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bookshelves: currently-reading
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Adam
took the never-ending book quiz.
| questions answered: | 2065 |
| correct: | 1308 (63.3%) |
| skipped: | 803 |
| best streak: | 21 |
| questions added: | 0 |
I'm very glad this was a good book. I very much wanted it to be. Kind of Murakami-esque, which is to say, post-modern semi-noir combined with a few strange occurrences, talking animals and shifting identities. I also liked the jacket's comparisons to David Lynch and Kafka. I get it. Probably not enough violence to merit the Lynch, but certainly enough confusion. And the largely passive, seldom speaking, always observing narrator connects to Kafka. I've only just now finished the book, but I'm still not certain whether I should be taking any sort of solace in the conclusion. I do, at the moment, but I suppose time will tell whether that holds up to more scrutiny.
Certainly one of the best books I've read in a while. Very cleverly written, strong characters (particularly Grieve/Lily, who I found endlessly charming in a way that I am sure I don't want to), unique formatting and serious without losing any sense of humor/being pretentious. ]]>
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Alright. Generally, I love books when they have a unique narrative style/sense of prose and very strong characters. One or the other will do in a pinch. Franzen's characters are strong here, particularly Louis and Renee, but they don't matter except for the first of four books and the last ten or so pages. His decision to show a post-modern streak and suddenly write about the origins of Boston in the context of the family, and other little delves into the unnecessary, are unnecessary and come off as such. Instead of keeping to the romantic plot (which wasn't too cheesy, i guess) and focusing on/expanding on the complex and realistic characters, the book becomes a moralist/environmentalist tract about how you ought to think about abortion and the way corporations treat the earth. Oh, right, and I guess he has to come up with a conclusion towards the end so that you don't hate it. Which I don't. Ah well. ]]>