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2021: Fascinating to read Whitehead's early work, but it doesn't hold a candle to his later efforts.
The premise here is that elevators are VERY IMPORTANT in this world. It's kinda New York, it's almost Chicago, it's maybe the 1960's, we are never clear, but it's not OUR world. In their world, elevators are literally what make the world go round (or up. You get it.) Things are never clearly defined or explained, which of course frustrated me, but the world's set up to be this noir, old school, highly factional society. They are at the precipice of change and acceptance, but certainly not quite all the way there yet.
Whitehead spends the entire novel exploring dichotomies: black versus white, old school versus new school, empiricists versus intuitionists, and they are all metaphors for the binaries we interact with on a daily basis. I understood the allegory that Whitehead was setting up here, and I was on board until the very end (where one paragraph essentially destroys all of the symbolism). I even respect the decision of highlighting the elevator in his metaphor, as emphasis on the social uplift / upward mobility / Black elevation. But I just couldn't get on board with CARING about the elevators!
There's a line where Lila Mae says something like, "it had been nine days since she last inspected Number Eleven. It was the longest she'd ever gone without visiting the elevator" and I think I was supposed to feel sad about that? I just think that the allegory only works if I am also invested in what Lila Mae was working towards / fighting for. Unfortunately, Whitehead fell short of that for me.
It was also a little strange to not have any other races depicted in the novel? I don't mean to say that I need Whitehead to cover the everyone's experiences in this one book, but it seemed odd that no one else was discussed. Maybe that's because I wasn't alive in the 60's to understand how much it was very Black versus White at that point in time, and I'm approaching it too much from a 2021 perspective.
I feel like I've had a lot of 3 star books recently. This book wasn't BAD, but it just also didn't do it for me. I would not recommend starting here if this is your first time reading Whitehead - go for [b:The Underground Railroad|30555488|The Underground Railroad|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493178362l/30555488._SX50_.jpg|48287641]. I'm still really excited to get my hands on [b:Harlem Shuffle|54626223|Harlem Shuffle|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612449660l/54626223._SY75_.jpg|85227984]!
The premise here is that elevators are VERY IMPORTANT in this world. It's kinda New York, it's almost Chicago, it's maybe the 1960's, we are never clear, but it's not OUR world. In their world, elevators are literally what make the world go round (or up. You get it.) Things are never clearly defined or explained, which of course frustrated me, but the world's set up to be this noir, old school, highly factional society. They are at the precipice of change and acceptance, but certainly not quite all the way there yet.
Whitehead spends the entire novel exploring dichotomies: black versus white, old school versus new school, empiricists versus intuitionists, and they are all metaphors for the binaries we interact with on a daily basis. I understood the allegory that Whitehead was setting up here, and I was on board until the very end (where one paragraph essentially destroys all of the symbolism). I even respect the decision of highlighting the elevator in his metaphor, as emphasis on the social uplift / upward mobility / Black elevation. But I just couldn't get on board with CARING about the elevators!
There's a line where Lila Mae says something like, "it had been nine days since she last inspected Number Eleven. It was the longest she'd ever gone without visiting the elevator" and I think I was supposed to feel sad about that? I just think that the allegory only works if I am also invested in what Lila Mae was working towards / fighting for. Unfortunately, Whitehead fell short of that for me.
It was also a little strange to not have any other races depicted in the novel? I don't mean to say that I need Whitehead to cover the everyone's experiences in this one book, but it seemed odd that no one else was discussed. Maybe that's because I wasn't alive in the 60's to understand how much it was very Black versus White at that point in time, and I'm approaching it too much from a 2021 perspective.
I feel like I've had a lot of 3 star books recently. This book wasn't BAD, but it just also didn't do it for me. I would not recommend starting here if this is your first time reading Whitehead - go for [b:The Underground Railroad|30555488|The Underground Railroad|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493178362l/30555488._SX50_.jpg|48287641]. I'm still really excited to get my hands on [b:Harlem Shuffle|54626223|Harlem Shuffle|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612449660l/54626223._SY75_.jpg|85227984]!
