Grant's review
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
i didn't like it much. i am a big fan of her stories. it opened well, but once the event happens, which the books turns on, it falls apart and i lost interest in the characters. i think there are novels that should be long stories. its because the theme is great, but the plot, the characters, the story do not need the length of a novel to develop. and instead do not stand under the weight of that much scrutiny. i liked the movie brokeback mountain by proulx [sic:], but her short story was a lot better. at times the movie dragged and that was because it was too long. scene after scene of frustration and anger over living a lie was wasted in the movie. the story gave a clear, but concise glimpse. the reader got it. here i think it was the same for oates. where in stories like "where are you going, where have you been" she communicates so much in a matter of pages, i think she communicates so little over the matter of a novel. a horrible thing is done to a family me...more
you've articulated well what i felt reading this novel. i also love her short stories, and feel that is actually her strong suit as a writer. i loose interest in her novels early on. the shock of her subject matter gives way under what feels like ramblings...
thanks for your thoughts.
