In her small upstate New York town, Molly Howe is admired for her beauty, poise, and character, until one day a secret is exposed and she is cruell...
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Jul 01, 2011
Brett
rated it: 
Palladio begins as a couple of different plot lines that converge about 150 pages into the book. It a book about a guy in advertising and the interesting relationship he develops with one of his bosses, and a book about a girl who comes from an unhappy family and is unable to make emotional connections because of that. The two stories merge, separate and merge throughout the book in sometimes surprising, sometimes farfetched and sometimes over-the-top events. The girl's antics wear thin towar
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Oct 10, 2011
Suzie
rated it: 
what a total dissapointment this book turned out. i ran through this book for the first half/two thirds and then it faltered and ran out of puff in a major way. exploring molly howes and john wheelrights different worlds was a satisfying ride. characters were well portrayed, however molly and her family had a very odd ring to them and their disfunctionality really didnt resonate for me. both parents sounded as though they were in their mid sixties when they were just entering their forties, was
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Apr 25, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Promising. Barbed satire on commercialization of the New York "art" scene (John) with another strand about growing up different in an isolated town in New York state in the 1980's (Molly) and a third about religious fanaticism (Richard). The strands intertwine in Berkeley, then separate for ten years, meet, and unravel again.
Palladio, an avantgarde ad studio in Monticello, may also refer to Molly, a beautiful cipher and object of desire that like Mr Rochester's home (allud More...
Palladio, an avantgarde ad studio in Monticello, may also refer to Molly, a beautiful cipher and object of desire that like Mr Rochester's home (allud More...
Apr 28, 2010
Diana
rated it: 
It can be odd to read books written by people you know. This book had a lot of sex in it, sometimes graphic, even violent sex. I know Jonathan to be a quiet, polite, mild-mannered man, and it was odd to think of him thinking of these things. I was impressed by his intelligence. I am drawn to quiet people for the exact reason that I am always curious to know what they're thinking, and in this case, it turned out that behind Jonathan's quiet exterior, he had a whole world of complex thoughts going
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Apr 01, 2010
Lauren
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I picked this book up after reading "The Privileges" by Jonathan Dee. I almost never read books by the same author back to back, but I enjoyed "The Privileges" so much that I just wanted to immerse myself in another Jonathan Dee novel, and I found myself enjoying this book just as much. He is my kind of writer. I love his style, his craft. He focuses on emotions and the subtleties in human interactions, and this book held an additional interest for me in that I found the
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Jul 24, 2011
Mark
rated it:
“Palladio” held my attention—and held it well. I wish it were a bit more compact (okay, shorter) and the end kind of drifted off for me, but the core elements of “Palladio” are fascinating, particularly the inscrutable Malcolm Osbourne and his ideas about art and advertising. This novel carries a bundle of treasurers. The relationships are taut and vivid. I think Dee’s writing style is an acquired taste. He’s a big story-teller. He shoots high. e has a feel for big, sweeping moments and “Pallad
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Feb 10, 2010
Billfrog
rated it:
I wanted to like this more, as I'd seen him read from his more recent book and liked what I'd heard (I just wasn't going to buy a hardback without knowing more about his writing). I tore through it, which says something, but much of the last half of it was finishing it just to finish it. Perhaps it's to be expected that a book featuring characters who have a pathological lack of personality would feel a little soulless. The clinical and descriptive 3rd personal narration of the first half was no
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Jan 20, 2011
Kate
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I'm having a hard time trying to figure out whether or not to recommend this book. I was engrossed in it and very much in the "can't wait to see what happens next" mode, almost to the end. Does the fact that I was dissatisfied with the ending negate 300 pages of good writing and an interesting plot? I feel like sending an email to Jonathan Dee telling him he needs to figure out a different way to resolve the story and I'll give it another shot! I'm going to have to see if I can find ot
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Jun 28, 2011
Bart
rated it:
This book came so frustratingly close to greatness. It remains an exceptional novel, still. But it did not fulfill its potential.
Blame Part 2. Halfway through Palladio Jonathan Dee does something fiercely original with his plotting. It complements perfectly his third-person narrative. And the reader braces for something euphoric and original. And then Part 2 begins in the first-person voice of the novel’s least-distinguished voice, and a feeling of disappointment that almost g More...
Blame Part 2. Halfway through Palladio Jonathan Dee does something fiercely original with his plotting. It complements perfectly his third-person narrative. And the reader braces for something euphoric and original. And then Part 2 begins in the first-person voice of the novel’s least-distinguished voice, and a feeling of disappointment that almost g More...
Oct 29, 2007
Molly
rated it:
As one of my most beloved professors, I was anxious to see Jon Dee's words of wisdom in action. How do we define ourselves? What is individuality and how is individuality reflected in our commercial culture? These are some of the underlying questions of Palladio, a tightly woven novel that explores the dissolution of the nuclear family, the convergence of sex-violence-advertising-exploitation-meaninglessness, and what it is to be an American in the 21st Century.