2021: Oof, this did not do it for me in terms of smut, and it was pretty medium in terms of characters. Just ~fine~ all around.
I'm pretty nitpicky when it comes to romance novels; I definitely need a modern approach, with full on consent and a complete lack of misogyny to be considered a fantasy of mine. According to the back cover, this should have been a slam dunk for: lady software engineer wins over her Irish distillery owner with spreadsheets and a literal plan for them falling in love.
The premise was all there, but the characters made literally INSANE choices that never would have happened. When Daisy's friends found out that she was in a fake engagement, they said "that's cool. She's trying to save the company!" NO. THAT IS NOT COOL. WTF. That was not the response I was expecting. Also, they told WAY too many people that it was fake for it to ever hold up in court. When Liam is an asshat in the entire first half of the book, Daisy drools over his disrespect. UGH. Later on, when Liam literally crashes his motorcycle while Daisy is with him on, her entire family is just like "it's okay! You didn't kill her!" I did not believe a single word of it.
Also, there were too many moments that broke my immersion in the fiction for me to really recommend this book. It's been pointed out before, but THERE IS NO HALFTIME IN HOCKEY. So frustrating. And getting undressed only to reveal two Hulk faces on Daisy's bra?! So sorry, but there was way too much Marvel sexy underwear for me. There were also two typos that I found, which was pretty surprising, but I really wish this novel had been more thoroughly scoured this before publishing.
Lastly, I'm sensing a theme that women actually have a fantasy of men whisking them away on the back of a motorcycle?! I did not know this. This book covered both how uncomfortable it is to ride as well as how horrible it can be to crash, and it STILL ended with a motorcycle built for two! NO THANK YOU I would like to keep all of my brain inside of my skull, where it BELONGS.
I'm pretty nitpicky when it comes to romance novels; I definitely need a modern approach, with full on consent and a complete lack of misogyny to be considered a fantasy of mine. According to the back cover, this should have been a slam dunk for: lady software engineer wins over her Irish distillery owner with spreadsheets and a literal plan for them falling in love.
The premise was all there, but the characters made literally INSANE choices that never would have happened. When Daisy's friends found out that she was in a fake engagement, they said "that's cool. She's trying to save the company!" NO. THAT IS NOT COOL. WTF. That was not the response I was expecting. Also, they told WAY too many people that it was fake for it to ever hold up in court. When Liam is an asshat in the entire first half of the book, Daisy drools over his disrespect. UGH. Later on, when Liam literally crashes his motorcycle while Daisy is with him on, her entire family is just like "it's okay! You didn't kill her!" I did not believe a single word of it.
Also, there were too many moments that broke my immersion in the fiction for me to really recommend this book. It's been pointed out before, but THERE IS NO HALFTIME IN HOCKEY. So frustrating. And getting undressed only to reveal two Hulk faces on Daisy's bra?! So sorry, but there was way too much Marvel sexy underwear for me. There were also two typos that I found, which was pretty surprising, but I really wish this novel had been more thoroughly scoured this before publishing.
Lastly, I'm sensing a theme that women actually have a fantasy of men whisking them away on the back of a motorcycle?! I did not know this. This book covered both how uncomfortable it is to ride as well as how horrible it can be to crash, and it STILL ended with a motorcycle built for two! NO THANK YOU I would like to keep all of my brain inside of my skull, where it BELONGS.
2021: Honestly, this was one of the least memorable books all year, which is crazy considering some of the elements that happened in its lackluster, slow moving plot.
I really did not connect with any of the characters, and I felt like the novel passed by in a blur. I took barely any notes while listening to this (as contrasted to my review of [b:A Widow for One Year|4659|A Widow for One Year|John Irving|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220946l/4659._SY75_.jpg|3359767], in which I took over a full page of notes). I never felt squarely immersed in Majumdar's world, and I'm certainly not planning on running out and grabbing her next book immediately.
