The Emperor's Children (Vintage)
by Claire Messud
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Book Reviews of The Emperor's Children (Vintage)
Book Review: What Am I Missing?
Summary: 1 Stars
I made it through a third of this book, partly because it's the only book I brought on vacation (hadn't started reading it yet) and partly because the cover blurbs from reputable pubs were so glowing. But, blech! I can only assume that the writer has a large cadre of good friends out there, who write things like: "Messud is a gorgeous writer whose scenes are deeply observed and hauntingly constructed."
Pick up the book and just glance at any page - literally, any page. And you'll see stuff like this:"Her mother, she knew, believed in such things; believed in such a thing in this very instance--and which she vividly recalled having felt, and felt keenly, even in Sydney; had, if she were honest, allowed so strongly to hold sway that the very idea for her revolution program had been, was--it was true, and too embarrassing ever to acknowledge--simply a pretext to contact him again, and more than that, actually to spend time with him, to force herself (though not literally, of course) upon him."
Is the author being paid by the word, I wonder?
Book Review: Acceptable
Summary: 3 Stars
I will add to the chorus of calling this book readable but at times mediocre... the book meanders between being a biting satire of upper side NY societal privilege of a heartbreaking tale of children of that society who essentially have no say in their lives either by circumstance or honest mistakes, to a post 9/11 tale. The book needs to pick one. As soon as I start liking a character, they do something dumb, cruel, or both. I enjoyed some of the banter, particularly among the "children", as I personally am facing my ten year post college anniversary and contemplating where I've been and where I'm going... but I hope I am not as unlikeable as these people. The 9/11 tale is essentially tacked onto the last quarter, and is a bit difficult to swallow, and only one character seems to be irreversibly changed from it. Some of the other relationships also require a leap of faith, but then, sometimes relationships make little sense. Overall, it's readable, I don't regret spending the time with it, but you might want to borrow a friend's or library's copy instead.Book Review: a gorgeous subtle exegesis on lies, truth and what lies in between
Summary: 5 Stars
i am sorry that previous reviewers who did not understand the subtleties of this book felt entitled to denigrate the book rather than their understanding of the text. and this, indeed, is what one of the multiple themes that inhabit this book and are beautifully illustrated in this nuanced, entertaining and spot on portrait of early 21st century new york. other themes woven into this story (other than entitlement, education, ignorance and presumption) are what is real vs imagined, how does one create something real (out of imagination,) what is truly valuable, what is truth/is truth knowable/does it exist, how does one communicate with integrity, what is integrity, how does one succeed in this day and age, what is success, etc.. these themes are woven into a compelling narrative, elsewhere delineated which characters that are sometimes more (murray, danielle, marina) or less (julian, bootie, ludo) compelling. a gorgeous book, well worth one's time if one is inclined to read a book that is more than just plot driven.Book Review: Balancing The Scales
Summary: 5 Stars
Every so often, I check into the review page for The Emperor's Children, just to see if anything has changed. I remember stopping by the first time, and being shocked by the poor reviews, and assuming it had to be a temporary twist of the numbers, that the universe will certainly right itself soon enough.
Well, it hasn't. I won't argue with anyone's experiences of the book -- that's far beyond what I can offer. I will say that, as a journalist in DC, it's far and away the most accurate examination of the Eastern intellectual class that I've encountered. Messud is a gorgeous writer whose scenes are deeply observed and hauntingly constructed. The world of the book is specific, to be sure, and it's possible, as you see in the reviews, that many won't relate. But if you went to a small liberal arts college; if you're fascinated, or resentful, or appalled, or attracted, by the pretensions of the self-styled intellectual set; if you like sharply written banter; you can hardly do better than this book.
Book Review: Yawn... Over-Hyped and Not Worth It
Summary: 1 Stars
"And why, in the summer, was the air beyond the turnstiles quite so fetid, a blooming composite reek of piss and sweat and enveloping garbage rot, borne on the furious steaming gusts through the foul tunnels?"
I stopped reading after this line, but I kept wondering why I even read that far. If you liked the movie "The Royal Tennebaums," you might like this book. This book seemed full of important intellectual people who might be fascinating if they weren't so self-absorbed.
The Emperor's Children focuses on the life of Marina Thwaite, daughter of an aging novelist, and her two friends, Danielle, a television producer and Julius, a freelance critic. Marina's father's novels provide employment, conversation, dates and move the plot forward but I couldn't find myself caring about any of the characters. Was it the slow-paced writing? The attempt to be deeply self-aware? The lush, earnest-but-pretending-to-be-effortless writing? Who knows? Who cares? I certainly don't.