Jennifer Egan's byline on a New York Times Sunday magazine piece always draws me in because she writes such eloquent, complex takes on issues that I tend to be really interested in. So it was about time that I got around to one of her novels. Cozied up in my parents' house in Santa Fe, I found Look at Me--a National Book Award Finalist--on their shelf and devoured it in front of the kiva fireplace.
It's the kind of novel that worries you about half way in. You think: I'm loving this writing, but I'm afraid there is no possible way for this author to bring the plot together in some palpable way. Egan is a master at metaphor and the sort of novelist that brings vivid images to mind every few lines or so. Though it's a relatively long novel, I felt like I was swimming through it, flipping page after page. The other thing that I LOVED, is that she writes about a bunch of teen girl characters and, with the exception of a few ancillary supporting actresses, no one is reduced to the usual "I'm a teen girl look at my whine and act really shallow" crap of so many other books. Her girls are all human beings, struggling with important challenges of self-discovery.
The themes in this book are wide-ranging--history, image, alienation, money, friendship, infidelity, consumerism, mental health, beauty... It goes on and on, and doesn't end until the last triumphant scene where everything--indeed--is brought eerily and palpably together.
Look at Me is the kind of book you read and know that you will need a lot of time to process. I really wish I'd read it with a book group or in a class, because there's so many twists and turns--both plot-wise and thematically. But alas, it was just me, myself, and I. Maybe you'll read it and leave some comments here...
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it's my turn to pick the book for our book group, and this is totally it! thanks for the review and suggestion.
I realize it probably doesn't matter to you, but, I gotta tell ya', it's really hard to read past the initial Oprah dis.
And if it isn't intended as such, please
know that for a lot of us, that is how it comes off.
If I write a book, please don't review it under such a title.
I would want Oprah to put me on her list, reach a wider audience and become more secure as a writer in the publishing industry.
in a previous post, courtney said:
"Yeah, thanks for chiming in folks. We've been through this before...basically it's NOT Oprah's book club because I can't write a review and immediately sell 5,000 times as many copies of Anna Karenina. I love what she's done for reading and readers. (I do think there's something sort of undemocratic about how much power she has. It's disproportionate and the opposite of blogging in so many ways.)"
I think Oprah makes some great literary choices, and she's gotten a lot of people to read good books who otherwise might not have.
Still, I like the title of these posts; they remind me that there's other stuff out there, as well as other resources. I don't think it's "Cooler Than Thou" or anything like that, though I see how some might see it that way.
That's true, powerful women ARE scary.
I'm addressed this multiple times in the past. Feel free to do a search. And you've got it Hara. I won't review your book when it comes out.
I also read this book last year after I picked it up at the AWP conference in NYC. I enjoyed a lot of things about it (including the bizarrely creative story line) but was maybe too often confused about where it was headed...? Jennifer Egan is an amazing writer but I think I might have preferred The Keep because there was more to latch onto. This one made me feel a little like my head was spinning. I often went back and forth on how much I actually liked the protagonist. How did you feel about her character, Courtney? Did you ever feel a little... pessimistic after looking at the world through her eyes?
the oprah comment was what made me look closer at this book. i go to oprah's site for her suggestions, but i come here for clearly feminist suggestions.
It absolutely agree with your opinion. So, if not comments for what has not bought this book. And so already temper in Amazon... )))
I also loved this book - read it a few years ago. It's actually got some pretty amazing theoretical insights into identity, and especially The Image (capital "T"! capital "I"!) I wrote a review on my own book blog if you're interested: Look at Me