| Title | : | July, July |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0142003387 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780142003381 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2002 |
July, July Reviews
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ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
Washington 15 novembre 1969: quarta marcia di protesta contro la guerra in Vietnam.
La guerra continuava. La gente mangiava Raisin Bran. C’erano nuovi orfani, nuove vedove e nuove madri con un figlio eroe. Quell’estate morirono tremila e venti soldati americani, e più di settemila vietnamiti. La gente prendeva l’aspirina per il mal di testa. Nei ristoranti eleganti i clienti chiedevano il sacchetto con gli avanzi per il cane. La Dow Chemical fece una strage. Da una costa all’altra, su strade di campagna, in grandi città sonnolente, c’erano meschine gelosie, liste della spesa, fantasie erotiche e stomaci in disordine. La terra continuava a girare.
La base militare US a Chu Lai in Vietnam.
Non era saggio aspettarsi che il mondo potesse cambiare e migliorare per l’opera e l’impegno di quella classe.
Diplomati al college nel 1969, nel pieno di quegli anni mitici – e cioè: le prime marce per la pace con centinaia di migliaia di persone che invadevano Washington; l’uomo che camminava sulla luna, e da subito ci fu l’esercito di complottisti che immaginò si trattasse di una bufala, o di una burla, addirittura si dette la responsabilità a Stanley Kubrick; l’anno prima qualcuno sparava e uccideva sia Robert Kennedy che il reverendo Martin Luther King; Tricky Dicky, più noto col nome di Richard Nixon, reggeva le sorti della prima potenza, che non avrebbe potuto scegliere mani più dubbie cui affidarsi…
Il decollo dell’Apollo 11, i primi ad arrivare sulla Luna.
No davvero, non ci si poteva aspettare grandi cose da quella classe del ’69 che avrebbe impegnato la vita soprattutto a non lasciarsi scappare la giovinezza. Senza riuscirci. E tanto, si sa, è una lotta persa in partenza.
E quando si ritrovano, per il trentennale - qualcuno ha toppato e ha lasciato passare un anno per errore, per cui il trentennale viene festeggiato nel luglio del 2000 invece che del 1999 – il rimpianto e il fallimento regnano sovrani tra loro e su loro. E anche chi ce l’ha fatta, che di solito vuol dire soldi e comodità, sembra che abbia trascorso il tempo sul sedile posteriore della propria vita.
Credevano che i sogni si potessero realizzare, volevano il paradiso in terra perché erano giovani, poco più che adolescenti, o perché erano gli anni Sessanta?
Il funerale di Martin Luther King.
Ma da quale classe sarebbe lecito e giusto aspettarsi di più? Non è forse sempre lo stesso gioco, cambiare la vita prima che la vita cambi noi?
O’Brien alterna capitoli, i più lunghi ritornano indietro, raccontano le vicende vissute dagli stessi personaggi, cosa è successo a ciascuno, ma senza inchiodarli al 1969, anzi, la maggior parte di queste narrazioni è piuttosto a ridosso del raduno, sul finire dello scorso millennio.
I capitoli più brevi, invece, descrivono la serata, i protagonisti ballare durante la festa, flirtare e bere come spugne, le scopate, quelle andate in porto e quelle molto più numerose rimaste virtuali, la mattina dopo, l’hangover a colazione, il caldo che uccide in quel Minnesota:
Tricky Dicky
Su tutti vince il secondo capitolo, quello che racconta di un soldato che in Vietnam baratta una gamba con la propria vita in un dialogo con la morfina e la morte che ha la voce dello speaker di Radio Da Nang, radio Universo.
A seguire metterei il pastore donna che a cinquantatre anni è ancora in magnifica forma fisica, deve ancora scoprire l’amore, che le manca, assenza che le rovina la carriera, ma…
”Nessun Vietcong mi ha mai chiamato negro”. Con queste parole nel 1967 Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali rifiutò di adempiere il servizio militare e partecipare alla guerra in Vietnam: era campione del mondo dei pesi massimi, gli tolsero il titolo e la licenza di boxer, in aggiunta a una condanna a 5 anni. -
I have read with dismay some of the negative reviews of this amazing text. Frankly, I don't get it. I am not a product of the Vietnam generation (I am 30) but that is not the primary power of the novel. Rather the power of this text is the truth that it reveals about human nature, dreams, and maturation. People have complained that some of the characters are one dimensional ( I don't see it), boring, unlikable, selfish, etc. Yeah folks, that's the point! Look around you. Do you not know a plethora of people like this in your world? And yet, they are still people, who share with us a common humanity. If anything "July,July" is too painfully real, precisely because at times it is so unpleasant. All of the characters are flawed, as are all of us, and yet most of us can find in this text some sentiment that expresses some desire of our own.
