Hard to read to the end
In the past I have really enjoyed my First Impressions selections, but I feel that this novel is not my style. I felt that the narrative was very jumpy. Maybe that was what the author intended, however, I felt that it was distracting. I also did not feel an attachment to the characters.
Rated of 5
by Roan H. (New Orleans, LA)
The Summer Without Men
I was captured by the first sentence, then the first paragraph of this book. To my disappointment the rest of the book did not meet my expectations. Although this book is beautifully written with its clear and cogent sentences, I was disappointed. There are too many plots in this book; had the author used her talent for prose on the primary plot, this would have been an excellent book.
Rated of 5
by Randi H. (Bronx, NY)
The Summer Without Men
The Summer Without Men, by Siri Hustvedt, was not what I expected. The title made me think it would be "chick-lit" or beach reading. It was decidedly not that (not that I complaining). Nor, however, was it a story that was a compelling read. About Mia, whose husband has left her (perhaps temporarily), I never felt fully engaged in Mia's life. Her musings and writings, while interesting, did not necessarily make me feel close to her. Additionally, a number of other characters and stories are introduced in the book that often felt distracting to me. Some, like the next door neighbor, I wanted to learn more about. Others, like an elderly women who made subversive art, seemed rather random and unnecessary additions to the story. Overall, it was not a book that made me want to stay up late reading.
Rated of 5
by Mary M. (Beverly Hills, FL)
Not a lot of substance
This slight book is told rather in the fashion of diary entries, and this sense is reinforced because the reader is often addressed as "Dear Reader." (There are also a lot of Jane Austen allusions.) These "entries" veer between straightforward narrative, bits of poetry, letters, verbatim conversations, and long introspective musings. It's actually an interesting and fun way to read a story if you have the patience for it. The narrator is caustic and witty and sublimely sarcastic. But, I never felt particularly drawn to her or to the other characters' lives and issues. None of the women, or girls, is fleshed out enough to offer any real insights. And the title seems a bit misleading; rather than a summer without men, men seem to be a major preoccupation of all the women in the book, one way or another. A book club might enjoy reading and discussing this book, if they wanted to explore the differences between men and women, and whether those differences mean anything.
Rated of 5
by Carmen S. (solomons, MD)
The Summer without Men
I thought that this book was going to be powerful when I had to put the book down after reading 3 pages. I was reliving my past and it didn't feel good! However, I was disappointed in the book. I thought it was disjointed. Hustvedt introduced characters and then by the time she got back to them, I found myself having to go back and try to remember who they were. I think that including Mia's poetry to tie thoughts together was novel, but ineffective. My biggest complaint was the author's vocabulary. I have a pretty fair grasp of words and their meanings but found that I had to stop repeatedly and look up words. I quickly began to wonder if she purposely used words that I'm sure most readers would not know. That added to the disjointed feeling although, with a Kindle, the reader would have instant access to the dictionary so the flow of the story might be more successful. And, finally, I thought the ending was disappointing, but fairly realistic.
Rated of 5
by Lucia S. (La Jolla, CA)
Disappointed
I wish that this novel had actually been a "smart, sassy reflection on the varieties of female experience", as Kirkus Reviews asserts. Hustvedt aims at some meaty topics (marriage and fidelity, teenage girlhood, minor and major insanity, aging, childhood imagination...) but never hits a real emotional mark. Her wit and elevated observations feel forced and effortful, her characters remain flat actors reciting lines, and I couldn't make myself care about any of them. Smart, but not nearly smart enough, The Summer Without Men will disappoint readers wanting more of the sharp intellect and swift craftsmanship Hustved revealed in What I Loved.
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Its board approved the...
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of 5
by Sarah H. (Belford, NJ)
of 5
by Lucia S. (La Jolla, CA)
