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What Members Thought
Very depressing novel by a very talented writer.
I have always heard nothing but wonderful things about this book, and how moving it was...
I found it to be quite unmoving and fairly boring. There were no redeemable qualities about Esther. It is difficult for me to read books about such depression because of personal experience (not myself, someone very close) and it's hard for me to be non judgmental about it, especially when the characters seem so unappreciative of life in general sans unfortunate circumstances to be driving forces towards de ...more
I found it to be quite unmoving and fairly boring. There were no redeemable qualities about Esther. It is difficult for me to read books about such depression because of personal experience (not myself, someone very close) and it's hard for me to be non judgmental about it, especially when the characters seem so unappreciative of life in general sans unfortunate circumstances to be driving forces towards de ...more
Seems fitting to read this novel during Banned Books Week after I had missed a passing reference to figs and needed to understand (that is, figure out) its literary context. I can see why this work has been challenged over the years ... it was tough to read as Esther's world unraveled and as others tried to contain her to social norms of the day as she dealt with her own mental illness, similar to the author.
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It was ok. I really couldn't understand what her problem was or where her angst came from. Nothing terrible happened in her life. I expected a book that was full of emotional situations or the like, but nothing really happened. I guess it was a book for it's time but I wouldn't read it again. It just did not grab me, and I am quite disappointed, to be honest.
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Jan 02, 2009
Allie
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
gender-stuff,
own,
fiction,
health,
audience-adults,
classics,
audience-ya,
health-mental-health
May 31, 2009
jess sanford
marked it as to-read
Aug 25, 2009
gremlinkitten
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-literature
Mar 31, 2011
Aimee
marked it as to-read