As I finished this text I thought of that great line from Orwell's "1984" where he writes that (paraphrase) "great books tell us what we already know". O'Brien accomplishes just that in this text. That is why it resonates long after the last page. Because at some point in the novel he has articulated a feeling, thought, desire, etc that we the readers have felt in our own lives.
The ending of this novel is especially powerful as, in a very cinematic style, it shows how in all groups of friends some lose in this game of life. Some give up, some die, some try to rectify mistakes, some try again, and some remain ignorantly oblivious. My chest tightened with the immediate recognition of reality as I swept thought the novel's final chapter. I know that when I reread this book later in my life there will be something more for me to reflect upon, something different to see in its truth, and that is why this novel is a remarkable read. I cannot recommend it enough. -
I have hit the highs (five stars for
The Things They Carried) and the lows (one star for
Tomcat in Love) for Tim O’Brien. And ensemble cast (like the one that appears in this book) means the old TV show “thirtysomething” or the movie “The Big Chill” to me – very good things! So I have high hopes for this book but am prepared for the worst! What will it be, Tim?
This is another of the nostalgia about Vietnam books for me. How can that still be? There is even a section about a guy who goes to Canada rather than be drafted. He is set to fly off with his true love but then she doesn’t show up. She is a Republican and supports the war so it is probably for the best. But she stays and marries his best friend! Have we gotten to the too much part for you yet? Well, when I am dealing with nostalgia, the too much part is pretty far out there so I am reveling in it. (But it is important to realize that reveling and reviling are close cousins.) He still loves her, of course, when he forgets he hates her. So they meet at the thirtieth reunion, which, after all, is what hangs this book together. July 1969 to July 2000. Yes, I know that is 31 and not 30. There is a reason.
In some ways this is like a string of short stories with the class reunion holding them all together. There is, as promised, some humor but it turns out I don’t much like humor in war stories. But for the most part this is definitely not a war story. Why do I want to keep believing that Tim O’Brien writes war stories, Vietnam War stories? He did do some of that and did it well, but with July, July he mostly writes about people after the war. I have been disappointed by each of his books that were tangential to the war. Lots of us lived through the Vietnam era but never had a direct Vietnam experience. But we all had the aftermath.
This book is definitely better than just OK but not up to my expectations for Tim O’Brien. The problem is that none of his work lives up to The Things They Carried. For me, that is a high bar. So my recommendation is always to start with that, follow up with In the Lake of the Woods and then move to other authors.
July, July gets three stars, nothing to be ashamed of, but is light reading compared to O’Brien’s best work. The ending, flashing conclusions from character to character, has a bit of the happy but unlikely Hollywood ending drama that left me with a feel good but unreal, sappy taste in my mouth. -
This is, for certain, a difficult book. I usually knock off a book of this size in two days. This one took me four days. There are about a dozen fairly major characters in it, and as many people have commented, it is very difficult to keep all of the voices distinct.
Nonetheless, I eventually told myself to relax and not be so concerned with who was who (or who was fucking or not fucking who), and suddenly, the purpose of the book became clear to me. O'Brien is evoking a time in America that I never experienced (I was born in the year of the re-union he centers the book around). Tim O'Brien's talent is as an "evoker" -- just as he did so masterfully in The Things They Carried -- he eventually gives you the sense of the time these people lived through, the shadow of the Vietnam war hovering over them, the sexual liberation of women mixed with the need to find a partner, etc., and how it permeates their lives thirty years later.
I did a Wikipedia search on O'Brien and found this wonderful interview he did for something called Big Think:
http://bigthink.com/timobrien#!video_...
He's the type of author that gets what the purpose of writing is. Watch it. I'm sure you'll be impressed. I kind of am in love with the guy (mind you, I always have a thing for old, wise, kind dudes -- they make the best Dads ... and lovers). -
This book concerns the trials and tribulations of a handful of fifty-somethings stupid enough to attend their thritieth college class reunion.
There are the usual hook-ups, spats and broken hearts, and for those who believe O'Brien is capable of writing about nothing else, one bloody Vietnam flashback.
