Well. What do you say about a book like this? I listened to the audiobook and the performance of the narrator was sublime, lending a kind of gritty, rWell. What do you say about a book like this? I listened to the audiobook and the performance of the narrator was sublime, lending a kind of gritty, resigned voice to a profoundly depressing and yet compelling story. I had seen the film Revolutionary Road (and will soon be reading it as well) and I must admit to being very drawn to Yates' "age of anxiety" voice. Yates was a great chronicler of the drinking, the desperate clinging to middle-class hopes and dreams as they crumble, the sense of agency and self-importance being slowly leveled by life, the reality of the American dream. I can't put my finger on why, exactly, but his writing reminds me a little bit of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The dialogue is spectacular; Yates' skill as a writer is something to behold. Yes, it's ultimately a depressing story but I raced through the book anyway, so attached did I become to the characters and to the time in which they lived. I can't decide whether Yates loved or hated women though; on the one hand, he seemed to really get it, and to care about the main protagonist, Emmy, and I can't think of a male character who is not portrayed as needy, selfish and totally self-centered. (SPOILER) The novel is set just before "Women's Lib" was a thing, and when Emily is exposed to this thinking toward the end of the book, Yates, at this possible crossroad, does not choose empowerment for Emmy but then, that would have meant the book had a happier ending which is not Yates' thing, apparently. The protagonist is only 50 years old when the story ends, and it is as if she might as well be 85 years old, sexless, lonely, bitter. I think the book is dated in this way - or was it only Yates who regarded women over 50 as being shells of their former selves, rather than on the cusp of a new, more empowered chapter? There's no new chapter for Emmy that ends well, that is made clear. Much to think about, and a fascinating read on many levels. ...more
I read this book in an afternoon and evening and was completely immersed in every page. I had never read Strout before and am so happy to have found hI read this book in an afternoon and evening and was completely immersed in every page. I had never read Strout before and am so happy to have found her. What a unique, conversational style she has, and on so many levels the story really was so moving to me. The combination of gorgeous writing and real emotional truths hidden between words really is memorable and powerful. ...more
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