A Novel : Question 1

[Carol]

One of our favorite questions: How would you rate this book and why?

PS: I know that you see my name on these questions, but wanted you to know that Cheryl completed and wrote all her questions. She just needed a little help in getting them into the right format where we can ask and answer questions. She did an awesome job. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts and answers.

[Carol]

I gave this book a 3. I found that it wasn't as strong as I thought it would be. She had decent character development and overall good content, just didn't mow me over like some books can do. In my review of the book, I made a comment about the characters ages, I quote "Her use of age in this book was an interesting feeling for me. I am pretty much the same age as most of the characters, but her writing didn't feel like the characters were of that age." I was offended by the use of so much foul language in this book. I'm not a prude, but it was used to excess and it felt inappropriate.

[Cheryl]

I ALSO RATED THIS BOOK A 3. I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, AND I FOUND THE POP SELF ANALYSIS VIA THE 1980'S RATHER TIRESOME. THE CHARACTERS HAD A BIT MORE DEPTH THAN THE USUAL FLAT CHARACTERS, AND I LIKED THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE OLDER, FOR THE MOST PART. THE THEMES OF LOST AND DAMAGED CHILDHOODS OR BEING SHIELDED FROM THE OUTSIDE BY THE ARTS OR ACADEMIA ARE HARDLY NEW OR UNEXPLORED. I WANTED TO READ THIS BOOK SIMPLY BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN IN MY STACK FOR SO LONG , AND IT HAD WON THE PULIZER. I WASN'T IMPRESSED.

[Ashley]

Huh. I’d give it a 4—and a high 4 at that. Like, maybe a 4.5. I actually WAS impressed! The book IS 30 years old, so maybe the topic was a tad newer then? But honestly, I don’t really know. I liked that Vinnie was rather unlovable—dowdy, pretentious, selfish, unattractive. All those things made her more real to me. My favorite aspect of the book, though was the writing. It was so ironic and funny, or at least I thought so. I also loved Lurie’s depiction of the insecurity of academia, that desperation to be smart and BE PERCEIVED as smart. I kind of felt like the novel was poking fun at the professors of mine I didn’t like.

I also think Lurie succeeded in portraying that disjointed, weird feeling you get in familiar places that aren’t technically yours. I’ve never been to London, so I can’t speak to the specifically London-y aspect, but I was reading this while traveling to my childhood home outside Seattle, and the novel reflected the uneasiness of realizing you’ve been disillusioned about parts of different places. Don’t get me wrong, I love Seattle, and Vinnie love London, but I find myself romanticizing it, and when I’m actually there, my affection for the area is always mitigated by my mood, circumstances, and memory. Oh, and the weather.