Goodnight Nobody (Jennifer Weiner)
The one thing I really like about Jen Weiner is that she doesn't write the same book over and over again. Her characters have complicated relationships, and she's written about romance, sisterhood, parenthood, and now, identity. Or Wisteria Lane-type suburban intrigue, if you want to look at it as a more fluffy novel. But Weiner is always pushing herself (or at least so it seems to me) to get deeper as a writer, and even if she's no Virginia Woolf, it does show.
This book is a quick read, but I wouldn't quite dismiss it as "chick lit," although I was reading it alongside All The King's Men, which is so unfair, because that has to be one of the most marvelously written books of all time. The ending of Goodnight Nobody was somewhat of a cop-out, and it isn't transcendently written or anything like that. But enjoyable, relatable, and interesting nonetheless.
(ETA: Even her fans seem to hate this one, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm easy.)
This book is a quick read, but I wouldn't quite dismiss it as "chick lit," although I was reading it alongside All The King's Men, which is so unfair, because that has to be one of the most marvelously written books of all time. The ending of Goodnight Nobody was somewhat of a cop-out, and it isn't transcendently written or anything like that. But enjoyable, relatable, and interesting nonetheless.
(ETA: Even her fans seem to hate this one, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm easy.)
posted by mo pie at 7:20 PM
3 Comments:
Thank you for inspiring me to start a book blog. I know Melinda has liked Weiner's novels, but I haven't checked any of them out yet. I suppose I would be more receptive to "chick lit" than many guys, so I'll have to check her out some day.
I do not know what is more upsetting, the fact that I just finished reading "Goodnight Nobody" and feel cheated or that I am truly contemplating never buying another Jennifer Weiner book. The letter at the end to the reader was tasteless and rather rude. Most readers know who she is due to her lastest motion picture movie based on her previous novel, "In Her Shoes". Why does she feel the need to leave the reader hanging, hint (while we are down) at another book to continue the Kate and Ben or Evan saga, and then plug all of her books. I feel completely violated.
I totally missed the letter at the end, Anon... can you recap?
Post a Comment
<< Home