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151st out of 172 books
—
91 voters
In America
by
Susan Sontag
A glorious, sweeping new novel from the bestselling author of The Volcano Lover.
The Volcano Lover, Susan Sontag's bestselling 1992 novel, retold the love story of Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Nelson with consummate power. In her enthralling new novel-once again based on a real story-Sontag shows us our own country on the cusp of modernity.
In 1876 a group of Poles led by Mar...more
The Volcano Lover, Susan Sontag's bestselling 1992 novel, retold the love story of Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Nelson with consummate power. In her enthralling new novel-once again based on a real story-Sontag shows us our own country on the cusp of modernity.
In 1876 a group of Poles led by Mar...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
May 4th 2001
by Picador
(first published January 1st 1999)
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Let me be perfectly clear——I am a huge fan of Susan Sontag's criticism. "Against Interpretation and Other Essays", "On Photography", and "Regarding the Pain of Others" are books I go back to repeatedly for their ahead-of-their-time provocative points of view. After finishing "In America," I feel it's the critical side of Sontag that makes her fiction suffer. The writing is accomplished and refined, and, formally, the constantly shifting points of view rendered through various writing forms such...more
This book is so full of intelligence. Her literary and historic references enlighten. Her character's introspection gives the reader questions to ponder and profundities to wrestle with. I liked her different uses of voice and narrative style throughout the book. It distinguished quite a bit between characters and between acting and living. The book gave Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" new meaning. I absolutely was enchanted by the first 3/4 of the novel. I wouldn't say that I was disapp...more
I have read much Sontag's academic work for my research; this is the first time I've read her fiction. In America is a Pulitzer Prize winning account of a series of Polish aristocrats and family members who emigrate to California in the late 19th century to carry out an experiment in communal living. The result is a novelistic study of "democracy in America" (de Toqueville) to which Sontag refers often (usually ironically), albeit slightly under the radar. What happens when a bohemian desire for...more
Like Walking in Mud
I have always wanted to read this book so when I saw it at a school fair I was happy to buy it. On the cover it says it won the National Book Award of 2000 and awards mean a good read. The plot is great - a famous Polish actress decides to emigrate to America with her family and friends and start a community in southern California. The story follows their decision to move to America and the eventual failure of their community and the reinvention of self - a homage to the Ameri...more
I have always wanted to read this book so when I saw it at a school fair I was happy to buy it. On the cover it says it won the National Book Award of 2000 and awards mean a good read. The plot is great - a famous Polish actress decides to emigrate to America with her family and friends and start a community in southern California. The story follows their decision to move to America and the eventual failure of their community and the reinvention of self - a homage to the Ameri...more
3.5 stars. This is a difficult book for me to judge - well, actually, it was a difficult book for me, period. No doubt I'd have appreciated it more if I were more interested in theater. While I was reading it, I found myself alternating between being very intrigued, then simply puzzled, and also a little bored. Her writing style is difficult, her sentences slippery, and the character development scenes shockingly short - but then there were words and ideas that came through all that, rather diml...more
Jan 09, 2011
Peggy Bonnington
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
persistent, sophisticated readers into historical narrative & theatre & old world culture
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
women
I don't think this book would be everyone's cup of tea; it's long, dense and difficult to read in that Sontag's language is intricate and intellectually sophisticated, at least by my standards. I am very proud of myself for getting through it, and yes, I liked it! Part of the draw is that it is a very interesting story about a real and fascinating woman character in history; I love that sort of stuff! Also, I wanted SO badly to be able to say I had read a Susan Sontag, whose prose is not for the...more
Sontag writes with vivid word visuals, and I felt as if I was right there in the midst of life during the late nineteenth century. In America is a long book, and isn’t a fast read, but fro me it was a satisfying novel. Sontag’s comprehension and mastery of details and history, even the most minute of them, is masterful.
