Netherland: A Novel
by Joseph O'Neill
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Book Reviews of Netherland: A Novel
Book Review: i read it twice--first in gulps, and then in sips
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has been reviewed so extensively and lavishly that I wonder if I actually have anything to add. Here is what I loved about Netherland: those of us fortunate enough to live in New York typically take great pleasure in the multiple layers of life and experience we find here. No matter who we are, we are constantly reminded that we are only one of thousands of unique stories walking the sidewalks of this city and riding the trains. Netherland is a beautiful reminder of this--it takes readers outside of their own experience and says, "Consider this!" I enjoyed it less for the 9/11 connection, which is not in my mind all that important to the plot, than for the reminder of what is extraordinary about this city. I galloped through the first reading, knowing full well I'd go back to savor it again. The writing really is lyrical--that is no exaggeration. Just when you think English has been fully exploited in all the most beautiful ways, along comes another writer who does it again. Many sentences have the humor and beauty of Mark Helprin at his best. Living in Chelsea makes this story special for me, but it will resonate with readers far afield for other reasons having to do with love, dreams, and dislocation. Don't miss it.Book Review: Uneven and frustrating
Summary: 2 Stars
"Netherland" is a book that received very positive reviews from major newspapers as well as this web site. It always is a cause for reflection when one's opinion runs contrary to "experts" but I believe this book fails to live up to a five star rating.
I feel the writing is uneven, mannered and more focused on the technical elements of the fiction rather than its substance. The narrator can be an annoying and petulant presence and when he bemoans the number of friends and acquaintances (not to mention his wife) who leave him or fail to maintain contact, it is not hard to understand why.
There were times when I wondered whether I wanted to finish it but abandoning a book in mid-read has been a rare occurrence for me. There was a redemption, of sorts, in the final chapter (the book is divided into three chapters.) The author began to write in a freer and more relaxed fashion and with greater emotion. It actually felt like someone else had picked up the pen or, at the least, the author had decided to get to the heart of the matter.
There may be a time when I am willing to give this book a second read but,overall, I see it only as a partially successful effort.
Book Review: A Sometimes Magical Union of New York and Cricket from a Unique Perspective
Summary: 3 Stars
After reading many reviews, I was alternately eager and skeptical of Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland." A number of critics I respected clearly loved this book, but I always feel uneasy when so many people draw comparisons to other classic works. Personally, I felt like the Gatsby connections weren't all that strong. At the same time, there are so many other aspects of this novel that make it something I would recommend. O'Neill is a wonderful writer, whose prose has a captivating quality to it. The final scene, back in London, was terrific and had me tearing up. I was also taken with the fact that, while New York is central to this novel, the city appears through non-tradition. O'Neill's New York plays out through the eyes of immigrants who offer a truly unique perspective that was tremendously appealing. Rather than presenting these characters as "the other" that they so often appear to be, these characters came to life in a compelling way. While I didn't love this book and there were moments were I found my attention drifting, I did find "Netherland" to be a book worth recommending and I would encourage those that love great literature to take a chance. Just try to ignore the hype and comparisons.Book Review: Manhattan dude goes to Brooklyn, hangs with immigrants, rearranges his marriage (yawn!)
Summary: 1 Stars
Sure, it starts out well enough ... there's the backdrop of 9/11, the great descriptions of the gloominess of Chelsea Hotel to where the author is banished from his Tribeca loft, the introduction of the canny/shady dude from Trinidad (who, we are told, winds up cuffed and dead), and the pathos of a disintegrating marriage ... too bad none of these gambits go anywhere. This is a shockingly disappointing story. In the end, it amounts to the little more than the Adventures of an Aging, Rich Wall-Streeter as he (gasp!!) Hung With an Immigrant in Brooklyn. (Stop the presses, all!) There is no proper, systematic exploration of what various incidents mean, no real plot, just a hammy stringing together of anecdotes, and of course the usual hurried wrapping-up when the overwhelmed author realizes he's out of steam. For some who've been touched by New York, the descriptions and word-play may bring back memories; but even for these folks, this simply won't be enough. This is a profoundly disappointing, jilting book. The editor/publisher/reviewer establishment has simply failed in its job at screening out this book from the reading public.Book Review: Netherland Sucks You In, Never Spits You Out
Summary: 5 Stars
It turns out that it takes an Irishman that was raised in the Netherlands to reveal a perspective of New York City that at the same time invigorates you and gives you a sense of how New York City (and the USA, by extension) was once contemplated by people from all over the world. In Netherland, O'Neill chronicles a man who's life shares many parallels with his own, and does so in a manner that exemplifies both the optimism and downright abjectness that coming to a new country, and particularly NYC, can instill into someone.
Paying homage to the esteemed F. Scott Fitzgerald on more than one occasion, O'Neill still manages to keep his voice distinct throughout the novel. He has a rare style, one that reaches into your neck, directly at the midpoint between your brain and your heart, and grips you until your throat starts to knot. Netherland is a novel that sucks you in. You'll find that throughout reading it, your nose will inevitably touch the pages, as you will draw the book ever closer to your face, in anticipation, and without even realizing that you're doing it.