What do readers think of Indiscretion by Charles Dubow? Write your own review.

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow was a less than satisfying novel because it used a predictable and overused plotline with characters that did not fit in the present day. The characters, the rich and the dissatisfied did not seem authentic. There was nothing about them that you could have empathy for in today's life. The narration of the story between the first and third person was disruptive. I would not recommend this book.

This book about the affair of an upper class writer in the "perfect" marriage began rather slowly and I found myself rather unfavorably wondering if the story was nothing more than a Gatsby redux. A short way into the book, though, I began to care about the characters and the effects of their individual actions on the others and the group. By mid-book, the carefully well-crafted story hooked me and I had a hard time putting the book down. Ultimately, though, by the time the book ended, I was bored again and the messages of the plot seemed trite and a little stale. F. Scott Fitzgerald did it better in The Great Gatsby.

The setting of the lifestyle of the rich and famous was interesting and believable. The well developed characters and their desires, self-destructive and otherwise, was a timeless tale. A thoughtful and insightful tragedy that was also a real page turner. Well paced with a few surprises. This one will stay with me for quite awhile.

But, alas, I could not. Although the book was a quick read, I found myself questioning the motives & personalities of the characters. Often the scenerios just didn't seem plausible & I just didn't discover anything new or refreshing in the telling of this ancient tale. In fact, in certain respects, I've heard this story before in real life. I kept waiting for something earth-shattering to occur and by that time, for me, it was too little, too late.

Indiscretion might make a book club book but the discussion would be boring. It's the same old story about the rich being bored, a world of everything not enough. So gather in a waif, who incidentally is dumb like a fox, to spice up a life that most of us would consider fantastic, and play games with a marriage. Maddy was the most interesting character in the book, as Claire and Harry were just as you would expect them. Unsavory. The narrator must have been a great dream with an excellent imagination. All in all, I would not recommend this book to my book club.

This book was a captivating read. There are so many likable characters brought together and then torn apart. It's hard to know for whom you should be rooting because, before the "indiscretion", you like each person. It's an interesting take on an age old scenario. I really liked the third person, omniscient observer. It made the whole situation important to him and therefore to the reader. I will definitely recommend this book to friends.

This is what reading is all about for me -- an absorbing story, beautifully written, with characters that seem so real I know I will miss them when I am done.
Dubow has taken what should be an ordinary, time worn story -- a man's adulterous affair -- and turned it into something riveting. The device he employs of having the narrator recount the story by looking back on events only adds to the tension. I am in awe of this author's ability to capture so authentically the shifting feelings of the players involved, and in doing so to evoke sympathy for all the players involved. Is Claire, the other woman, to be loathed, feared, pitied? And what of Harry, is he weak...a fool...deserving of forgiveness? So too, the narrator, the affable family friend Walter, an echo of Nick from The Great Gatsby, who is hopelessly in love with the wife, is a man of many shades.
Top it all off with a quiet and gut-wrenching ending that does not resort to tricks or big fireworks for impact, but instead, packs its punch through sheer brilliance of feeling and emotion .
I cannot wait to see what this author does next.

I enjoyed this book but didn't feel compelled to read it as fast as possible -thus my rating of 4 and not 5. Right away it had an aura of THE GREAT GATSBY to it (even before I turned to the back cover and saw that this comparison was being made.) There are people with lots of money suffering from ennui and a young, naive girl who gets sucked into their world. At first the third person narration seemed a bit stilted, as though it were directions for a movie, and then the narration switched to the first person. I liked it better after that.