, n'a pas grand-chose en commun avec Mary, une belle Américaine d'origine italienne épousée durant la grande utopie des années cinquante. Promoteur immobilier installé à Newark, dans le New jersey, il va bâtir sa réussite sur le dos de plus infortunés que lui et se révéler un homme violent. Mary est une femme frustrée, qui accepte mal l'étroitesse du quotidien. Trois enfants naissent : Susan, l'aînée, a avec son père une relation qui frôle l'inceste. Billy, u
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Jan 27, 2011
Shanna
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I felt like I had read this before. Was it re-released under a new name?
I borrowed this from a friend on my Nook and set it down and moved onto some Novellas because I just couldn't get into it. I came back, determined to read it and finish it, and I just could not muster any enthusiasm for these characters. The first bit was good, the middle bit was flat, and the last bit was like pulling teeth.
I borrowed this from a friend on my Nook and set it down and moved onto some Novellas because I just couldn't get into it. I came back, determined to read it and finish it, and I just could not muster any enthusiasm for these characters. The first bit was good, the middle bit was flat, and the last bit was like pulling teeth.
