Not only did I enjoy reading this novel, I had a great surprise realizing that the author lived across the hall from me in high school. Well done, Kim...moreNot only did I enjoy reading this novel, I had a great surprise realizing that the author lived across the hall from me in high school. Well done, Kim!(less)
Wacky, interesting book! He's not a really polished writer yet; there are strange uneven moments throughout -- but he has a great voice, and the world...moreWacky, interesting book! He's not a really polished writer yet; there are strange uneven moments throughout -- but he has a great voice, and the world he is describing is so vivid. Definitely up for reading more of this guy! (less)
I like this writer a lot. Lots of explicit gay sex, which can be disconcerting at times because it's very serious literary fiction. I liked The Line o...moreI like this writer a lot. Lots of explicit gay sex, which can be disconcerting at times because it's very serious literary fiction. I liked The Line of Beauty very much, too.(less)
Incredibly good. Worth incurring a library fine for! Its container is a thriller/mystery, but it is much more complicated and interesting than that. I...moreIncredibly good. Worth incurring a library fine for! Its container is a thriller/mystery, but it is much more complicated and interesting than that. I love the main characters, especially the mother. And not everything is explained at the end, which I think is ultimately a good thing.(less)
Awesome. Reminds me a bit of Irving's The Cider House Rules, and (like Irving) also echoes 19th century novels -- big canvas, big cast of characters,...moreAwesome. Reminds me a bit of Irving's The Cider House Rules, and (like Irving) also echoes 19th century novels -- big canvas, big cast of characters, unafraid of heroism and grand gestures. (less)
LOVED this book. It belongs in a set with Catcher in the Rye, Curious Incident, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Room (among others) for t...moreLOVED this book. It belongs in a set with Catcher in the Rye, Curious Incident, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Room (among others) for truly great first-person narration. (less)
I love A.S. Byatt and would have enjoyed this even if it wasn't as good as it actually was. It is overstuffed. The reviewers are right about that. But...moreI love A.S. Byatt and would have enjoyed this even if it wasn't as good as it actually was. It is overstuffed. The reviewers are right about that. But I loved all the detail, even when it wasn't about the plot. I'm going to read it again. (less)
It would be wrong to say that I enjoyed this book -- partly because it is so bleak. But I won't forget it quickly, and I thought that the plot and cha...moreIt would be wrong to say that I enjoyed this book -- partly because it is so bleak. But I won't forget it quickly, and I thought that the plot and characters were deeply and beautifully made. The book intercuts between past and future, and between perspectives of several characters, which can be jarring, but the interweaving of past and present is important. Lee's writing is strong that I was surprised to find a stylistic glitch that bothered me: he consistently inserts adverbs between subjects and verbs. Reading it was like listening to a great recording with those little scratches you used to hear on old vinyl records. (less)
I ordinarily shy away from short fiction, because I hate the feeling of just getting to know the characters and then having them yanked away. But I LO...moreI ordinarily shy away from short fiction, because I hate the feeling of just getting to know the characters and then having them yanked away. But I LOVE this collection, which I read sometime in the '80s. He was a hot young writer then, and went on to write a disappointing first novel. But much later he wrote The Indian Clerk, which I loved.(less)
I was slow to warm up to this one, but once I settled in, it got better and better. As a writer he reminds me of the younger John Irving -- there's a...moreI was slow to warm up to this one, but once I settled in, it got better and better. As a writer he reminds me of the younger John Irving -- there's a great combination of the wildly improbable and the utterly realistic, the big cast of odd characters, the animals, the big stretches of time, the strong sympathy for every character, no matter how despicable. (less)
I was disappointed. Started off great -- he's a good writer, interesting characters, strong on setting -- but then the story just got way, way over th...moreI was disappointed. Started off great -- he's a good writer, interesting characters, strong on setting -- but then the story just got way, way over the top into soap opera. Relied on a single character "confessing" in detail, sure sign of a writer having to explain his own plot at the end, rather than build a strong plot that can be revealed through the narrative.(less)
Loading...