The historical content within the pages of In America is valuable. Sontag not only gives the reader insight into the dynamics of political unrest in Poland, but also of American...more
The historical content within the pages of In America is valuable. Sontag not only gives the reader insight into the dynamics of political unrest in Poland, but also of American...more
In America was one of those books that bore nothing but unexpected surprises where I had assumed it would delineate a fairly standard tale of an immigrant claiming America. Not only did it feature wildly different narrators at key points (the omnipresent descendant of our famous actress, the husband's journals, God, and Edwin Booth, who pontificates in the last stunning pages, which are written as if a monologue from a play), but it took the main character on a wild journey through commune farmi...more
Aug 19, 2011
emi Bevacqua
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
I read a glowing review of this book and so I had high expectations, even recommended it to my book club to read. I liked it fine, I learned about the family of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth, and about Polish aristocracy and celebrity, and a new aspect of American pioneering. There were parts I liked more than others, and literary gimmicks I appreciated and some that I didn't at all (I liked reading the list of everybody's reasons for setting off for America, and I like reading Maryna's hus...more
The first chapter, in which Sontag slowly imagines herself into a windowseat in someone's drawing-room on a winter night in turn-of-the-century Poland, is lovely and strange. There is a fireplace, and she begins to give the characters the names that suit them best. Some of the other chapters (especially the Anaheim section of Bogdan's furtive gay affairs) are less alluring, but the whole book is clear-eyed and amused. It is as much about Zakopane as it as about America, but since this means that...more
I am so glad I managed to read a book by Sontag.
It has some beautiful, vivid images of the United States both as landscape and as a society seen from a foreign eye, which makes it really interesting.
I've loved the sense of movement and change provided by the always shifting points of view, narrative techniques and narrators.
I've also appreciated the reflections on many topical issues such as the evolution of women's condition and technology, the attitude towards innovation, thoughts on art and...more
It has some beautiful, vivid images of the United States both as landscape and as a society seen from a foreign eye, which makes it really interesting.
I've loved the sense of movement and change provided by the always shifting points of view, narrative techniques and narrators.
I've also appreciated the reflections on many topical issues such as the evolution of women's condition and technology, the attitude towards innovation, thoughts on art and...more
http://wineandabook.com/2012/10/01/re...
"Each of us carries a room within ourselves, waiting to be furnished and peopled, and if you listen closely, you may need to silence everything in your own room, you can hear the sounds of that other room inside your head." (page 27)
In America is such an expansive piece of fiction, in which Sontag takes on everything from immigration to life in the theatre (with the "re"), and from the nature of love to what it means to be American. And she takes it on wit...more
"Each of us carries a room within ourselves, waiting to be furnished and peopled, and if you listen closely, you may need to silence everything in your own room, you can hear the sounds of that other room inside your head." (page 27)
In America is such an expansive piece of fiction, in which Sontag takes on everything from immigration to life in the theatre (with the "re"), and from the nature of love to what it means to be American. And she takes it on wit...more
I can't tell how I feel about this book - I liked the way it was written more than the content. I dogeared a lot of my favorite passages:
(On being caught in an earthquake):
"I like the feeling of being reduced to my own resources. Of having to do nothing but cope." (17)
(On the decision to go to America):
" ' I think I will die very soon, if I don't do something reckless...grand. I thought I was dying last year, you know.'
'But you didn't.'
'Must one die to prove one's sincerity!' " (39)
" 'When I w...more
(On being caught in an earthquake):
"I like the feeling of being reduced to my own resources. Of having to do nothing but cope." (17)
(On the decision to go to America):
" ' I think I will die very soon, if I don't do something reckless...grand. I thought I was dying last year, you know.'
'But you didn't.'
'Must one die to prove one's sincerity!' " (39)
" 'When I w...more
Ugh, one of the most dismally boring books I have ever read! Why can I not just discard it? Somehow I always think it will get better and I drag myself through to the bitter end.
What is up with Susan Sontag here? This must be some secret passion she always had...telling the story of a Polish "theataaah" actress.
It's like Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho...huh? What was he thinking!
Unless you are truly into "Theataaaah" and I mean in the WORST way, then this book is for you!
The main character is...more
What is up with Susan Sontag here? This must be some secret passion she always had...telling the story of a Polish "theataaah" actress.