I think I really wanted this to be a more tangible book; there was an overall lack of details, nor descriptions of the characters that really made them feel out of touch for me. It's totally possible that my relative unfamiliarity with Indian culture played heavily into this. Majumdar repetitively insisted that there was a problem....without offering a single solution. The ending was just BAD and SAD and made me MAD.
I really did not connect with any of the characters, and I felt like the novel passed by in a blur. I took barely any notes while listening to this (as contrasted to my review of [b:A Widow for One Year|4659|A Widow for One Year|John Irving|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220946l/4659._SY75_.jpg|3359767], in which I took over a full page of notes). I never felt squarely immersed in Majumdar's world, and I'm certainly not planning on running out and grabbing her next book immediately.
I think I really wanted this to be a more tangible book; there was an overall lack of details, nor descriptions of the characters that really made them feel out of touch for me. It's totally possible that my relative unfamiliarity with Indian culture played heavily into this. Majumdar repetitively insisted that there was a problem....without offering a single solution. The ending was just BAD and SAD and made me MAD.
2021: It was a plot-driven, multigenerational epic that I wanted from Irving, but included characters with whom I really did not align.
This was for sure my least favorite Irving novel so far, but that's not as surprising, considering the only other three I've read are the Garp / Owen Meany / Cider House trifecta. Definitely start there (and maybe say there...) If there hadn't been such New England / Long Island / Amsterdam nostalgia for me, I might have given up on this book.
Ted is literally an insufferable character, I wanted him to go away from the moment I met him. Eddie is so soft, and does not pair well with Marion or Ruth in my opinion. Ruth was okay, but I did not agree with her outsized responses to most things. Hannah was a mess, Allan was kind of mean, Harry came out of nowhere, basically I didn't gel with any of them! And all of the characters in this book are valued based on how good they are at sex. I certainly don't judge the people I interact with in this world on their abilities in bed, unless I'm actually in bed with them.
I will say, Irving is reliably pro-abortion, and he seemed decently pro-prostitutes in this novel (he did reinforce many stereotypes, but also made several of the women into well rounded characters. I just wish he didn't kill any of them off!) Another favorite element of Irving's that I love is that he leaves no stone unturned; he answered all of my questions, and even more that I didn't even know I had. He even included the full text of the first chapter of the book that Ruth writes, just so the reader can enjoy every single word written and leave without any questions.
This was for sure my least favorite Irving novel so far, but that's not as surprising, considering the only other three I've read are the Garp / Owen Meany / Cider House trifecta. Definitely start there (and maybe say there...) If there hadn't been such New England / Long Island / Amsterdam nostalgia for me, I might have given up on this book.
Ted is literally an insufferable character, I wanted him to go away from the moment I met him. Eddie is so soft, and does not pair well with Marion or Ruth in my opinion. Ruth was okay, but I did not agree with her outsized responses to most things. Hannah was a mess, Allan was kind of mean, Harry came out of nowhere, basically I didn't gel with any of them! And all of the characters in this book are valued based on how good they are at sex. I certainly don't judge the people I interact with in this world on their abilities in bed, unless I'm actually in bed with them.
I will say, Irving is reliably pro-abortion, and he seemed decently pro-prostitutes in this novel (he did reinforce many stereotypes, but also made several of the women into well rounded characters. I just wish he didn't kill any of them off!) Another favorite element of Irving's that I love is that he leaves no stone unturned; he answered all of my questions, and even more that I didn't even know I had. He even included the full text of the first chapter of the book that Ruth writes, just so the reader can enjoy every single word written and leave without any questions.
2022: First book of 2022 was a reread in preparation for the new HBO miniseries version of Station Eleven. It was a great book to revisit, and even more poignant to read during a pandemic. The novel definitely holds up, but it was a little trippy trying to watch the new show at the same time as reading the book - not only are enough specifics changed, but there are totally different vibes between the novel and the show. The book ultimately delivers hope, and the show plays it very cool (actually, too cool for me to enjoy in the middle of a pandemic).
