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utahmomreads's review against another edition
3.0
Review originally posted on my blog : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011/11/ed-king-book-review.html
A modern day retelling of Oedipus Rex, Ed King by David Guterson is a strangely compelling read. I pulled out our copy of Sophocles' work but couldn't bring myself to read it. I did, however, reacquaint myself with the basics of the story. As far as I can tell, Guterson stays pretty true to the source while being imaginative, original and believable.
Married and a father to two young children, Walter Cousin's gives in to his lust and has a month-long affair/rape with the "au pair". He impregnates her and she then leaves the baby on a door step. The abandoned baby is adopted by an infertile Jewish couple. The baby, named Ed King, will become an Internet billionaire but even then he will be unable to escape his fate. This novel is ultimately as tragic as the forerunner.
I read Guterson's famous work Snow Falling on Cedars so many years ago that I can scarcely remember the details of the story. Impressively, Ed King is an astounding work while being drastically different from Guterson's earlier novel.
The characters in Ed King are reprehensible, amoral, and vile. It's hard to feel sorry for them yet impossible to look away from their dramatic and destructive lives. While the novel is dark, Guterson has a talent for wit and cynicism that made me laugh several times. Some passages were so clever and humorous that I read them aloud to my husband.
Ed King is a dark novel and includes graphic scenes as well as foul language, for those reasons I would not recommend it to most of my friends.
A modern day retelling of Oedipus Rex, Ed King by David Guterson is a strangely compelling read. I pulled out our copy of Sophocles' work but couldn't bring myself to read it. I did, however, reacquaint myself with the basics of the story. As far as I can tell, Guterson stays pretty true to the source while being imaginative, original and believable.
Married and a father to two young children, Walter Cousin's gives in to his lust and has a month-long affair/rape with the "au pair". He impregnates her and she then leaves the baby on a door step. The abandoned baby is adopted by an infertile Jewish couple. The baby, named Ed King, will become an Internet billionaire but even then he will be unable to escape his fate. This novel is ultimately as tragic as the forerunner.
I read Guterson's famous work Snow Falling on Cedars so many years ago that I can scarcely remember the details of the story. Impressively, Ed King is an astounding work while being drastically different from Guterson's earlier novel.
The characters in Ed King are reprehensible, amoral, and vile. It's hard to feel sorry for them yet impossible to look away from their dramatic and destructive lives. While the novel is dark, Guterson has a talent for wit and cynicism that made me laugh several times. Some passages were so clever and humorous that I read them aloud to my husband.
Ed King is a dark novel and includes graphic scenes as well as foul language, for those reasons I would not recommend it to most of my friends.
nuscheda's review against another edition
3.0
Not great literature, and crazy by the end, but a fun way to spend an afternoon.
butterfly2507's review against another edition
2.0
Hat mir leider garnicht gefallen. Fand die Story nur so mittelmässig und die ganze Aufmachung (die kleine Schrift, keine richtigen Abschnitte) mochte ich auch nicht wirklich :(
mrk_eastbay's review against another edition
2.0
Really? Internet billionaire as latter-day Oedipus Rex? I has to skip huge chunks of trashy sex/cocaine/rock concert scenes and ignore the vapid descriptions of most characters. Painful. But there are moments of beautiful writing, which makes the rest seem even worse.
mamalemma's review against another edition
4.0
Ed King is a modern day retelling of the Oedipus Rex story, so you know what's going to happen, just not how. Not a single character is even remotely likeable, yet somehow the book still works, and is a real page-turner. I've long been a fan of Guterson's writing, and this does not disappoint.
rubiksboob's review against another edition
2.0
I am mad about this book! Guterson broke the book equivalent of the 4th wall and calls the reader out on skipping ahead for incest-sex (which I didn't.) Also, you're writing an Oedipus Rex reboot bro.
3milyr3n33's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
suburban_ennui's review against another edition
3.0
Symbolism WRIT LARGE. Any interesting idea, but a bit heavy-handed.
chris_cousins's review against another edition
5.0
You could maybe say this book is a bit predictable but that in no way detracts from its worth as a good read. Certainly recommended.
wrestleacademic's review against another edition
3.0
I admit: I think half the fun (if it can be called "fun" when the topic is an Oedipus retelling) is the allusions the author puts in throughout, moments that made me go "a-ha!" as I read along. It's an engaging read, though as others reviewing this have said, there aren't a whole lot of characters that I found myself rooting for--.