Hardcover, 289 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2010 by W. W. Norton & Co..
Connected solely by a desk of enormous dimension and many drawers that exerts a power over those who possess it or give it away, three people--a lonely American novelist clinging to the memory of a poet who has mysteriously vanished in Chile, an old man in Israel facing the imminent death of his wife of 51 years, and an esteemed antiques dealer tracking down the things stolen from his father by the Nazis--struggle to create a meaningful permanence in the face of inevitable loss.
Another well-written Nicole Krauss book, I think I like her prose better than her plot here. She weaves together several stories around a shared desk, but I am just starting to like this type of organization (bordering on short stories with the faint hope of pulling it all together in the end) and think David Mitchell does it best.
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a …
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a flower that has somewhat wilted. All it needed was fertile ground, dang it.
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a …
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a flower that has somewhat wilted. All it needed was fertile ground, dang it.
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a …
This book is very similar to Krauss' first book, "The History of Love"; perspectives from young and old, both sexes, the Jewish world in the center and love, old and young, interspersed throughout decades.
This one's like Jeffrey Eugenides' "Middlesex", but not as focused, and definitely not as good, despite it being fair.
Her tellings from an old man's perspective are crystal-clear. The muddiness is applied when she tells of the now, of the why's and lets me down in term of keeping the story fresh and the reader keen. At times I just wanted to press "next" and go forth to The Exciting.
And there were a few exciting, fresh moments, but not that many. Maybe it's me being jaded, having just read Palahniuk's "Rant", but I don't suspect it. Time will tell.
All in all: entertaining, a few choice paragraphs and insights, but for the most part a flower that has somewhat wilted. All it needed was fertile ground, dang it.
Hugely disappointing. This book got a metric tonne of great press, including a nomination for the National Book Award, so I was expecting something worthy of such acclaim. The book deals with themes of memory and loss, much like Krauss's first novel, [b:Man Walks Into a Room|44380|Man Walks Into a Room|Nicole Krauss|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170260388s/44380.jpg|43730], but in a much less enjoyable fashion. While Man Walks Into a Room had a riveting story, Great House is less a novel and more a collection of slightly interrelated stories.