The show also has way more detail as to what the first twenty years after the flu was like - the book just sort of jumps over most of those details, straight into the future. There are a lot of assumptions that might not hold up if you poke at them too hard, but the book doesn't dwell on what may or may not have happened in those years. Society's collapse is not the topic covered in the book; society's survival is.
2016: AMAZING, I need to give everyone a copy of this book for Christmas!
The show also has way more detail as to what the first twenty years after the flu was like - the book just sort of jumps over most of those details, straight into the future. There are a lot of assumptions that might not hold up if you poke at them too hard, but the book doesn't dwell on what may or may not have happened in those years. Society's collapse is not the topic covered in the book; society's survival is.
2016: AMAZING, I need to give everyone a copy of this book for Christmas!
2022: A sloooooooooog of a meandering journey with characters that don't do ANYTHING except occasionally gamble and somehow earn enough to never have to work again and live in the Tuscan countryside?
To be honest, I knew I wouldn't really like this book - it doesn't really check any of my boxes, and it took me so long to get through it. But it was gifted to me for Christmas by my mother, and I was really trying to finish it before leaving her house. Needless to say, I absolutely did not succeed.
The worst part about this book was the lack of quotation marks. I've read a couple books like this in the past, most notably [b:Normal People|41057294|Normal People|Sally Rooney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294._SY75_.jpg|59141209] by Sally Rooney, but this book is SO dialogue heavy, and the lack of quotation marks was SO ANNOYING. It started bothering me about 20 pages in and it didn't stop until 444 pages later. Also, there are only two footnotes in the entire book, they show up in the final 10 pages, and they reference characters that were not previously mentioned in the entire book?! WHY OH WHY
The first 200 pages don't pass the Bechdel test, and I was sorely tempted to give up. But Alys and Evelyn come back with a vengeance to make up for it in the second half of the book. Alys is the best character for sure. She's like a reincarnated Evelyn, but you don't even get to enjoy that parallel until the final chapter. Evelyn's presence is just so unbalanced in comparison to the rest of the cast of characters.
Overall, I would only recommend this book if you want an ensemble cast with minimal plot, you enjoy art history and would get a kick out of lots of referenced artworks, and you've been to Florence, Italy. Otherwise, steer clear.
To be honest, I knew I wouldn't really like this book - it doesn't really check any of my boxes, and it took me so long to get through it. But it was gifted to me for Christmas by my mother, and I was really trying to finish it before leaving her house. Needless to say, I absolutely did not succeed.
The worst part about this book was the lack of quotation marks. I've read a couple books like this in the past, most notably [b:Normal People|41057294|Normal People|Sally Rooney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294._SY75_.jpg|59141209] by Sally Rooney, but this book is SO dialogue heavy, and the lack of quotation marks was SO ANNOYING. It started bothering me about 20 pages in and it didn't stop until 444 pages later. Also, there are only two footnotes in the entire book, they show up in the final 10 pages, and they reference characters that were not previously mentioned in the entire book?! WHY OH WHY
The first 200 pages don't pass the Bechdel test, and I was sorely tempted to give up. But Alys and Evelyn come back with a vengeance to make up for it in the second half of the book. Alys is the best character for sure. She's like a reincarnated Evelyn, but you don't even get to enjoy that parallel until the final chapter. Evelyn's presence is just so unbalanced in comparison to the rest of the cast of characters.
Overall, I would only recommend this book if you want an ensemble cast with minimal plot, you enjoy art history and would get a kick out of lots of referenced artworks, and you've been to Florence, Italy. Otherwise, steer clear.
2022: A very engaging mystery that threw me for a loop in the last third of the book.
