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The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
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By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views
last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM
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Schedule for January-June 2010
By Sherry , Doyenne · 12 posts · 244 views
By Sherry , Doyenne · 12 posts · 244 views
last updated May 12, 2010 08:48PM
What Members Thought
This was compulsively readable, yet oddly unsatisfying. Like many readers, I find Lorrie Moore's short stories excellent, so it may be that this book suffered from the high expectations with which I approached it.
The story just didn't seem to warrant a full-length treatment as a novel - the characters, other than the narrator, were oddly two-dimensional. Actually, make that "including the narrator". Which is probably what sinks the book in the end, because the whole novel is written, to a claust ...more
The story just didn't seem to warrant a full-length treatment as a novel - the characters, other than the narrator, were oddly two-dimensional. Actually, make that "including the narrator". Which is probably what sinks the book in the end, because the whole novel is written, to a claust ...more
The story of a college woman in Wisconsin. One major part of the story is her role as a nanny for a couple that adopts a biracial toddler. I found that part of the story interesting, though the narrative ends abruptly. The other part of the story is her relationship with her family. Lorrie Moore writes beautiful sentences but (1) the plot wasn't well formed and (2) the narration is in the first person and it seems totally unrealistic that the 20 year old narrator would be thinking some of the be
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Much of this book seemed 2 star-worthy; one scene in the last third of the book was so powerfully written, I added the third star. But I wish I could give 2 1/2...
True, some of the sentences are brilliant, but others are awkward. Much of the book, from the plethora of exclamation points and similes to entire plotlines and characters, is gratuitous and self-indulgent. The book meanders for pages and pages until the author hits her (pretty annoying and frequently not believable) narrator/central ...more
True, some of the sentences are brilliant, but others are awkward. Much of the book, from the plethora of exclamation points and similes to entire plotlines and characters, is gratuitous and self-indulgent. The book meanders for pages and pages until the author hits her (pretty annoying and frequently not believable) narrator/central ...more
Perfect for a book club. There is plenty to chew on in this tale of a college student who takes a babysitting job for a recently adopted mixed race child a few months after 9/11. Setting is thinly disguised Madison, Wis. Not sure if I really liked it but it would be great to discuss.
Dec 26, 2009
Monica
marked it as to-read
Even though Carol gave it 3 stars 'll take her recommendation cause back in the day I liked Self-Help an awful lot.
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Moore is a marvelous writer. She writes poetry in her novels. But, that said, I could not give this five stars because I was left with wanting more.
Dec 11, 2009
Jenny (Reading Envy)
marked it as did-not-finish
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review of another edition
Shelves:
nanoreadmo-2013,
speed-date-3
The characters seem undeveloped here, not interested enough to keep reading.
Sep 07, 2009
Rashida
marked it as to-read
Dec 26, 2009
Gail
marked it as to-read
Oct 14, 2010
Robert
marked it as to-read
Jan 01, 2011
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2011
Sara
marked it as to-read
Sep 02, 2013
Julia Fierro
marked it as to-read
