Way behind in posting the Book Club Reviews. I haz shame face. So, here we go. Way back in August, Book Club read Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. It was on many of our TBR lists and we had previously read The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Comments related to the semi-serious discussion about the book:
I liked Time Traveler’s Wife, so I picked the book.
I was annoyed at her. She researched the book and was living in Chicago, and then had Americans using Brit slang.
It was really beautiful, really interesting.
I may be too dumb to understand, it stands for something else, not just a ghost story.
All kinds of 2s. Everything was in couples. Never a successful group of 3 or 1.
On the whole, I loved the book.
The second half felt more like Stephen King, more gimmicks.
What was the secret? All of these things were totally telegraphed.
I set it down and walked away when [spoiler]. I disliked most of the characters.
I really felt the teenage aimlessness.
I wanted to know more about the cemetery. Show us parts of the thesis. I felt there were more parts of the story that could have been told.
I’m usually very forgiving about books but I really hated this book. This is the hokiest; it annoyed me. I didn’t like any of the characters.
I loved Martin and Marjike.
I don’t understand the twins’ connection.
I was totally buying all the ghost stuff up until [spoiler]. I regret it didn’t get more into the thesis.
It started down a lot of paths it didn’t follow through on.
I loved the way she juxtaposed Martin’s age and experience, in spite of his disability/illness, against Robert.
I liked this book a lot until the end. I like it even though I knew things were going to happen; I said no she won’t, yes she will, no . . . I wanted something more to happen.
I just adored Martin.
I loved the ghost story, how it played out.
I have weird mixed feelings. I really hated it, was angry, but I would recommend it. It’s a book that even though by the end, you don’t like anybody, it makes you think. There’s not a single likable character except maybe Jessica and James and Martin.
I started out enjoying the book. I liked the way she wrote about relationships. I ended up quitting disappointed. Too many gimmicks and each successive one was just told and not developed.
I almost felt like she wrote a great story and then the publisher rushed her at the end. Or that she wrote much more and pared it down. The first half was literary exposition, the second half, crazy ghost.
–Was this written after Time Traveler’s Wife was made into a movie?
–ooo, it feels like it.
It was a little too V C Andrews for me.
Random, not-so-much book related comments:
–There’s no cake.
–It’s right behind you.
