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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
If I believed men though everything that Waldman thinks they do, call me depressed. But you do believe it, it's quite well done.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I hated the protagonist. Hated Nathaniel P. Which is unfortunate really, since the entire book is about him. Arrogant, self-righteous, stuck-up, pretentious....I could go on. But the writing style was also that way. Pretentious and grating - the writing style struck me as forced. Perhaps I would feel differently if I liked the main character. I could have gotten past the writing style if I liked Nate or even tolerated him, but I don't like wanting to punch main characters.
I went back and forth on 2 versus 3 stars so take the rating with a grain of salt. I originally went with a 2 since I hated the book. Then a 3 since I thought the writing was decent and if I hated a character that much it shouldn't impact the rating. But I settled for a 2. I shouldn't hate main characters. I might not like what they do or appreciate certain aspects of their personality, but it's important to root for the main character. And I couldn't root for Nate.
I went back and forth on 2 versus 3 stars so take the rating with a grain of salt. I originally went with a 2 since I hated the book. Then a 3 since I thought the writing was decent and if I hated a character that much it shouldn't impact the rating. But I settled for a 2. I shouldn't hate main characters. I might not like what they do or appreciate certain aspects of their personality, but it's important to root for the main character. And I couldn't root for Nate.
The tale of a character called Nathaniel P (also my brother's name) who lives in Brooklyn and isn't great with people. It's like a romance novel, but realistic.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rarely have I felt such apathetic distain for a protagonist. He's not the guy you love to hate, he's just a guy you really don't care to be around. I slogged through to the end, but was thoroughly disengaged by the second or third chapter.
I am regretting giving this hotshot new writer a chance. The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. promised to be funny, smart, and edgy. It was none of these things. Adelle Waldman’s decision to write about dating in New York City from the perspective of a heterosexual man in his early thirties is this novel’s claim to provocativeness. I expected nothing less than Henry James’s Portrait of a Lady from this character study. I got so, so, so much less.
The titular character is completely unlikable. That doesn’t bother me. Unlikable protagonists are interesting. But this guy has absolutely no redeeming qualities, and Waldman does not portray him sympathetically. She aggressively writes him as a dick in a kind of reverse misogyny. The character lacks depth, and Waldman’s writing him lacks depth that would make this a true character study.
The novel doesn’t redeem itself either. If it’s going to be a superficial character study and novel of manners, then at least be funny and entertaining. Nope. I didn’t laugh once. Or at least have a page-turner plot that makes me excited to find out what happens next. No to that as well. The plot is solely driven by Nate’s thoughts.
Reading this novel was a cringeworthy, painful experience, one in which I feel embarrassed for the author, who displays a Franzen-like misanthropy toward humanity without giving me anything fresh and intelligent to contemplate.
The titular character is completely unlikable. That doesn’t bother me. Unlikable protagonists are interesting. But this guy has absolutely no redeeming qualities, and Waldman does not portray him sympathetically. She aggressively writes him as a dick in a kind of reverse misogyny. The character lacks depth, and Waldman’s writing him lacks depth that would make this a true character study.
The novel doesn’t redeem itself either. If it’s going to be a superficial character study and novel of manners, then at least be funny and entertaining. Nope. I didn’t laugh once. Or at least have a page-turner plot that makes me excited to find out what happens next. No to that as well. The plot is solely driven by Nate’s thoughts.
Reading this novel was a cringeworthy, painful experience, one in which I feel embarrassed for the author, who displays a Franzen-like misanthropy toward humanity without giving me anything fresh and intelligent to contemplate.
Waldman's character/narrator creation here is fantastic, subtle, and definitely disturbing. Nate's the worst but Waldman lets his feelings be real and (almost, at times) justifiable. Still, this really should've been a short story. Or a novella. The way the story concludes is not strong enough to sustain the entire novel that came before.
[Past tense, third person limited POV.]
[Past tense, third person limited POV.]
I loathed every single pretentious hipster character... but I couldn't stop reading about their (ridiculous, first-world) dilemmas and spats. I think that may have been the author's intention.