Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This book got it right. It says exactly what I have thought, and been unable to articulate, about my own generation.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It3 of 3 members found this review helpful “What a bunch of pompous rhetoric! I don't know if I just got used to it, but by the end of book I was beginning to think it was getting better. I rather think "tossing" the September 11th tragedy in gave me just the tiny bit of interest I needed to think I may find something likable in at least...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Hard to get into reading. The most i liked Julius storyline. And really great was the part about 11.9.01 ”
Lenka wrote this review 4 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“So far this has been a really slow read. However about 2/3s of the way through the story is starting to pick up.”
Kathryne K wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Stay tuned for the ending--it makes up for the annoying characters.”
Anne S wrote this review Monday, November 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Hard to understand but still worth to read... More like a literature than a fiction novel...”
Fizana wrote this review Saturday, October 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Too "literary." I put this down and picked it up again 7 or 8 times over the course of a few months. These people need to get jobs, and the ones with jobs need to quit complaining and do some work. And then, just when you are wondering if anything will ever actually happen, it exploits the 9/11 tragedy as a plot device. I wonder how many books will use this as a catalyst for the characters to change their lives -- I've read another novel that does this.”
Marla N wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Sorry, world. Despite everyone's insistance that this book is excellent, I found it a highly narcassitic, unremarkable read. Messud's writing style didn't strike me as being particularily good or really standing out in the least. Although I didn't dislike it and I wasn't put off by sentence size like other readers, I certainly didn't like it either. Far more offensive to me was the story itself. Under the seemingly infallable topic of growing up and figuring out who you are, Messud still managed to totally alienate me with her characters and their self-absorbed, trite 'self-discovery'. Particularily infuriating was Marina and the author's endless blather about her beauty and physical superiority through the venue of her various characters. Even though Marina was easily the character that I found most relatable and like myself in personality, what could have been for me a link to this story was totally destroyed by the author's entirely high school-esque obsession with her looks. The ending, like the rest of the book, did not fail to disappoint. It felt hasty and cliche, with no real resolve or insight to the point that it felt like even Messud was sick of the story and simply dropped it.”
Stella Nox wrote this review Tuesday, October 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A comedy of manners that is very astute in its illustration of New York's self-entitled, social-climbing ivy-league underachievers. The book is also good social commentary on the delayed adulthood that seem to be plaguing many of those in their 20's and 30’s and their lack of direction and purpose. I liked Messud's clever dialogue and stylish prose but her book is filled with such unlikable characters! So I guess, I would give this more a 2.5 stars. ”
Jehan wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Having read light beach books during the summer of 2007, I chose this book that fall from the book store on the recommendation of the sales person who said the characters were intriguing. I read a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction, best sellers and classics. While I have read many books that I haven't enjoyed or liked, of any book I have ever read, this book was by far the worst in every way imaginable. The characters were dreadfully developed and I never came to be interested in them, the plot was contrived, what seemed like a complete afterthought to include the tragedy of the events of September 11th was manipulative and the writing style of the author was pretentious to the point of being difficult to read. For example, I recall one paragraph that consisted of only one sentence containing clauses within clauses and separated by countless commas and semi-colons. It should not take 30 minutes and a piece of scrap paper to disect a paragraph in order to understand it. Any book I buy, I keep on my shelf and reread after a time to enjoy it from a different perspective. This book is the only book I have ever thrown into the trash. I didn't want to donate it as I would feel guilty for anyone who would also waste valuable time out of their lives reading this book. ”
bmdcarter2000 wrote this review Saturday, August 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book did not thrill me at all, but I also didn't hate it. It was well written, but I did not like the characters enough to really care about them. Frederick was, I thought, a very similar character to a character in Stephen King's The Stand, and I found that very distracting. I did not like the fact that the whole Ludo plot line went unresolved. ”
Shawna wrote this review Tuesday, August 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
