Posted by PaulJK on November 10, 2014 at 12:07:46:
In Reply to: Re: The Goldfinch best book of the year? Really? posted by Ted on September 04, 2014 at 14:47:30:
: You are not alone. Here is a statement from Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review (the most prestigious literary journal in America):
: "A book like The Goldfinch doesn’t undo cliches — it deals in them. It coats everything in a cozy patina of "literary gentility." Nowadays, even The New York Times Book Review is afraid to say when a popular book is crap."
: : I agree. I thought maybe it was just me and that I must have missed something.
: : : I finally got through the 784 page monster that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize Winner for fiction, "The Goldfinch." Best book of the year? You've got to be kidding. At best, it's a so-so read that drags in lots of places. The author could have cut 400 pages and maybe ended up with a passable two-hour read.
: : : And I found out the critics agree. Here is the headline at the Washington Post:
: : : "The disappointing novel that just won a Pulitzer Prize"
: : : Does everybody else agree, or am I way off base?
I read it. Hard to get through, but if you skip over the boring parts, it's not a bad story.