The Falls: A Novel
by Joyce Carol Oates
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joyce Carol OatesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-10
ISBN: 0061565342
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Ecco
Book Reviews of The Falls: A Novel
Book Review: I cant believe I made it to the end!
Summary: 1 Stars
After reading raving reviews about this book, I couldnt wait to pick it up. After - finally! - getting through it, I don't understand what all the fuss was about? The book contained too many plot lines, too much unnecessary detail and was probably about 300 pages too long. Here are my comments:
- The beginning of the book, where Ariah's first husband commits suicide, was so painfully slow I almost gave up 20 pages in. A little less detail on the history of every character and every setting in the book would have been nice.
- When Ariah meets Dirk, the story picks up tremedously and I actually started to enjoy it. I was very interested in their life together, their children and the Love Canal drama. Just as the story really gets going - BOOM - the author goes and kills off the main character. At this point, the book takes a dramatic turn for the worse.
- Ariah's character becomes completely unlikeable and completely unrealistic. I get it, shes a tramautized widow. She's hurt and angry that her husband cheated on the family and (potentially) committed suicide. I understand that this trauma could cause her to be bitter and angry. What I don't understand are the complete changes in her personality. She started out as a timid, sweet, shy woman and turned into a preachy, frigid, over-religious hermit. Why was she so mean to her children? Why did she turn into such an outcast? What did she have against people, neighbors, feelings, etc. I didnt understand any of her thoughts, behaviors or actions, nor could I see how this was suppossed to be the same character from the first half of the book.
- At this point, the book then is told from the viewpoint of each of her children. This was a great idea but poorly executed. Why did we spend pages and pages having to read about Chandler's hostage situation? Was all of that detail necessary? It didnt have anything to do with the rest of the book. Chandler was shown as brave, helpful and heroic - but that could have been summed up in a couple of sentences.
- Then there is Royall. Really, Royall met some strange woman in a cemetary and has sex with her? Really??
- Juliette's section was perhaps the least thought out and developed. All we learn about this girl is that she is "dreamy", constantly has a far-off look in her eyes, can sing, and constantly looks disheveled.
- What, exactly, do Ariah's eyes look like when she is mad and has a "gasoline green" stare?
- Why do we need to know so much detail about Bud? Do I really need to know the ins and outs of his cooking career?
After forcing myself to continue through 500+ pages, I was disappointed to read that nothing came together in the end. While we do find out what happened to Dirk, what happened to Nina? What happened with the Love Canal case? Did Ariah finally find some peace? Can she go on to be a little bit more of a normal person? And what ever happened to her parents? They were constantly around when Chandler was first born. I assume they died at some point but they are just never mentioned again.
I really think this book had a lot of potential. You can see how good of a writer the author is in the middle section of the book (the Dirk section). The story started off really good at this point but ultimately got lost amongst too much detail about unrelated characters and plot lines.
If this book was 150 pages, I would say read it on a train / plane ride to make the time go by. But at 512 pages, its definitely not worth your time.
Summary of The Falls: A Novel
It is 1950 and, after a disastrous honeymoon night, Ariah Erskine's young husband throws himself into the roaring waters of Niagara Falls. