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bookswithlukas's review
2.0
Only read this if you can suffer through pretentious art talk.
I don't really know what to make of this novel. It was a quick and easy read (it is quite short), but it just really failed to make much of an impression. It really is like a brief little glimpse into these characters lives, but it's more like you're following them around watching what's happening, instead of experiencing it in your head.
The story here is a little bit like 'Death In Venice'. Our protagonist is Peter, and when his wife's young, wayward, drug addicted little brother comes to stay, he finds himself inexplicably, becoming attracted and obsessed with him.
The main problem with this novel was all the boring, completely unrelated to the plot and incessant discussions of art. These characters are forever hanging out in galleries (our MC even owns one! Of course he does!) and reflecting on artists and their work, and I just….didn't care. Maybe someone who likes Art will appreciate it, but for me, the whole thing was boring and I'll admit I glossed over a lot of it, and still felt I didn't miss anything important.
The whole obsession Peter has with his wife's brother gets a lot of build up, but it's ending feels unsatisfactory, and anti-climatic. I actually liked the ending where the couple discuss the fact that their marriage is kind of dead, but the novel ends halfway through that conversation, so I was left disappointed. The writing is really good though, so that's why I'm giving this two stars, instead of the dreaded one.
Overall, I can't say there is a whole lot to recommend here. If you're a fan of the author you might want to check this out, but otherwise, you certainly aren't missing out on much.
I don't really know what to make of this novel. It was a quick and easy read (it is quite short), but it just really failed to make much of an impression. It really is like a brief little glimpse into these characters lives, but it's more like you're following them around watching what's happening, instead of experiencing it in your head.
The story here is a little bit like 'Death In Venice'. Our protagonist is Peter, and when his wife's young, wayward, drug addicted little brother comes to stay, he finds himself inexplicably, becoming attracted and obsessed with him.
The main problem with this novel was all the boring, completely unrelated to the plot and incessant discussions of art. These characters are forever hanging out in galleries (our MC even owns one! Of course he does!) and reflecting on artists and their work, and I just….didn't care. Maybe someone who likes Art will appreciate it, but for me, the whole thing was boring and I'll admit I glossed over a lot of it, and still felt I didn't miss anything important.
The whole obsession Peter has with his wife's brother gets a lot of build up, but it's ending feels unsatisfactory, and anti-climatic. I actually liked the ending where the couple discuss the fact that their marriage is kind of dead, but the novel ends halfway through that conversation, so I was left disappointed. The writing is really good though, so that's why I'm giving this two stars, instead of the dreaded one.
Overall, I can't say there is a whole lot to recommend here. If you're a fan of the author you might want to check this out, but otherwise, you certainly aren't missing out on much.
obscuredbyclouds's review
4.0
I really didn't like the main protagonist of this book. Peter is a middle-aged art dealer in New York City, feeling sorry for himself, obsessed with beauty and youth, and wishing his wife, Rebecca, was the younger version of herself. Then Rebecca's much younger brother Mizzy (The Mistake), a genius/drug addict/ Yale drop out drifter type in his early 20's comes to visit them for some time. Peter falls in, what he calls, love with him, what I would call lust and a slight obsession. In Mizzy he sees the early beauty potential of his wife, his own possibilities and his dead brother combined.
It's hard to shake the feeling that Peter's pretentiousness also somewhat applies to the novel itself. The obsession with youth and perfect beauty, the carefully constructed sentences, the descriptions of New York (always New York!) and dreams and self analysis... And despite this, I loved reading this novel! It's my second Cunningham, and now I'm determined to read them all. I grabbed this on a whim in an Oxfam charity shop and breezed through it.
It's hard to shake the feeling that Peter's pretentiousness also somewhat applies to the novel itself. The obsession with youth and perfect beauty, the carefully constructed sentences, the descriptions of New York (always New York!) and dreams and self analysis... And despite this, I loved reading this novel! It's my second Cunningham, and now I'm determined to read them all. I grabbed this on a whim in an Oxfam charity shop and breezed through it.
claire_melanie's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this book but I thought it was clever. I also thought it did well what it claimed it was going to - provide an insight into the internal and external lives of contemporary middle-class Americans. Not bad and pretty readable
sabienne's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like I have to say something about this book, but it's been a while and I still haven't figured out what. The feeling I'm left with mostly though, is a vague sense of disappointment. I think because I wanted more of Mizzy, there wasn't enough for me. Not enough to satisfy me. It felt so fleeting.
