This was a tough read, in that the subject matter was difficult to read about. I actually had to put the book down after one episode involving a boxinThis was a tough read, in that the subject matter was difficult to read about. I actually had to put the book down after one episode involving a boxing match. (When you read the story, you'll understand.) Yet it was written with great care and is a topic that deserves our attention. The mid-book turn takes what would be a very good book and elevates it to a great one, but even if you already know what the turn involves, it's still a very worthwhile read....more
This was okay for what it was. Fans of the domestic thriller genre will almost certainly like it. It moved along at a decent clip most of the time, wiThis was okay for what it was. Fans of the domestic thriller genre will almost certainly like it. It moved along at a decent clip most of the time, with constant twists and turns that I appreciated. However, many of the characters were a little too "stock" and it got a little "everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink"-ish by the end. My biggest qualm is that the writer did too much repetition of information we already knew, to the point that I regularly skipped over the narrator's exposition. Trust the reader! We are smart!...more
It's actually hard to believe this is based in reality, in straight-up journalistic in-depth interviews, bBest book on female desire I have ever read.
It's actually hard to believe this is based in reality, in straight-up journalistic in-depth interviews, because it is written so much like a novel. I love this aspect of the book - I wish more nonfiction could be written with this degree of style, with this level of narration. I'd read a lot more of it.
I'd maybe consider docking half or a quarter of a star for the trouble I had adjusting to all the jumping around between stories and narrative voices in the beginning, but honestly once I got used to it, the three storylines flowed just fine for me.
And most importantly, I found myself in each and every woman. I've certainly never slept with a teacher, but I read parts of Maggie's story saying, "Yes. That's me. I've felt like that" I am definitely not married to a man who won't touch me, but when Lina describes the anxious waiting, knowing how poorly she's being treated by the man she's obsessed with, I felt seen. And I am not a rich beautiful restaurant owner, but Sloane's struggle to understand what her own sexual wants and needs are, and how those desires impact others, and in the end what she really wants is for her husband to wash the dishes, unasked, before she can even realize they need to be done . . . I've probably written something just like that in a journal somewhere.
This book won't be fore everyone, and I imagine some might find it crude or disturbing or entirely unrelatable, but for me, it was exactly the right thing at the right time, to help me feel not alone....more
For fans of Celest Ng and Lauren Groffman, The Most Fun We Ever Had is a worthwhile tale of intricate, emotional family drama. Beautiful character devFor fans of Celest Ng and Lauren Groffman, The Most Fun We Ever Had is a worthwhile tale of intricate, emotional family drama. Beautiful character development, distinct character voices, well integrated perspectives, and decent pacing keep things moving in a novel that might otherwise feel too long. ...more
What this book did well was walk the fine line of magical realism via lucid dreams. I bought into that idea fully, yet in the end I was disappointed bWhat this book did well was walk the fine line of magical realism via lucid dreams. I bought into that idea fully, yet in the end I was disappointed because some of the dreams were used so literally, almost like premonitions, and others were not, with no rhyme or reason to distinguish which would become which.
I also enjoyed Abby's "outsider-in" look at the life of her friend Elise, an LA actress, and watching their toxic relationship unfold. Yet I never really made out a story arc in this book. Yes, I saw Abby's character development, going from uncertain tagalong to "master of her own fate." I just don't know that I fully understand or agree with the fate she chose. (A baby seems out of character, especially because she ultimately didn't want to have to exist mere to take care of someone else, i.e., Elise.) Something was underdeveloped here, and the cult ending disappointed me, because Acampora did so much work to make Abby out as being mentally ill (to what degree we couldn't quite be certain), and then in the end she finds her "home" so to speak, and all of her craziness appears justified.
Acampora has an obvious mastery of language, so she's worth keeping on our radar. I'm just not sure that Paper Wasp totally hits the mark....more
I'm going to quote another reviewer, elliasreads, because I think it's the best summation in the fewest words and I agree with the sentiment in its enI'm going to quote another reviewer, elliasreads, because I think it's the best summation in the fewest words and I agree with the sentiment in its entirety (although I give the book one fewer stars):
One of the weirdest fucking books I’ve ever read.
This book is the product child of a love triangle: if Mean Girls and Alice in Wonderland fell in love with The Craft.
If you like pretentious people in cliques and sacrificial cults and exploding heads and truly WTF moments, all at the same time getting their MFAs in writing and lit?
Then this one is for you.
It's an allegory. Once you figure out that it's not actually a horror novel, you know it's an allegory, but it took me until the end to really figure out what the various elements stood for. A+ for imagination and uniqueness. But I can't really say I "liked" the book. If you're looking for something you definitely have not read before, this will fit the bill....more
Everyone should read this book. Women with children. Women without. Men with children. Men without. I am a 35-year-old woman who is in a childless hetEveryone should read this book. Women with children. Women without. Men with children. Men without. I am a 35-year-old woman who is in a childless heterosexual relationship, and this book, which is "about parents," could have just as easily been about me.
This is a book about female anger at the patriarchy, but without the bitter blame of men's character. Lockman acknowledges that men these days, at least some men, really do strive for equity. And they are doing more than their fathers and their fathers' fathers every did. But have we toppled the patriarchy, with equitable child-rearing and homemaking for all? No. And it's just as much women's "faults" as men's.
The reality is our society and culture have created a system that is very, very hard to break free from, especially since even trying to speak of it raises people's hackles. This is the gendered equivalent of telling a white person they are racist, not because they are overtly and intentionally hurting minorities, but because they simply don't know any better. Calling that person racist will make them defensive, because they don't see themselves that way and are possibly even trying not to be "that way." And yet if we don't point it out, we can't solve for it. This book Points It Out.
Quick note: I listened to this as an audiobook, so the reading of it on paper may be different. However, the messages are the same, and as such, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
For a book about familial relations, I thought this book was paced very quickly - in a good way. Some of the characters were a little "stock" (Baby ViFor a book about familial relations, I thought this book was paced very quickly - in a good way. Some of the characters were a little "stock" (Baby Vi, Kim, Proctor, Eva, any/all police) but the narrators were all nuanced and human enough to keep me satisfied. I just kind of wish there had been a few fewer narrators. I didn't need all three sisters narrating, plus Proctor's letters, plus Kim/Baby Vi's text messages (although at least these came later, at a narratively appropriate point in the story). Lillian's voice fell flattest to me, even though she was arguably the most important character in the story (or at least, one may argue, the most important narrator holding the whole book together). I just found her a little boring, even her little OCD "safe" tic. She might have been better as a character we learned about through the other characters. In fact, Joe might have been an interesting character to hear from, as his "side of the story" would have, almost certainly, been wildly different. In any event, no sense in rewriting the book in the review. It was still enjoyable and I have no hesitation recommending it to anyone who enjoys books about family drama....more
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