I was impressed with Dee's More...
I was impressed with Dee's More...
Jul 08, 2011
Sandra
rated it:
I think I liked this book but I'm not really sure why. It certainly made me keep reading and I was intrigued what would happen with Palladio but I didn't really like any of the characters although I suppose I empathised with John most. I'm not sure that the change of narrator and from 3rd to 1st person in the second section did anything for me but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I would read another Jonathan Dee novel.
Sep 06, 2011
Mary
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This is an odd novel. I loved parts of it, I found it compelling to read... and yet, ultimately, I don't think it was that great. Another lot of posturing and blather about postmodernity. And Molly was the most annoying, non-existent character that I've come across for a long time.
I found a similar thing with The Privileges. I loved parts, but found the whole disappointing.
Maybe one day Dee will write a complete novel, that delivers all the way along. I'll keep hoping.
I found a similar thing with The Privileges. I loved parts, but found the whole disappointing.
Maybe one day Dee will write a complete novel, that delivers all the way along. I'll keep hoping.
Jan 03, 2011
Molly
rated it:
This book was hard to rate. It took me awhile to get into the story. Then I started liking it, the main characters drove me nuts, but they were so intriguing at the same time. I must say that it really got me thinking and will be reading other books by Dee.
Aug 07, 2011
Devra
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For most of the way through, I couldn't put this book down. The story and characters were engaging, and the emotional suspense was effective. But I felt that the ending fell flat and was much too abstract.
Mar 13, 2010
Kathleen
rated it:
Something about John Wheelwright kept me reading this book. Perhaps I have known someone like him. His ability to be civil was amazing. Molly Howe, on the other hand, was one of those thin well built women whose illusiveness tended to attract men of all ages. I've never understood that kind of appeal. Mal Osbourne is the kind of man that people in advertising want to work for, make scads of money with their avant garde attitudes about art. Jonathan Dee wove a page turner that blended many emotio
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Apr 14, 2011
just started, first 25 pages, and I am LOVING it. I love it when writers descriptions so match and experience, thoughts, feelings -- a combination of those. I want to highlight them. They put into words something I've been needing to describe, or didn't even realize there were words for! -- Mind opening.
AND, also huge, by writing on a subject/subjects, opening the argument for the value of -- in this case -- art;
okay, done now: almost loved this book. Well worth reading.
Not as str More...
AND, also huge, by writing on a subject/subjects, opening the argument for the value of -- in this case -- art;
okay, done now: almost loved this book. Well worth reading.
Not as str More...
Jun 25, 2010
Fredsky
rated it: 
I cound not make myself read this book. I tried. I found it too opaque for now.
Feb 08, 2011
Susan
rated it:
I didn't like this one as much as the Privileges, but still pretty fantastic.
Jan 05, 2011
Anita
rated it:
Jonathan Dee is a very interesting writer. His characters stay with you after you finish the book. I love how twisted some of the characters and situations are but he writes so seriously. Really a writer one can learn from.
Sep 26, 2011
Beth
rated it:
Well-crafted. Dee's use of shifting points of view makes for an interesting read. I saw definite similarities to The Fountainhead: art, in this case in the form of advertising, is used as a philosophical platform. Also, Molly, the main female character has some similarities to Dominique Francon. If you are not a fan of The Fountainhead, do not let that dissuade you. The two are very different in most respects. I was all set to give this at least four stars, but I really did not enjoy the l
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Nov 21, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
I really liked the first 75% of this book, the three main characters were compelling and well written, but in Dee style, at the end the plot devolves into a preachy-ness that I'm just not a fan of, and the last 25% took away from the novel as a whole. The ideas about advertising and man's relationship to it were interesting, as was the mysterious founder of 'PALLADIO' the Ad firm at the center of the novel.
Jun 12, 2011
Holly
rated it:
Well i did really like this book and found the different stories running together interesting. I did find that i was drawn to the family stories and the romance rather than the advertising lingo which did get a little much for me in places, and i even admit skipping through some of the advertising blurbby bits. However it was a very intriguing story and i didn't want to stop reading.
Jan 31, 2012
Robyn
rated it:
interesting style and story. bleak. not sure what his ultimate message is regarding advertising and people who don't make emotional attachments.
Dec 16, 2009
Allison
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This book will make you think about advertising, media, and consumerism in a whole new way. You might even re-think what "sell-out" means.
Oct 31, 2011
Vicky
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I enjoyed the first two thirds of this book, but then started to feel a bit stupid - like I was missing something.
May 18, 2010
Laura Jean
rated it:
Slow to burn, but then gripping. I disagree with the other reviews I've read that found the end unsatisfying.
Jun 29, 2008
Jonathan
rated it:
Who wants to get paid ridiculous amounts of money to make art and live in Virginia?
Feb 10, 2012