It's like Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho...huh? What was he thinking!
Unless you are truly into "Theataaaah" and I mean in the WORST way, then this book is for you!
The main character is...more
Jan 27, 2008
Michelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who are fond of the american west, yo!
In the 19th century, a Polish actress so brilliant and popular that she is an ersatz national hero, has a mid-career crisis.
?! I was expecting a book about America. Instead I let myself slide into Sontag's introduction in a glittery Krakow dinner party, a dreamy straddle before the story is fully formed. Quickly rewarded -- drawn into this world and this mind of the small band of Polish bourgeois who decide to move to the frontier town of Anaheim to try their hand at communal farming in the mod...more
?! I was expecting a book about America. Instead I let myself slide into Sontag's introduction in a glittery Krakow dinner party, a dreamy straddle before the story is fully formed. Quickly rewarded -- drawn into this world and this mind of the small band of Polish bourgeois who decide to move to the frontier town of Anaheim to try their hand at communal farming in the mod...more
Aug 21, 2007
Rita Halfscatch
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
all!
Hearty historical fiction with lots of great social commentary. What does it mean to be an American, a Pole, an actor, a woman? The main character Maryna is based on a real Polish actress who came to US in the post civil war period and conquered American theater. The story begins with a group of artists gathered around their diva, the national treasure of the Polish stage. The artists regularly escape to the Zakopane region in Poland to engage their flights of rural fantasy, and finally, carried...more
I don't think anyone else has read this book, but I recommend that you do. Susan Sontag (who has my birthday) is known for her social commentary-type writing. This is a novel, a work of fiction and very enjoyable. I got it at the Fresh Meadows library book sale for $2. It's about a Polish actress who comes to America with her husband, young son, admirers, and entourage, to live on a farm in California. Just for the hell of it, basically. She is well respected and renound in Poland, but she is fu...more
تصور می کنم سوزان سونتاگ تحت تاثیر عنوانی که به او دادند، رابط میان فرهنگ اروپایی و فرهنگ آمریکایی، این رمان را نوشته باشد. شخصیت زن لهستانی رمان دوست داشتنی ست اما برخی از عکس العمل ها و رفتارهایش فرمایشی بنظر می رسند. حس می کنی نویسنده خواسته این زن چنین رفتار یا عملی داشته باشد،...
اگرچه سوزان سونتاگ در ایران بیشتر به یک منتقد ادبی و اجتماعی نویس معروف است، و در این زمینه ها کارهای بزرگی تالیف کرده، اما رمان های سونتاگ کارهای زیبایی ست که ندیده یا نشنیده ام به فارسی ترجمه شده باشد. روشن نیست...more
اگرچه سوزان سونتاگ در ایران بیشتر به یک منتقد ادبی و اجتماعی نویس معروف است، و در این زمینه ها کارهای بزرگی تالیف کرده، اما رمان های سونتاگ کارهای زیبایی ست که ندیده یا نشنیده ام به فارسی ترجمه شده باشد. روشن نیست...more
Jul 13, 2010
Nicole
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
someone what wants to brag about reading Sontag
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
adult-technically
My fist Sontag.
An ambitious read. I really had to hang in there for the first 50 pages, but in the end I'm glad that I did. I'm not likely to be introduced to characters in such a way ever again. I think all of my writer friends should read Chapter Zero and report back to me if that's how it really happens.
I just love the idea of moving to a new country, to a new LIFE and lifestyle with a group of friends. I'd do it in a heartbeat. And while that was only the first quarter of the book, it was fa...more
An ambitious read. I really had to hang in there for the first 50 pages, but in the end I'm glad that I did. I'm not likely to be introduced to characters in such a way ever again. I think all of my writer friends should read Chapter Zero and report back to me if that's how it really happens.