The story was interesting for a while, but my attention easily drifted elsewhere. The characters all seemed to use the same voice, and none of their stories were very compelling.
Sad to say, but I feel almost certain that if this book had been written by a woman, it would probably be lumped into that most dreaded category - chick lit. -
I had been feeling a bit fed up with genre fiction lately due to my latest choices not turning out to be as good as I had anticipated, and I was in the mood for something particularly Minnesota. The obvious choice of books in this case is something by a familiar author.
Tim O'Brien is a personal favorite, but that doesn't have anything to do with his handling of prose or vivid imagery or overall practiced writing skills. It's simply because his writing is familiar to me regardless of what the topic or issue his fiction is tackling, and returning to his words is like coming home again. Ironically, though, not being able to go home again is a major theme that runs through his work.
The older I get, the more I find myself aligned to Tim O'Brien's writing. Appreciative, sure. Often in awe, yes. But the term that feels closest to what I'm feeling is "aligned."
So is this book good? No, probably not to most people and not one of O'Brien's best work.
Then why the high rating? Because it speaks to me. I picked it up with the intention of starting the first chapter and then ended up staying up most the night to read about a bunch of characters past their prime, who lack the self-awareness to accept it, rant about their lives and catalog their greatest disappointments. And I really did think: yeah, this is exactly what I'm in the mood for right now. Moods are fickle little mysteries. -
I absolutely love Tim O'Brien's writing. I have never been much of a fan of war movies or memoirs, but ever since my sophomore year English teacher taught a unit on war and we read "The Things They Carried" I have enjoyed his work, in spite of such an evident focus on Vietnam. Something about his language is so comfortable to read, and always has some sense of nostalgia, no matter how grand or minute. Additionally, he pays a great attention to character development and can juggle many plot lines and people throughout the course of a novel.
I struggled a bit with reading "In The Lake Of The Woods" and don't think I ever actually finished reading it. So I was excited to find out he had a new(er) book, and didn't even care what it was about. "July, July" was a bit of a departure from what I see as O'Brien's "conventional" writing style, but it still was unmistakably his. The thing I have noticed the most about him is he is definitely a short story writer. Even his books that are meant to be read as novels are written in such a way that it feels like a collection of short stories put together. The flow in this book was natural and seamless, but each chapter still read like its own separate complete thought - which I am beginning to think is my favourite trait of O'Brien's.
What I enjoyed the most in this read was how honest it read, but also how hopeless it was. All the characters were real and relatable, and there was a sense of disparity about the human condition communicated through each of them. But it felt OK, the hopelessness, because it's a part of life. Not the best work of his that I've read, but I definitely don't think there's such a thing as his worst.
Began: January 27, 2009
Ended: February 6, 2009
Page Count: 322 -
Tim O'Brien is a storyteller and this book showcases his ability in a different way than Going After Cacciato or The Things They Carried. He follows a cohort, the class of '69 from Darton Hall (clearly a remake of his Alma Mater, Macalester). We are granted the unique perspective of knowing their past, present and everything in between; we watch them play Monday Morning Quarterback, lamenting their lives and the choices they've made and what they've become. For some, the reunion is a chance to mend life just a little bit and for others, it solidifies that the path of least resistance is all they will ever follow despite how glorious grandiose dreams of change may appear.
And of course, being a native of the Twin Cities, I feel a stronger connection with the story and the places referenced. Although not necessary information, I always love feeling privy to this knowledge (of course that unhappy, mother of two going through the motions would live in xxxx suburb!)
I will say that although the story is rife with emotion and true characters (how is he is able to beautifully develop stories of so many characters in so few pages? Talent, I guess) I am left with an unsettling feeling after reading the book. Depressing I can handle, I like depressing, but his view of marriage is quite low and although I realize no marriage is perfect, I am always a bit bothered by books that don't showcase a single successful marriage. Sure, life is hard, marriage can be hard, but surely even in real life some of us are happy with our spouses. -
da qualche anno i miei vecchi compagni di scuola ed io abbiamo ripreso a vederci abbastanza di frequente. Fra loro, alcuni non si erano mai persi di vista (due sono addirittura sposati), altri - come me - avevano tenuto blandi contatti, magari indotti da rapporti di lavoro. Ci vediamo, a cena o per un aperitivo, ogni due o tre mesi, non parliamo solo del passato, in generale ci divertiamo molto. C'è molta serenità, soprattutto per la consapevolezza condivisa che le nostre vite sono andate avanti rispetto ai remoti anni del liceo.