Originally, I was planning on my "tagline" for this review to say that this book is for fans of YOUNGER (the TV show) who thought it was too white. But the novel really took a turn in the last half of the story, and I have to say, I really don't know how to qualify it anymore. A review I read said that it was genre-bending, and that's very accurate. It's both a fun romp through the world of New York City publishing, and a confounding thriller.
Harris sets up Nella, our main character, to have a lighthearted life in New York. Sure, she's frustrated at work, and yes, she struggles with some of her tone-deaf white coworkers, but on the whole, things are pretty par for the course. When the mysterious messages land on Nella's desk, they really feel like they are coming out of nowhere. An abrupt narrator switch left me really confused for a bit, and the timeline was a little hard to follow in the audiobook (I'm just assuming that everything that happened in 2018 happened in order, but actually, I'm not sure!)
The attention to detail of the hair of all of the characters, with so many clues strung throughout, ended up being the most important subplot of the whole novel. But the interactions with Richard really didn't go anywhere or answer any questions. I also thought that Harris was making a big deal out of Nella's relationship with Owen, and kept waiting for that to turn into something, but maybe that was just a red herring for us readers.
Ultimately, it left so many unanswered questions, that I don't know if I can really recommend it in good faith. The ending felt more like a disappointed stop than an exciting cliffhanger. Maybe I just wasn't prepared for quite how Jordan Peele-like the direction of this novel was going. But I will say, I really did enjoy the first 3/4 of this book, so I'm leaving it at a 4 star rating!
Originally, I was planning on my "tagline" for this review to say that this book is for fans of YOUNGER (the TV show) who thought it was too white. But the novel really took a turn in the last half of the story, and I have to say, I really don't know how to qualify it anymore. A review I read said that it was genre-bending, and that's very accurate. It's both a fun romp through the world of New York City publishing, and a confounding thriller.
Harris sets up Nella, our main character, to have a lighthearted life in New York. Sure, she's frustrated at work, and yes, she struggles with some of her tone-deaf white coworkers, but on the whole, things are pretty par for the course. When the mysterious messages land on Nella's desk, they really feel like they are coming out of nowhere. An abrupt narrator switch left me really confused for a bit, and the timeline was a little hard to follow in the audiobook (I'm just assuming that everything that happened in 2018 happened in order, but actually, I'm not sure!)
The attention to detail of the hair of all of the characters, with so many clues strung throughout, ended up being the most important subplot of the whole novel. But the interactions with Richard really didn't go anywhere or answer any questions. I also thought that Harris was making a big deal out of Nella's relationship with Owen, and kept waiting for that to turn into something, but maybe that was just a red herring for us readers.
Ultimately, it left so many unanswered questions, that I don't know if I can really recommend it in good faith. The ending felt more like a disappointed stop than an exciting cliffhanger. Maybe I just wasn't prepared for quite how Jordan Peele-like the direction of this novel was going. But I will say, I really did enjoy the first 3/4 of this book, so I'm leaving it at a 4 star rating!
2022: A love letter to trees. If you like trees, at all, definitely read this book!
This book gives off big [a:Barbara Kingsolver|3541|Barbara Kingsolver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350499031p2/3541.jpg] and [b:Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants|17465709|Braiding Sweetgrass Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants|Robin Wall Kimmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366775928l/17465709._SY75_.jpg|24362458] vibes, so if you liked either of them, you'll probably like this book. I spent a good chuck of this novel thinking about my own relationship to trees. I loved the concept of slowing down to work on "trees' time", and I loved the variety of relationships that were explored with the characters. Neelay's computer programming story was my favorite of the first half.
As mentioned in many other reviews, the second half of the book is not as strong as the first. It felt like Powers went to his editor with eight amazing short stories (the first half of the book) and then his editor said, "Now make them all overlap and intersect with each other!" I did not have any trouble following any of the characters and really enjoyed the slimmer glimpses into their worlds. The second half started to border on Love Actually vibes once their stories all started to overlap.
Also, there were several abrupt deaths in this novel, so many so that at the last one I literally said, "For crying out loud, another one?!" Just an observation! Definitely not a ton of happy endings for these characters.
