Great House
Nicole Krauss
October 2010
289 pages
Published by W.W. Norton & Company (can I have my money back? pretty please??)
I’m not a big noticer of language when I’m reading. Oh sure, there are exceptions (The Disappeared), and I certainly notice when the language is clunky, but as a general rule, I don’t fawn all over authors who others might call lyrical or whatever. I’m much more into the story and the characters and the setting…I want to be grabbed and flung into the world of the story.
And if any of the following occur in the course of a book, it’s pretty much a sure thing that I’m not going to be raving about it.
- Confusion – especially about who’s telling the story. Jumping from narrator to narrator without making it clear who is telling the story does nothing but piss me off.
- Wondering about people who never appear – there’s nothing worse than waiting for someone’s story, only to get to the end and still be waiting.
- Too much self-reflection – Good grief. Get on with the story!
I will admit to being a little biased, though, as I’d already one other book (and not the Love one) by Krauss that left me feeling meh. So I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down in excitement over the thought of reading this one.
In other words, this was so not the book for me. I read it for the Indie Lit Awards, and while it wasn’t my least favorite of the line-up, it was close to my least favorite. (In case you’re wondering, my least favorite was the one I compared to mayo).
I know there are many people who were eagerly anticipating this book (I wasn’t in that crowd), and while some were disappointed, others loved it. But, for the reasons listed above, and many others, this just isn’t my type of book. To be fair, there were moments when I thought I might change my mind, but in the end? Still meh.
It’s good to know I’m not the only one who felt this way!!
You know, most of the reviews I have read of this book have had the distinct tinge of disappointment in them, and I am not really eager to give this one a try. I am sorry to hear that it was such a substandard read for you. I am going to skip it.
I read this in November and have yet to review it, solely because I can’t figure out what to say about it. I have no idea how I felt about it (which means I didn’t like it), but I can’t figure out why. And I was in the camp of “very excited about it,” so the disappointment only made it that much worse.
Kerry´s last [type] ..Wrap You Head Around These Number- Will You- Amazons e-Books Outsell Paperbacks
I read this novel before I read The History of Love, and I actually liked this one more, which isn’t a ringing endorsement. I think I adore lyrical writing more than you do, but I don’t like it exclusively or I would read more poems than novels. I do love how well you articulate the things you dislike as a reader. I’m getting better at it, but I’m still likely to give everything a chance. Sometimes it surprises me and sometimes it reinforces my existing stereotypes.
nomadreader (Carrie)´s last [type] ..book review- Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
Every now and then, I find myself apologizing when I don’t like a book which is clearly “written well”. Like you, I want to be entertained when I read, immersed in the story, intrigued by the characters, and the such not. We should stop apologizing for this.
Trisha´s last [type] ..Reading Schedule 2011
I read The History of Love a few years ago, and to me, it was just ok. So, I haven’t been in a hurry to pick up this one!
Valerie´s last [type] ..“Palace of Desire”- Part Two of The Cairo Trilogy
Too bad it was a stinker for you.
I can only speak as a reader but I just don’t feel that Krauss pushes the envelope enough. She touches on things… but then doesn’t dig deeper and that bugs me.
I listened to an interview she had with Michael Silverblatt and he said something like “it’s a story that is told by many different people, sometimes you don’t know who’s speaking, and you aren’t told in so many words what’s going on, yet it resonates.”
Huh?
WHAT resonates?? She scratches the surface and leaves you, the reader, filling in the gaps. That’s okay if you are expecting to do that, but I expect a bit more guidance when I am reading a story.
Ti´s last [type] ..Book Club- What We Pitched & What Was Chosen
Yeah, I got this one as an ARC, started reading it, and promptly forgot about it. I might come back to it–or not.
Andi´s last [type] ..Clearing My Reading Shelves
I’m reading a book that I can happily forget, the moment I walk away from it. I’ve only got 20 pages left and I’m online, so I just marked it read. I didn’t even know it was possible for someone to sell a book 400 pages long without an ounce of conflict. It’s the most bizarre thing I’ve ever encountered. I think that’s why I’ve continued — just to see if anything would ever actually happen.
I so loved her History of Love novel so this saddens me! Bummer dude. See how good I am with the language?
Amused´s last [type] ..February Review Book Giveaway!
I’m just like you. I don’t really get into the beautiful lyrical language. It’s nice and all, but if I hate your characters or don’t get sucked into your plot, I will still hate your book. I feel that way away Ian McEwan. His writing is beautiful, but I’ve disliked most of his books (aside from Atonement).
Kristi´s last [type] ..War and Peace Readalong-Volume II
Most of the reviews I’ve read seem to reflect a feeling of disappointment. Too bad… The History of Love was such a wonderful audiobook, but I’m not planning on reading this any time soon. It’s at the top of my 17 yr old daughter’s tbr pile, so I’ll be curious to e what she thinks.
JoAnn´s last [type] ..A Dubious Distinction
I keep hearing that about this book. That it’s just “meh.” Hate when that happens!
After hearing so many great thing about History of Love I went out and got a copy. I probably won’t read it for quite some time, though.
Trish´s last [type] ..The Book Thief – Mark Zusak Take 2
I love how you just tell it like it as and how you felt. No pussyfooting around for you!
Jenners´s last [type] ..Thoughts On Being An Orphan
I’m glad you mentioned the bit about ‘lyrical’ writing not being a main attraction for you. I’ve been thinking about this lately too, as I get impatient by pretty writing that doesn’t accomplish anything.
Christy´s last [type] ..To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Fizzy, I totally trust your opinion. Thanks for the review.
bybee´s last [type] ..January- 2011- Reading & Reviewing- Part 2
Bummer to hear you didn’t like this. I’m still thinking I might want to give it a try. I have yet to read anything by Krauss. And sometimes, I happen to like some of those things that you listed as things you don’t enjoy in books. I think part of this is the English major in me. I used to hate books that were difficult for me to figure out until college and then all of a sudden I loved them for the language and the way I had to work to understand the book. I sound slightly crazy saying that, I know, but it is something I have slowly but surely grown to love.
Jennifer´s last [type] ..Contemplation Corner- Mulligan
That’s too bad. I really liked the Love book
stacybuckeye´s last [type] ..Footballers Can Act Quiz
I have The History of Love so I guess I’ll read that first and see how I feel about Knauss. If I feel the same way as you do, I’ll skip this one.
Lisa´s last [type] ..Short Stories by Edith Wharton