Con questa esperienza personale, ho fatto un po' fatica ad immedesimarmi nella vicenda dei reduci di Darton Hall, che si rivedono dopo un imprecisato numero di anni (è la riunione del trentennale dal diploma, ma - a parte il fatto che sono riusciti a sbagliarsi, facendola dopo trentuno anni - ce ne sono state di precedenti), avendo ancora aperte tutte le ferite che si erano reciprocamente inferti durante gli anni del college. Amori traditi, amori appassiti, amori che - secondo una vecchia bisbetica come me - dovrebbero essere morti e sepolti, e invece non aspettavano altro che un'occasione per rifarsi vivi, carichi di rancori o di insoddisfazioni o addirittura di ingenue aspettative.
Non è un brutto libro, ma ha troppo della sceneggiatura di un buon serial per essere preso del tutto sul serio. -
Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" is one of the best books ever written in my opinion.. Here his writing is top notch and even though I am only about 4 years older than the gang of characters in the book, I didn't care for any of them. Their 50-something angst, the death of the 60's idealism, the effects of the trauma of a war in a foreign jungle, is all portrayed in his exceptionally powerful prose, but I couldn't get connected or feel anything for them. What a sad lot they were!
The best chapters were those about the Vietnam war vet- those stories, for good or ill, are Tim O'Brien's tour de force.
So a 4 for the writing here and a 2 for the characters and story- average is 3. -
I don't paticular find narritives that are based on people living in or had lived in the sixties entertaining. I am of the generation that was raised by the Great Defiers and I must say, they have done a spectacular job of bettering the world as they matured out of being idealistic narcotic lovers and into hedonistic materialists!
The one exception, beyond nonfictional civil rights narritives, I will read with full vigour is novels by Tim O'Brien. This an author who understand how to evoke masculine emotion. With each novel, he pushes his reader into emotional battlefields and expects the reader to endure the journey.
July, July is the exploration of the 1969 graduating class of Darton Hall College thirtieth anniversay reunion. His charactures are the embodiment of the rise and fall of Beatlemania generation. It is such an arresting portrial of lifes that didn't quite blossom due to harsh weather that was never predicted. It has wonderfull humor and is a grand prose of faded dreams.
Honestly, this novel actually gave me wonderfull insight on the marred Baby Boomers. If all narritives based on the sixties were as well crafted as July, July, then maybe I could endure their audacity. -
I love Tim O Briens writing and I am going back to read some of his older books. His writing is good as always. But I graduated from college in 1969 and my reunion was not full of angst or hooking up with old loves ( after 30 years the old loves were different people). The characters were just not relatable.
The best writing and character was about David Todd a Vietnam vet with a story to tell and demons to cast out. This book does not compare with O Briens others. -
This book felt like a sequel to the film "The Big Chill" with the characters having aged another twenty years. I often had the sensation that I was reading a screenplay instead of a novel. O'Brien uses a thirty year college reunion for the class of 1969 as a jumping off point to tell a series of vignettes about moments in the attendees' lives. O'Brien jumps back and forth from the reunion to the personal story of each character and there a number of them. He tells the story of at least ten individuals. Some of the vignettes are better than others, particularly the one set in Vietnam, which had the quality of those from "The Things They Carried," a book superior to this one.
The basic underlying message I got from the book is "getting older sucks and there's no better time than your college years." The tale is a somewhat typical one - wide-eyed, idealistic college kids' hopes and dreams are gradually beaten down and out of them by the realities of life. Thirty years later everyone is miserable, isolated, lonely, and doing a pretty terrible job coping with aging. Most of the characters are unlikable while others don't feel fully formed, so it was difficult to get attached to any of them. The dialogue was also clunky and had an artificial quality. It felt too snappy and empty.
I read the book quickly as the prose kept me going and I was intrigued to see what sordid and unsavory affairs these people would get into next, but overall I would recommend watching "The Big Chill" to get a quicker rendition of this story. -
“We had fed the heart on fantasies,
The heart’s grown brutal from the fare.”
-William Butler Yeats
This quote, used as an epitaph at the beginning of this short novel, is a perfect description of what is about to be read. I find Yeats to be disillusioned and often hopeless and in many ways, Tim O’Brien is too.
They say you write what you know. Yeats wrote in the years between two World Wars. O’Brien is a product of the 60s and Vietnam. No wonder their writing is what it is.