This book gives off big [a:Barbara Kingsolver|3541|Barbara Kingsolver|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350499031p2/3541.jpg] and [b:Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants|17465709|Braiding Sweetgrass Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants|Robin Wall Kimmerer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366775928l/17465709._SY75_.jpg|24362458] vibes, so if you liked either of them, you'll probably like this book. I spent a good chuck of this novel thinking about my own relationship to trees. I loved the concept of slowing down to work on "trees' time", and I loved the variety of relationships that were explored with the characters. Neelay's computer programming story was my favorite of the first half.
As mentioned in many other reviews, the second half of the book is not as strong as the first. It felt like Powers went to his editor with eight amazing short stories (the first half of the book) and then his editor said, "Now make them all overlap and intersect with each other!" I did not have any trouble following any of the characters and really enjoyed the slimmer glimpses into their worlds. The second half started to border on Love Actually vibes once their stories all started to overlap.
Also, there were several abrupt deaths in this novel, so many so that at the last one I literally said, "For crying out loud, another one?!" Just an observation! Definitely not a ton of happy endings for these characters.
2022: 24 hours of PURE DRAMA!
This book takes place over the course of 24 hours in the Riva family. The flashbacks slow the pace down, but definitely provide the basis for the emotional trauma that the children are working through. If you like crazy shenanigans and ~drama~ and chaos and families coming together, you will enjoy this wild romp of a book. It's less like a love triangle and more like a love octagon, all colliding in one night.
Personally, I didn't believe at all that Kit would take the time to invite their father to this party that didn't even have invitations. That was a weird move that the entire plot hinged upon. But if you've read any of TJR's other novels, you might recognize several names that are scattered throughout, as well as Mick Riva, the patriarch of this family (and shoutout to Celia St James!) Overall, this was a fast and fun read.
This book takes place over the course of 24 hours in the Riva family. The flashbacks slow the pace down, but definitely provide the basis for the emotional trauma that the children are working through. If you like crazy shenanigans and ~drama~ and chaos and families coming together, you will enjoy this wild romp of a book. It's less like a love triangle and more like a love octagon, all colliding in one night.
Personally, I didn't believe at all that Kit would take the time to invite their father to this party that didn't even have invitations. That was a weird move that the entire plot hinged upon. But if you've read any of TJR's other novels, you might recognize several names that are scattered throughout, as well as Mick Riva, the patriarch of this family (and shoutout to Celia St James!) Overall, this was a fast and fun read.
2022: A very worthwhile reread of a nostalgic classic from my childhood.
My roommate bought a whole bunch of new books for their classroom, and I had the delight to be able to snag this for a quick reread. It is such a gem and I loved every second that I spent at Sunset Towers. I almost spoiled the whole thing for my roommate, whoops! But this kooky cast of characters brought me right back to the Amityville Public Library and sitting there for hours after school.
Admittedly, there are a couple of sentences that I raised my eyebrows at (and I was a little frustrated with their dismissiveness of Mrs. Hoo) but honestly, the majority of this held up. Tweens today might be slightly frustrated by the lack of technology (a lot of plot holes appear if the internet had been introduced to this narrative) but that's part of the fun!
2004: I LOVE THIS BOOK
My roommate bought a whole bunch of new books for their classroom, and I had the delight to be able to snag this for a quick reread. It is such a gem and I loved every second that I spent at Sunset Towers. I almost spoiled the whole thing for my roommate, whoops! But this kooky cast of characters brought me right back to the Amityville Public Library and sitting there for hours after school.
Admittedly, there are a couple of sentences that I raised my eyebrows at (and I was a little frustrated with their dismissiveness of Mrs. Hoo) but honestly, the majority of this held up. Tweens today might be slightly frustrated by the lack of technology (a lot of plot holes appear if the internet had been introduced to this narrative) but that's part of the fun!
2004: I LOVE THIS BOOK