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Fates and Furies

Lauren Groff

Discussion: April, 2016: Female Author

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April, 2016: Female Author

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By Anita · 1 post · 58 views

last updated Apr 01, 2016 04:30AM

Their Eyes Were Watching God - 3.5 stars
By Denizen · 2 posts · 13 views

last updated May 19, 2016 07:02PM

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What Members Thought

May 29, 2017 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: new-york, literary-fiction, book-club, audio, florida, concierge, strong-women, library, relationships

Audiobook performed by Will Damron and Julia Whelan

From the book jacket: They meet in the final months of college, and by graduation, they have married. It’s 1991. …A decade or so later, though, Lotto and Mathilde are on their way. He is a world-famous playwright, she is integral to his success. Their life and marriage are the envy of friends, the very definition of successful partnership.

My Reactions
Well I certainly didn’t see THAT coming! I don’t read the book jacket summaries before reading a Audiobook performed by Will Damron and Julia Whelan

From the book jacket: They meet in the final months of college, and by graduation, they have married. It’s 1991. …A decade or so later, though, Lotto and Mathilde are on their way. He is a world-famous playwright, she is integral to his success. Their life and marriage are the envy of friends, the very definition of successful partnership.

My Reactions
Well I certainly didn’t see THAT coming! I don’t read the book jacket summaries before reading a book-club selection, so had no warning of “an explosive twist” other than the title.

The book is told by the two central characters. Lancelot / Lotto tells their story in the first section: Fates. Groff is masterful building these characters, with qualities that draw the reader into their circle. They are young, in love, each other’s champion against the world. Mathilde never stops believing in Lotto, encouraging him, supporting them with her small gallery job as he struggles as an actor. When his mother cuts them off, Mathilde makes sure Lotto’s Aunt Sallie and little sister, Rachel, are welcomed for annual visits. She hosts parties for their friends, and includes his childhood buddy Chollie, who seems not much more than a moocher. They are a devoted couple. Apparently.

One revelation breaks the bond. Forcing first Lotto, and then Mathilde to examine their relationship.

When Mathilde takes over narrating in the Furies section the truths and lies tumble one after another, leaving this reader reeling. Every single character’s “other side” is revealed. No one and nothing is what it seemed at first. By the end I’m left feeling battered and bruised and stunned. I want to start reading it again from the beginning so I can pick up any clues Groff may have buried.

Will Damron and Julia Whelan are perfect in performing the audio version. I absolutely believed in their characters, was drawn in and held captive from beginning to end.

Readers take note: There is considerable sex in the book, some of it disturbing.
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9 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2015 Anita Pomerantz rated it it was amazing

Apparently, based on the reviews, this book is very polarizing, but I thought (other than one bad chapter) it was excellent. It probably was a 4.5 star book for me, but I'm going with rounding up.

The book examines a marriage in two parts. Fates tells the story of the husband, Lotto. Furies tells the story of the wife, Mathilde. Saving the best for last, Mathilde's story is the more compelling of the two. Once I started the Furies section, I couldn't put the book down until it was done.

This book Apparently, based on the reviews, this book is very polarizing, but I thought (other than one bad chapter) it was excellent. It probably was a 4.5 star book for me, but I'm going with rounding up.

The book examines a marriage in two parts. Fates tells the story of the husband, Lotto. Furies tells the story of the wife, Mathilde. Saving the best for last, Mathilde's story is the more compelling of the two. Once I started the Furies section, I couldn't put the book down until it was done.

This book strikes me as what you'd come out with if Gone Girl and The Marriage Plot had a baby. The characters are drawn and revealed in a sophisticated way, but it has some of the darkness and elements of surprise that I don't usually associate with literary fiction. Groff's writing style is sophisticated - - partly in the words she uses, but what I really respected was how she handles the passage of time. This story is not told in a linear way, but for the reader, it is extremely seamless. I never had to think about where we were in time or strain to pick up the thread of the story, yet it is moving between time periods. It just seemed so effortless, but I can't imagine that it actually was.

There was one self indulgent chapter where Groff shares a play written by Lotto in the middle of the book to reveal something. I have no idea what she was revealing at the time I read it - - and it was slow and boring. If I went back and re-read it, I'm sure it foreshadowed something or revealed something about the characters, but I'm honestly just not that interested to put myself through reading it again. But one boring chapter? Hey, I'll take it.

If a reader wants to be critical, I think they could find some other issues with this book - - but I felt that Groff did a tremendous job of creating believability where one might have skepticism, and by the end, I was so intrigued I was quite happy to play along. My inner critic was definitely shut down by the story telling, the interesting characters, the creative telling of the story, and the suspense. When I read the reviews of others, the critical ones, I can nod and say yes, yes that's true. But while I was reading it, I didn't care one whit.

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Apr 01, 2016 Lynn L rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: woman-author

There were parts of this book I absolutely loved. The novel contained an unexpected twist that for me was very entertaining.

This book is beautifully written. Often books appeal to the readers senses. But this book is the first I've ever read that noticeably appealed to the readers' sense of smell. That sounds odd but it was something that I noticed repeatedly. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2016 Kristel rated it really liked it

Shelves: f2f-bookclub-books

Back to write more later but I found this book full of flawed people, a lot of sexual content but overall, well written story however a little unbelievable as well. Bookclub read so I will wait until after we meet to discuss the book.

A story of a marriage with the overtones of a Greek tragedy (Fates) (Furies). Fates is the story of the marriage from the man's point of view and Furies from the woman's. I feel bad because I really disliked the woman. I thought she was awful but then I realize tha ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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

2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2018 Debie Orrell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really liked this book though not an easy read. You really need to pay close attention to the events taking place.

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May 10, 2015 Robin rated it really liked it

It has taken me years to realize that one of my favorite kinds of novels are those that are driven by interesting and compelling characters with many secrets that are slowly unveiled over the course of the novel. FATES AND FURIES was just that kind of novel that was right up my alley and I couldn't stop reading. Another GoodReads reviewer compared this to GONE GIRL, in that it is the story of a marriage that isn't what it appears to be, and I have to agree. Kind of a literary GG, if you will.

The ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2016 Becky rated it it was ok

I wanted to like this book so much. Based on the reviews and the topics, I thought it would be one of those books that worked for me. I love the idea that there can be two totally different sides to one shared story, which we get by seeing events play out first from Lotto's perspective and then from his wife Mathilde's perspective. I applaud the construction of this book, and how it makes you think about your own assumptions of what happens in a relationship, and why, and even how the flow of th ...more

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May 18, 2018 Cora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book-at-library, kindle, ebook-at-library, family-relationships, marriage

This is the story of a marriage told first by the husband and then by the wife. I preferred the second half to the first half, which kind of dragged for me. I guess I did not see the charm and charisma that I was being told Lotto had (maybe I wasn't supposed to). I did like Mathilde's story better, but I think my enjoyment suffered from high expectations. I kept hearing about how there were twists and surprises revealed in the second perspective, but I did not find most of them surprising. In fa ...more

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Feb 15, 2016 Mary Ellen added it

My resolution this year was to move on if a book became a chore to read. There are too many choices to waste time on something I am not enjoying. It is difficult for me to do, but I am setting this aside.

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Jan 31, 2017 Tamie rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

(bookclub) I really liked this book. It was really long. The character development was unbelievable. I loved the two book concept. The second book made the first book so much more interesting. Brought up moral dilemnas and choices at life's crossroads in a way that I will be thinking about for a long time. If you like long books, this is a good one that really keeps your attention. ...more

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