That said, Tim O’Brien is a fantastic writer and an incredible storyteller. I am of the group that came right after his, age-wise, enough younger that the war ended early in my high school years. But I saw and heard enough to understand some of what was going on. I had a student teacher who was heading to the army straight after his college graduation. A friend of my husband’s was a vet who often talked about his time there. These men were forever changed. The characters in the book, an ensemble cast, seem very real. And very sad.
This is not an easy book to read. None of his books are. They are unsettling to say the least. But they are also human, and for that reason, important glimpses into the experiences of a generation. -
Tim O’Brien has written a slew of great books, including two (maybe three) that could be reasonably be called masterpieces. I might not rate this one as a masterpiece, but it was a great read, and it held me to the end. The book uses the device of a reunion to tell the stories of multiple characters whose lives intersect, veer off and intersect again. While each character is individually plausible, to the point of being occasionally annoying, I thought they seemed an unlikely group, but that didn’t stop me from charging through the book. O’Brien’s skill is moving the narrative along and creating characters who can and will transform before it’s all over, even if you’re left to guess the fates of a few of them. I’m sure the book’s ending will long be a subject for spirited analysis and debate, but that’s something I love about it. It felt like a fitting end for a 1969 class reunion taking place in the year 2000.
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July, July by Tim O'Brien is a novel that tells the stories of ten classmates who reunite thirty years after their 1969 graduation from Darton Hall College. The chapters bounce back and forth between their present-day reunion weekend and their 1969 stories of how their lives changed after college: love, marriage, divorce, children, betrayal, affairs, new jobs, sickness, and death. Above all, they all feel… old.
I was surprised by how much I liked this novel. It was dreary and devastating at times but also comical and scandalous. The characters were very funny, and I admire O'Brien's way of writing this book. All of their stories tangled so nicely together. Their plights were often outrageous. I loved the ending. I think my favorite characters were David, Dorothy, Jan, Amy, and Spinelli.
This is my second O'Brien book, after The Things They Carried, and I'm looking forward to reading more. -
It has been quite a stretch since I've read anything by Tim O'Brien (The Things They Carried). I found July, July a great read and liked how he interwove the characters and handled the time-lines of each story. The book takes place in Minnesota on a July weekend in 2000 at the 30th college reunion for the class of 1969 (the faulty math is explained) and looks back on the lives disappointments, desperation, and continuing connections of a small circle of friends. It reminded me of why I don't go to reunions.
O'Brien grew up in Minnesota, went to Macallister College, was drafted, and served in Viet Nam. The novel captures much of the angst of the times. I loved his use of language - both imagery and dialogue. "That girl of mine," my mother used to brag, "Ugly as North Dakota, but I swear she could squeeze a laugh out of a Baptist." -
This book is a big departure, in my view, from Tim O'Brien's other works. In July, July, the Vietnam war takes a supporting role, not a starring one, as O'Brien paints a picture of a dissatisfied and disaffected generation - the young men and women who came of age in 1969.
The narrative follows the 30th reunion of a fictional college outside of the Twin Cities. The main characters all stew in the imperfection of their own lives, and reminisce about the "better days" of their youth.
Tim O'Brien's writing style alone makes it worth the read, but the story is compelling too. It's nice to see something out of his usual genre, and between him and Jonathan Franzen, it makes me wonder what Minnesota water has in it that churns out some brilliant writers? -
tim. my man, you’ve done it again.
the setup of this entire narrative is pure genius!! alternating stories, constant changing between past & present, build up & intertwining of character lives; so good so good so good.
melancholic & lonely are the first two words i’d think of to describe it. strangely, hauntingly realistic. not sure i’ve ever read a book i’ve felt i’ve lived before in a past life.
this is the second work of tim o’brien’s that i’ve read & i’m absolutely floored by his prose. purely from his recurring themes & writing style, i can adequately say he is the ernest hemingway of our time. -
O'Brien is a literary genius.
