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ondrobondro's review
2.0
Really disappointing. Yates’s idea of drifting between perspectives was interesting at first, but I found it lacking by the end - one of his greatest skills was in character studies and undertaking what made them tick. When he’s crammed so many perspectives into a novel so short, the result is fairly shallow and unrewarding. Most of the characters feel more like caricatures than rounded people.
Also holy hell this novel is weirdly horny. And incestuous. I could never quite work out whether he was playing for laughs or pathos here, but it comes across as neither and ends up being uncomfortable instead.
Also holy hell this novel is weirdly horny. And incestuous. I could never quite work out whether he was playing for laughs or pathos here, but it comes across as neither and ends up being uncomfortable instead.
cazinthehat's review against another edition
5.0
I honestly don't think bad writing exists by Yates.
fxp's review against another edition
4.0
I think I like this one even better than [b:Revolutionary Road|48328|Revolutionary Road|Richard Yates|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650108910l/48328._SY75_.jpg|1235136].
mrswythe89's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up partly because Kurt Vonnegut said, "All the good writers I know think Richard Yates is awesome!" and partly because I liked the cover.
It is about What It Means to Be A Man. With respect to gender politics, it smells distressingly of its era. In other words, I think all the good writers Kurt Vonnegut knew had crap taste, but you know, it is a fact that any book that is about Being A Man is not likely to appeal to my tastes, so perhaps you would like it.
(I do think it is well-written. It is depressing, but that is not the reason why I dislike it.)
It is about What It Means to Be A Man. With respect to gender politics, it smells distressingly of its era. In other words, I think all the good writers Kurt Vonnegut knew had crap taste, but you know, it is a fact that any book that is about Being A Man is not likely to appeal to my tastes, so perhaps you would like it.
(I do think it is well-written. It is depressing, but that is not the reason why I dislike it.)
thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
3.0
Every time I read a book by Richard Yates these days, my heart breaks a little — not because the story or characters affected me in a particular way, but because I see what Yates was trying to do over and over again. With every subsequent book after Revolutionary Road, Yates tried to capture the same lightning in a bottle. While The Easter Parade was a good attempt, every other book that I have read of his just can't seem to measure up to the raw power of Revolutionary Road, his debut novel. Unfortunately, Cold Spring Harbor, to me, is one of Yates' lesser works.
sbeerens's review against another edition
3.0
Yates is a fantastic author, and I guess I would have given this a higher rating had I not read Revolutionary Road first.
But whereas Revolutionary Road is a tale with a beginning and an end, Cold Spring Harbor is more like a season of a soap opera: you get the gist of what the characters are like and how their lives evolve, but it ends with a cliffhanger. However, Cold Spring Harbor never continues. This might not have been so bad if the characters had been inspiring and extraordinary, but as a matter of fact, they are neither.
Despite the slightly dull series of events and characters, Yates manages to keep your interest in the book while you read it. And in my opinion, no author can write better about the un-fairytalelike reality that life is.
And maybe, if I let my mind wander just enough, I can see how the experience of reading this book is like life they way Yates wants us to see it: you don't give up, you make sure you'll do anything to enjoy it, but in the end all that's left is the hollowness of it all.
But whereas Revolutionary Road is a tale with a beginning and an end, Cold Spring Harbor is more like a season of a soap opera: you get the gist of what the characters are like and how their lives evolve, but it ends with a cliffhanger. However, Cold Spring Harbor never continues. This might not have been so bad if the characters had been inspiring and extraordinary, but as a matter of fact, they are neither.
Despite the slightly dull series of events and characters, Yates manages to keep your interest in the book while you read it. And in my opinion, no author can write better about the un-fairytalelike reality that life is.
And maybe, if I let my mind wander just enough, I can see how the experience of reading this book is like life they way Yates wants us to see it: you don't give up, you make sure you'll do anything to enjoy it, but in the end all that's left is the hollowness of it all.
wgadd's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0