I‘ve got a bad feeling about this…
So I know this book is polarizing. I went in expecting shock, expecting transgressive attitudes about sex, gender, and aging, expecting discomfort in the name of probing implicit attitudes and assumptions about propriety and morality. But so far it‘s just exhausting. It‘s like listening to your most neurotic friend monologue about her chaotic and obsessive thoughts, which are entirely self-oriented
CSeydel She‘s kind of pretentious and while she thinks she‘s studying and interpreting the world around her, she actually living in a fantasy world constructed in her mind and projecting it onto the people around her. 2d
Leniverse Yes, you're spot on. You will get some of the transgressive stuff you were expecting. And the second half of the books is better than the first half. Overall though, I found her ridiculous and privileged, and I really wished for the story to be about someone less unlikeable. There are some decent themes in there, and I wanted to be able to identify with the struggle but that was impossible. 2d
CSeydel @Leniverse Oh, gosh. I was hoping it would get better in that respect. I have found a lot of interesting lines, like aphorisms peppering her incessant over-analyzing and rationalizing, that I think are pithy and incisive and capture some truth about human existence. But on the whole, yes, she‘s ridiculous. Which would be fine! Except that I think we‘re supposed to take her as seriously as she takes herself. 2d
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Tamra Hmmmm 🤔I haven‘t been compelled to stack this one and you are making a good case against it. Doesn‘t sound like I‘d fair any better. (edited) 2d
CSeydel @Tamra No, I don‘t think this would be up your alley at all. The MC is over-privileged, chronically discontent, and rationalizes her extreme self-absorption with tortuous philosophical justifications. About 50 pages in, I started to suspect that the book might actually be satire, and now I can‘t help but read it in that light. Whether I‘m right or wrong, it‘s much more entertaining that way. (So far.) 2d
Tamra @CSeydel excellent plan B that might actually prove to be entertaining. You could be right! 2d
CarolynM I think she was probably aiming for satire, but it was a big miss for me for the reasons you have given. 1d
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so-so
pan
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