However, I thought the writing was fabulous and I really enjoyed reading it. It felt like a wonderful world I could just step into, disappear in. Eventually I got a little tired of Peter's incessant talk about successful and beautiful people vs. unsuccessful and unattractive people. I don't like the way he measures success so superficially. Then again, he works in the art world, so this makes total sense.
So. Beautiful book with a beautiful cover, I'm glad I've got it on my, um, 'shelf', I just wish there'd been more of it.
However, I thought the writing was fabulous and I really enjoyed reading it. It felt like a wonderful world I could just step into, disappear in. Eventually I got a little tired of Peter's incessant talk about successful and beautiful people vs. unsuccessful and unattractive people. I don't like the way he measures success so superficially. Then again, he works in the art world, so this makes total sense.
So. Beautiful book with a beautiful cover, I'm glad I've got it on my, um, 'shelf', I just wish there'd been more of it.
goroshyna's review
1.0
Я не дуже зрозуміла ні мети написання твору, ні посилу, що його хотів донести автор.
Мені одразу було складно перейматися життям головного героя, здебільшого через те, що це чоловік середнього віку у багаторічному шлюбі, з дорослою дочкою та стабільною (?) роботою. Я просто (поки?) не маю його проблем, у нас із ним жодних точок перетину.
Співчувати було майже неможливо, бо головний персонаж, Пітер, — мудак. Наскільки я зрозуміла, він має багато комплексів і при цьому вважає себе єдиним, хто має право бути нещасливим у шлюбі/сумніватися в своїх життєвих рішеннях.
Усю книжку я запитувала себе, до чого веде оповідання, і лише під кінець у мене склалася більш-менш цілісна картина. Оповідання рясніє ліричними відступами (на кілька абзаців або сторінок), що можуть з'явитися прямо посеред діалогу. Ці відступи здебільшого торкаються тем мистецтва, і за всю книжку я зустріла цілих дві слабоцікаві думки. Загалом відступи були з претензію на філософію, але здебільшого їх було подано як питання, за якими потім не було відповіді.
Якщо Пітер завжди схильних до філософських думок, чому автор обрав показати саме той уривок його життя, що зображено в романі? Як видно, Пітер веде досить нудне та безподієве існування. У творі немає чітко вираженого конфлікту, бо Пітер замислюється про все досить пасивно та відсторонено. До всього домішується криза орієнтації, але навіть їй не вдається достатньо швидко рухати сюжет.
Зі своїм характером і скоєними вчинками головних герой не заслуговує навіть на той фінал, який він отримав.
Мені одразу було складно перейматися життям головного героя, здебільшого через те, що це чоловік середнього віку у багаторічному шлюбі, з дорослою дочкою та стабільною (?) роботою. Я просто (поки?) не маю його проблем, у нас із ним жодних точок перетину.
Співчувати було майже неможливо, бо головний персонаж, Пітер, — мудак. Наскільки я зрозуміла, він має багато комплексів і при цьому вважає себе єдиним, хто має право бути нещасливим у шлюбі/сумніватися в своїх життєвих рішеннях.
Усю книжку я запитувала себе, до чого веде оповідання, і лише під кінець у мене склалася більш-менш цілісна картина. Оповідання рясніє ліричними відступами (на кілька абзаців або сторінок), що можуть з'явитися прямо посеред діалогу. Ці відступи здебільшого торкаються тем мистецтва, і за всю книжку я зустріла цілих дві слабоцікаві думки. Загалом відступи були з претензію на філософію, але здебільшого їх було подано як питання, за якими потім не було відповіді.
Якщо Пітер завжди схильних до філософських думок, чому автор обрав показати саме той уривок його життя, що зображено в романі? Як видно, Пітер веде досить нудне та безподієве існування. У творі немає чітко вираженого конфлікту, бо Пітер замислюється про все досить пасивно та відсторонено. До всього домішується криза орієнтації, але навіть їй не вдається достатньо швидко рухати сюжет.
Зі своїм характером і скоєними вчинками головних герой не заслуговує навіть на той фінал, який він отримав.
thepawn's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-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
kyyjonssoni's review against another edition
4.0
Hieno kirja, jossa kiinnostava tapa kirjoittaa auki pään sisäisiä keskusteluita ja ajatuksia. Teksti varmaan hieman kärsii käännöksestä, mutta kieli on kaunista ja moniuloitteista. Tykkäsin paljon! Enemmän kuin takakansi antoi odottaa ja enemmän kuin itse odotin.
