Knowing yet gracious. And, fwiw, I agree. Well done!
I think you are right about the play quality, unsurprising given that Gasda is a playwright. I too noticed the long dialog stretches, and was a touch frustrated, but if you zoom out (as you suggest) they make sense. Gasda's conversations that go on too long, that cannot be left, trap the reader. Not exactly fun, but rather devastatingly effective. And I found myself losing patience with the whole scene, the whole generation?, the bullet . . .
Eager to read this. I have way too many books, and they pile up, but I think I will read this one promptly.
It occurs to me that there is a category of “books about New York“ and it would be interesting to see how this one stacks up against its predecessors, for example The Bonfire of the Vanities. Your comment that it is like a play reminds me of George Steiner‘s distinction between epic and dramatic in his book about Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.
Also, looking forward to your “spicy“ new one in the works.
This might be my autism, but is it actually the case that Asian American women are more "submissive"? Because this always seemed made up to me. If anything, I feel like there are a higher proportion of girlbosses among Asian American women than other groups. Is this like a stand-in for talking about size and physical appearance?
From the first page quotes, those tired cliche phrases alienate me: "partied around", "always on the move," "Gum up the machinery", possibly even "eschew commitments"-- idiomatic platitudes and dead metaphors show no more literary effort than required of falling out of a chair. Maybe one could argue the author uses them knowingly for effect, but even if that were true, which I doubt, there isn't a better way to make the point with active, alert, surprising sentences?
Interesting point about deciding whether a piece of writing is worth the investment of time.
Based on the number of writing errors in this very early paragraph, I'm deciding that this post isn't worth my time, let alone the novel:
"This is not so much a utilitarian calculation as it is a aesthetic and spiritual one—the question you have ask yourself before you commit to reading a novel is whether or not it will give more than it takes."
When the surface is so lazy and sloppy, I'm making a self-interested decision about the possibility of depth.
Knowing yet gracious. And, fwiw, I agree. Well done!
I think you are right about the play quality, unsurprising given that Gasda is a playwright. I too noticed the long dialog stretches, and was a touch frustrated, but if you zoom out (as you suggest) they make sense. Gasda's conversations that go on too long, that cannot be left, trap the reader. Not exactly fun, but rather devastatingly effective. And I found myself losing patience with the whole scene, the whole generation?, the bullet . . .
Anyway, good book, and good review.
Strong, strong review. Gasda should feel obliged to confer some status for your next book.
Glad you liked it!
The kids are not alright.
Fascinating review. Fun Intellectual ride.
Excellent piece, I preordered it!
Eager to read this. I have way too many books, and they pile up, but I think I will read this one promptly.
It occurs to me that there is a category of “books about New York“ and it would be interesting to see how this one stacks up against its predecessors, for example The Bonfire of the Vanities. Your comment that it is like a play reminds me of George Steiner‘s distinction between epic and dramatic in his book about Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.
Also, looking forward to your “spicy“ new one in the works.
Good post.
It’s at once a “New York” book but also a universalist take on millennials more broadly. I think you’ll really like it.
This might be my autism, but is it actually the case that Asian American women are more "submissive"? Because this always seemed made up to me. If anything, I feel like there are a higher proportion of girlbosses among Asian American women than other groups. Is this like a stand-in for talking about size and physical appearance?
From the first page quotes, those tired cliche phrases alienate me: "partied around", "always on the move," "Gum up the machinery", possibly even "eschew commitments"-- idiomatic platitudes and dead metaphors show no more literary effort than required of falling out of a chair. Maybe one could argue the author uses them knowingly for effect, but even if that were true, which I doubt, there isn't a better way to make the point with active, alert, surprising sentences?
I enjoyed the whole Dimes Square collection, with the caveat that there's a very defined and rigid style and thematic arena in which Gasda operates.
Interesting point about deciding whether a piece of writing is worth the investment of time.
Based on the number of writing errors in this very early paragraph, I'm deciding that this post isn't worth my time, let alone the novel:
"This is not so much a utilitarian calculation as it is a aesthetic and spiritual one—the question you have ask yourself before you commit to reading a novel is whether or not it will give more than it takes."
When the surface is so lazy and sloppy, I'm making a self-interested decision about the possibility of depth.