Jens reviewed The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Review of 'The New York Trilogy' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Three short novels in a single volume because they are “the same story” - that sounds intriguing! The three mysteries are unconventional, twisty and challenging to follow. Great.
Unfortunately, I got lost trying to decipher the meaning, the hidden backstory of it all. Behind all the shifting identities, hidden agendas, and secrets over secrets, I seem to have lost the thread of why it all matters.
The constant allusions to literary history unfortunately left me rather confused - maybe I am not educated enough to understand and/or enjoy them.
What bothered me was the role of women in these stories. They appeared to me as side characters at best, with limited personalities. Their only roles in these stories is to prompt the male protagonists to do something, and of course to create and release sexual tension. A disappointing approach which should already have been shocking when the book was published …
Three short novels in a single volume because they are “the same story” - that sounds intriguing! The three mysteries are unconventional, twisty and challenging to follow. Great.
Unfortunately, I got lost trying to decipher the meaning, the hidden backstory of it all. Behind all the shifting identities, hidden agendas, and secrets over secrets, I seem to have lost the thread of why it all matters.
The constant allusions to literary history unfortunately left me rather confused - maybe I am not educated enough to understand and/or enjoy them.
What bothered me was the role of women in these stories. They appeared to me as side characters at best, with limited personalities. Their only roles in these stories is to prompt the male protagonists to do something, and of course to create and release sexual tension. A disappointing approach which should already have been shocking when the book was published in the 1980s.
I listened to the German audiobook, and Stefan Kaminski does a great job. The only times when I did not enjoy his performance was when he acted out the voices of women, children, or non-native speakers of English. Hands off if this is something that bothers you.
Overall moderately interesting mysteries that did not grab me as much as other readers. Cannot recommend, cannot not recommend.