Kirja on orastavan keski-ikäisyyden kuvaus. Päähahmon maailmantuska ja turhautuminen etuoikeutettuun asemaan, ensimmäisen maailman ongelmiensa kanssa on kiehtovaa ja samaistuttavaa. Olisin toivonut kirjan jatkuvan pidempään ja kuvaavan paljon pidempää aikajaksoa, mutta ehkä siinä piilee juuri se hienous, että kaikkea ei voi saada.
Suosittelen niille joille New York -kuvaukset, ajatuksenvirta tekstinä ja herkän miehen näkökulmat ovat kiinnostavia seikkoja.
Kirja on orastavan keski-ikäisyyden kuvaus. Päähahmon maailmantuska ja turhautuminen etuoikeutettuun asemaan, ensimmäisen maailman ongelmiensa kanssa on kiehtovaa ja samaistuttavaa. Olisin toivonut kirjan jatkuvan pidempään ja kuvaavan paljon pidempää aikajaksoa, mutta ehkä siinä piilee juuri se hienous, että kaikkea ei voi saada.
Suosittelen niille joille New York -kuvaukset, ajatuksenvirta tekstinä ja herkän miehen näkökulmat ovat kiinnostavia seikkoja.
settingshadow's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a Michael Cunningham fan girl. It's impossible for me to be unbiased about anything Michael Cunningham writes. I have a sneaking suspicion that I have some amount of cognitive dissonance about By Nightfall - a book that I've wanted for over a year; that I picked up and lingered over every time I was in a bookstore; that I scoured every used bookstore for; that I finally paid full price in a physical bookstore for a new copy because I wanted it that badly (paperback; I haven't lost my mind); that I derailed a vacation for in order to see Cunningham speak about at the national book fair. So, I'm a little obsessed. And I have a suspicion that I read the book that I wanted to read, rather than the book Cunningham wrote.
I loved the introspective pieces of this book. The interstitial portions where characters ordered coffee and went on train rides were Cunningham at his best - he describes the mundanity of the human condition in a way that is both honest and profound and is completely unparalleled.
I loved the concepts in this book - that we, as humans, are in love with beauty, in love with art, in love with the profound and constantly disappointed in the inability of reality to produce concrete things that live up to the expectations in our imaginations. That we cultivate the relationships that exist in our life for their symbolism, and for their reflection on ourselves and for the concepts that they engender moreso than for the actually people in them. That the people we are when we are honestly alone -- mentally, physically alone -- is not ever the person that we can be to others.
I did not love the actual plot of this book. I was bored, rather than enthralled by Mizzy. I felt that at times, the symbolism was too on the nose (seriously, a character named "The Mistake") and other times the mundanity was, well, mundane. Perhaps those feelings are apropos, given the context -- Cunningham is one of the artists he describes, striving to find beauty, to unsettle, to provoke and coming up just a little short.
I loved the introspective pieces of this book. The interstitial portions where characters ordered coffee and went on train rides were Cunningham at his best - he describes the mundanity of the human condition in a way that is both honest and profound and is completely unparalleled.
I loved the concepts in this book - that we, as humans, are in love with beauty, in love with art, in love with the profound and constantly disappointed in the inability of reality to produce concrete things that live up to the expectations in our imaginations. That we cultivate the relationships that exist in our life for their symbolism, and for their reflection on ourselves and for the concepts that they engender moreso than for the actually people in them. That the people we are when we are honestly alone -- mentally, physically alone -- is not ever the person that we can be to others.
I did not love the actual plot of this book. I was bored, rather than enthralled by Mizzy. I felt that at times, the symbolism was too on the nose (seriously, a character named "The Mistake") and other times the mundanity was, well, mundane. Perhaps those feelings are apropos, given the context -- Cunningham is one of the artists he describes, striving to find beauty, to unsettle, to provoke and coming up just a little short.
local_jobber's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
katrinkirjat's review against another edition
4.0
Ihastuin Cunnighamiin luettuani ihana Tunnit kirjan. Illan tullen ei ollut ehkä ihan yhtä loistava, mutta hyvä silti. Koko kirjan lukemisen ajan minua kyllä kaiversi tunne, että tiedän tämän tarinan jo. (Eihän tästä ole tehty elokuvaa?). Kirjaa en kuitenkaan aiemmin ole lukenut, mutta jotain todella tuttua tarinassa oli.