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There are currently 24 member reviews
for Dinosaurs
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Nicole S. (St. Paul, MN)
What happened? I don't know. I love it!
So I tried to explain this book to a friend. It's a book where nothing terrible happens and nothing too dramatic happens. The main characters are all likable and reliable in some way. The story meanders but you really are not sure where it's going. I really liked the book.
I am not sure what about the book I liked- the language was sparse but evocative. The story was going somewhere, but slowly. I can't quite say why I enjoyed this book but I really did. I immediately gave it to a friend and told her to see if her book group would like it. I think I might retry Millet's other work because I enjoyed her voice so much in this book.
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Shelley S. (Great Neck, NY)
The Dinosaurs is both Intimate and Universal
Dinosaurs is a slim book, easily entered to be read slowly. It is full of metaphors and the book's unfolding itself becomes one for its protagonist, Gil. It's seemingly telling a simple tale without embellishment which resembles Gil's world view as we meet him at 45, only to subtly and gradually reveal the layers of a man, a community, relationships with other humans and with a newly engaging natural world. Each chapter is titled with the name of a bird whose characteristics are also present in people or events in Gil's life and provide great meaning. Literally walking from his former home in NYC to the one he bought sight unseen in Phoenix is an attempt to immerse himself in what he imagines is "real life",from which his inherited wealth has shielded him. Encumbered by a bad breakup, he has left behind only two friendships with meaning, which add poignancy and reveal that he isn't the only person giving of himself in his "career" of volunteering. His newly arrived neighbors live in a house with the facing wall made of glass. He sees how a family lives, loves and disappoints. To his surprise and delight he becomes part of this family, mentoring- really parenting- the middle school child who has his own socialization issues. Gil's musings about how most dinosaurs became extinct except those who could evolve into birds, and his commitment to the birds he sees around his new desert home become meditations on environment and potential extinction. He becomes their protector when he sees pointless and widescale shooting of those to whom he has become attached. It is perhaps a metaphor too far when he dons a bat costume on Halloween and ventures out to solve the crime. A thread of the story concerns the drunk driver who killed his parents when he was very young, revealing more about Gil and the world, and exploring the concept of closure. I recommend this book to those readers who wish to join Gil in his musings about nature, relationships and the human condition and I hope that is many people.
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Rosemary C. (Golden, CO)
Simply a lovely book
I read this book in one sitting - that's how much it captivated me. Lydia Millet as created characters and a setting that are incredibly compelling. I was touched that the main characters, though flawed, were all trying to be decent, good people. I especially came to appreciate Gil who recognizes, after many unlucky years, that he is incredibly grateful for the friends who become is surrogate family. The Arizona desert interplays with the events of the story and provides a backdrop for his insights. I think this would be a good book for a lively group discussion.
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Susan K. (Los Angeles, CA)
Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet
Dinosaurs? Maybe we all are, just waiting for our next evolutionary stage, as the protagonist, Gil, is.
This is an outstanding book and a shortish read that goes down so smoothly that you will easily finish it in one day. These unlikely characters have found themselves in unavoidable proximity (one family lives in a literal "glass house" overlooked by the castle-style house of another) and their lives will coincide, but not in the ways you might expect. Millet is a beautiful writer, with a calm and expansive style and ties up some loose ends of the story, but not all so that the reader will find it pleasing to contemplate what may happen to these characters down the road.
I adored this book and plan to read Ms Millet's other books as soon as possible. By the way, the information gleaned about birds (the true descendants of the dinosaurs) is never obtrusive and truly interesting, as are the descriptions of the Arizona landscape.
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Gaye R. (Coupeville, WA)
Relatable and Educational
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet is a delightful, humorous read that I would happily read again and recommend to friends and family. The exploration of Gil's life and loves and friendships near and far is both relatable and unique. The book is also an ecological education of different types of birds and how the birds' lives intersect with our lives as well as Gil's. Treat yourself to a pleasant morning, afternoon or evening reading Dinosaurs.
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Mary Ann S. (Virginia Beach, VA)
More Gils!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it would lend itself to a great book club discussion. Gil, the protagonist, is such a good person. In fact, maybe too good sometimes. I found myself telling him to get a spine now and then - maybe a just a little bit of anger, revenge or snarliness, but that was not his character and that's OK. Gil intuitively knew how to engage and befriend Tom, the boy next door – my favorite relationship. I was not so thrilled with Sarah (girlfriend). Despite being well intentioned, she did somethings that would have ended their relationship had Gil not understood her motives. Gil's observational skills allowed him to understand and be empathetic to humans and animals alike. Ultimately, he touched and changed (for the better) virtually character in the book. The world needs more Gils!
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Susan B. (Memphis, MO)
sweet, somewhat spare, thought provoking, enjoyable
I quite liked this book, though it wasn't my usual kind of read. I think it spare in dialog and exposition, such that I sometimes found myself unsure of exactly what was going on. This was likely reader error, as I'm not used to the style and unfamiliar with the (sub)culture and milieus involved. I don't think I missed any important plot points, but did find myself having to go back and reread at times. By the end I came to enjoy wondering/guessing what it might mean, and very much loved the nature facts and appreciation throughout. Several characters were interesting, even if I never came to care very much about most of them. Certainly worth a read, especially if you enjoy skilled (if spare) writing, bird references, and/or a desert setting.
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