I just love the idea of moving to a new country, to a new LIFE and lifestyle with a group of friends. I'd do it in a heartbeat. And while that was only the first quarter of the book, it was fa...more
The structure of this book is very strange, beginning with the author, who puts herself into the beginning pages and ending with the novel becoming a play. It is about a famous actress, told through her own thoughts, but also those around her; her lover who is a writer, her husband who has homosexual tendencies and keeps a journal, through Maryna’s letters home to her friend Henryk—all tell the story. Not my favorite book, but I’m glad I read it.
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for over a year. It is a National Book Award Winner but a while back I read the prologue and it just didn't capture me, so I put it down.
I finally got back to it and honestly it was a chore to read this book. I really had to make myself finish.
Although I was impressed by Sontag's refined writing and would be interested in trying to read some of her other work, this book just didn't do it for me.
I finally got back to it and honestly it was a chore to read this book. I really had to make myself finish.
Although I was impressed by Sontag's refined writing and would be interested in trying to read some of her other work, this book just didn't do it for me.
Overall, a very good book. The story is interesting and well told. The only flaw was Sontag's conceit of utilizing different, and sometimes very odd, points-of-view through the book. Most disquieting was the first chapter, in which she describes a scene as if she herself (as an present-day author) was there. While it gave some insight into her own work process, it was difficult to accept at first.
Excellent, excellent. Love historical novels because I get to learn something factual without having to read nonfiction. Ha! I particularly like Sontag's take on the main character given her feminist proclivities. I found the cultural differences between Europe and America quite interesting at the time period covered by the book. Some of those things are still true. We are a nation of prudes in many ways.
I really did not like Chapter Zero. More to the point, I didn't like that there was a Chapter Zero. However, after reading the whole book I appreciate more its presence: while the ensuing chapters are stylistically very different there is a return at the end of the novel to stylistic innovation, rather than focus on narrative.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly until about half-way through. I feel a pull towards immigrant literature, especially 19th Century "going to America" or Western pioneer novel...more
I enjoyed this book thoroughly until about half-way through. I feel a pull towards immigrant literature, especially 19th Century "going to America" or Western pioneer novel...more
Sorry to say that I've basically given up on this book. It drags on too long, has too many characters, and is not intriguing whatsoever. I almost made it halfway through, but in all honesty know it will be a struggle for me to try and finish it. I don't give up on books usually but this one struck me as something very old school that feels there's a lot going on when there really isn't. People don't say how they feel and not enough action or interplay goes on between the characters to bring to f...more
An epic novel, which traces the journey of a group of Polish immigrants coming to America, and their lives when they arrive, set in the late 1800's. The group is enthralled with a great local Polish actress, Maryna, and she is the reason they are making their journey. The writing is so rich that I feel I know each of the characters intimately. In the beginning of the book, Susan Sontag says that the story was inspired by Poland's "most celebrated actress, Helena Modrzejewska". (so of course I ha...more
Masterfully written and diverse in technique. Susan Sontag proves her obvious expertise in the subjects of theatrical arts and history. Her characters show enough depth and neurosis to be both enjoyable and engaging. Unfortunately, the introduction is lacking in spark and the finale is anticlimactic. Despite these flaws I still consider the book an enjoyable read.
Most of her essays are over my head, but this novel was amazing. Maybe it was so special for me because I began reading it in Poland and I had some weird affinity for Poles and Polish history, but this was a gorgeous piece of historical fiction.
The great late cultural critic, Susan Sontag also dwelled in the world of fiction, often with surprising results. This novel, truly the story of later 19th century America and the nature of immigration and migration is a marvelous story,
May 02, 2009
Josie
marked it as unfinished
I thought it would be so serious but no! It is a classic immigrant drama in the tradition of American Tail. And Fievel Goes West. The characters are flat. The main char, Maryna, is like Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock. Blurgh.
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| Bella. Grande. Como América. | 1 | 3 | Mar 17, 2007 01:35pm |
Jewish American literary theorist, novelist, filmmaker, and feminist activist.
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“Each of us carries a room within ourselves, waiting to be furnished and peopled, and if you listen closely, you may need to silence everything in your own room, you can hear the sounds of that other room inside your head.”
—
9 people liked it
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Feb 17, 2009 03:16am