Fates and Furies in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Oct 03, 2015 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: wouldnt-normally-read, literary-schmiterary, lotsa-buzz, just-for-the-cover, r2015-in-2015, scum-lit

I don't get it.

This was filled with awful awful people. These are miserable, depressed, lonely, scheming, smelly people. This book is so depressing I had to stop reading it at one point and go downstairs to eat cookies and cuddle my dogs.

Of course real life is filled with awful people too. But this was a book. A cleverly crafted "literary masterpiece," so I expected it to have a point. I thought at the end there would be some twist, some connection, some "aha" moment that would make it all make ...more

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Dec 31, 2015 Maria rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned, library

At page 60, I decided to abandon this novel. I had no interest in seeing where the plot went and was not invested in the future of any of the characters. There are too many other books I want to read to force myself to stay with this one, despite its high reputation.

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Jan 04, 2016 Ami rated it really liked it

#TeamMathilde

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May 17, 2016 Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2016books

Having read and enjoyed (without having loved) Lauren Groff's previous novel, Arcadia, I'm happy to report that I loved this one. And while the Groff-ian tics that drove me up a wall in Arcadia definitely remain in this book, they are dialed back to the point where they no longer detract. For instance, many of the characters continue to have absolutely insane Groffian names (Lancelot Satterwhite is the main character's name, for instance), yet some characters also have names like...Rachel! I can Having read and enjoyed (without having loved) Lauren Groff's previous novel, Arcadia, I'm happy to report that I loved this one. And while the Groff-ian tics that drove me up a wall in Arcadia definitely remain in this book, they are dialed back to the point where they no longer detract. For instance, many of the characters continue to have absolutely insane Groffian names (Lancelot Satterwhite is the main character's name, for instance), yet some characters also have names like...Rachel! I can take a Lotto and a Mathilde and a Land if I can also get a Rachel and, like, an occasional Michael or whatever here and there so it doesn't feel like we're just living inside some preposterous name-generating website. The novel operates on the heightened level of the "Almost Real" and the wild names fit in with those parts that operate on the level of myth or Greek tragedy, while the more mundane names keep us somewhat tethered to our recognizable earth. I don't mind the mix, so long as there's balance. Acadia felt occasionally imbalanced to me; Fates and Furies pulls off its quasi-reality masterfully.

Further, the success of the story relies much less on the formal perspective-shifting "twist" (that shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's even vaguely familiar with the book) than I thought it would, and I was glad for it. The second half of the book completes the picture while also extending the story, rather than just re-treading past events (as I had feared). To anyone who hasn't read this book this will make no sense whatsoever. So I will simply say that people who, like me, are reticent to read a book that's supposedly predicated on a big "twist" have nothing to fear here. The shifts and turns in the narrative feel earned and cohesive rather than authorial sleight-of-hand.

So to recap: 1. no problem with the Groff-tics this time around, and 2. no problem with the "surprise" in the narrative! We're good to go! This is just a great book, one that has enough enough darkness to be thrilling, enough highfalutin theater talk to be erudite, enough emotion to be accessible, enough plot to be propulsive, and just enough joy to be not-TOO-too-depressing overall. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. ...more

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Dec 04, 2015 Julianne Dunn rated it it was amazing

Before reading this book, I read a few reviews about this book because it topped a lot of best books lists. Most people seem to like the first part, following Lotto's self-centered point of view of his life and marriage. But the second part, from Mathilde's raw point of view, was the best part of this book for me. The contrast between the two really illustrates how different perspectives of the same events can be and how we don't know the people around us. I love the idea presented that we creat ...more

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Oct 04, 2015 Mia rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-books

Good read with interesting characters. But I think the Gone Girl comparison does this book a disservice. Gone Girl is a thriller, Fates and Furies is most definitely not a thriller. There is no mystery or intrigue... It's just the story of a marriage. A fascinating story but not a thriller. ...more

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Dec 30, 2015 Jana rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle, fiction, 2016

I thought this book was a bit overhyped, but still very good. I certainly had a hard time putting it down. I will agree with other reviews that the Fates section was slow to start and a bit repetitive, and the Furies section had some plot points that I saw coming from a mile away, but I liked the book overall and I liked spending time with these frequently horrible but still compelling people.

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Sep 16, 2015 Nicole Adrienne rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2015

I don't know what I think overall. I do know I'd love to read a novel all about Mathilde's childhood written by Groff. Too many of the characters were just completely unlikeable, and not in that good way of loathing someone. Chollie was almost there in the unlikeable but interesting. Lotto and adult Mathilde were just too pretentious for me to find much interest in them. I will say the second half of the book, "Furies" was far more interesting and easier to get into than the "Fates" half. Also, ...more

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Jan 01, 2016 Lori rated it it was ok

Shelves: audio

What the heck did i just listen to? Some sort of bizarre sex obsessed family history. I pretty much dislike all the main characters and didn't care what happened to them. The second star is simply because I like the attempts at plot twists and surprises. ...more

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