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The test of a good writer is to take something as absolutely dreadful as ten middle-aged Boomers at their 30th (31 years later, actually--bad planning) college class reunion (really? didn't know they existed past high school's which was bad enough--gluttons for punishment) and turn it into a story fraught with all its old romances, multiple divorces and curiously-absent spouses which leads to more cheating and promiscuity (heh, heh, heh--he said "prom"), and drama, and secrets, and flashbacks. On that last item, it's only natural to embellish some of Vietnam-vet O'Brien's signature-halucinogenic, morphine-enhanced, lifetime-induced PTSD, nightmarish Nam-throwback experience in "the sh*t" to when one of the story's protagonists, David Todd, is the sole survivor of an ambush that wipes out his platoon. July 1969. The reunion is July 1999. Hence the title: "July, July." As it turns out, my favorite character is Master Sergeant Johnny Ever, David's alter-ego who is a psychotic entity of a sort (like hearing voices in your head--remember Son of Sam?) but he's this crazed, demonic DJ, and maybe even a guardian angel. Hard not to flash back to the terminally hip DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (WKRP Cincinnati) crossed with Robin Williams ("Good Morning Vietnam!"). O'Brien's thematic narrative is about the Samsonite Syndrome; the baggage that each of us--one and all--acquires in the course of our lifetimes. Remember the gorilla banging a hardshell suitcase around in his barred cage? But I digress...It's not original if you've read as many reunion stories as I have. Russo, Updike, yada, yada, yada. The field has been plowed so many times, I doubted whether there would be any more arrowheads to be found. But give O'Brien credit. He pulls it off. The closing chapter of the story with the night flight to Denver from Minneapolis is one of those fill-in-the-blank endings that leaves you hanging. I like that. And I don't. But won't offer up any spoilers. Ultimately, however, there are lessons to be learned. Not the least of which being, if somebody from those most-awkward unforgettable (try as you might) years in your life invites you to a reunion, do what that voice in your head from Monty Python tells you: "Run away! Run away!"
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Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried is one of my all-time favorite novels, and the only one of his books that I have read. Therefore, when I saw July, July on the library shelf I was anxious to read it. It is very different from The Things They Carried, but is just as well-written.
July, July is mostly about a thirtieth reunion of some members of a small midwestern college class. The plot does shift to time spent in Vietnam by one member of the class, where he was forever changed, both physically and emotionally.
Back to the reunion, where O'Brien focuses on about 10 of the classmates, their experiences during the previous 30 years and the baggage they bring to the few days together: their lingering doubts and hopes, regrets, and desires, not to mention the platonic and otherwise attractions that come to the surface during the reunion.
This is an imaginative, often funny, even sarcastic, novel which looks at the Baby Boomers with clear eyes. -
July, July celebrates a class reunion of 1969. The story goes back and forth from the past to the present. Covering basically eight students in depth and how life seldom works out the way we think it will. A woman with two husbands. A doped up one legged former soldier. A minister who breaks into a parishioner 's house. And many more of the same. Plus each one is mooning over his/her unrequited love. The characters demonstrate no growth, no reexamination of their lives, no new insights and all seem to have made poor choices and are unhappy with how their lives turned out. Page after page I read that no one seems to have a spouse or kids that they care about, fulfilling careers or any interest whatsoever. It was hard to keep everyone straight because everyone has problems. The weight of so many messed up people in one place at one time is hard to take. What a depressing read.
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Its a four star book, but I gave it five to balance out some of the other reviews. Plus, everyone gets a Mulligan. Tim captured the essence of the three great tragedies of modern living; death, divorce, and class reunions. The focus of the book drifts from SE Asia to the quiet (and terrifying) bedrooms of suburbia, all the while focused on a weekend 30 year reunion. O'brien is a skilled writer, and flexed his literary muscles on this one, yet without once descending into hyperbole and pretentiousness. He tells a good story without indulgence. It made me appreciate my own relationships more, and understand just how delicate they can be. If you have never thought about your college sweetheart, ever, just disregard everything I just said.
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I struggled with the ratings on this one. It’s my first Tim O’Brien and his vocabulary and turns of phrase are fantastic, but the novel overall just wasn’t for me. There is an overall feeling of hopelessness that’s hard for me, though there is hopefulness shot through the plot. There were three distinct storylines—a reunion of a college graduating class of 1969, flashbacks to their college selves, and then the stories of how they ended up where they are now. The specter of the war is never far from them. The characters are deeply flawed yet well developed. There are a couple that are only described by position, which seemed odd. Overall, I’m not sorry I read it.
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I love Tim O'Brien. He's such an underappreciated American author. This one had a few too many characters in it for me. I kept trying to remember who once dated who and what each person's story was - both past and present - but still an excellent read.
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Great storytelling, compelling characters, but damn, the bitterness here is palpable. I think I understand why O'Brien wants to really bring out the bitter, (life for the Baby Boomers neither was nor is a walk in the park) but I've read Sherman Alexie work that is less caustic.
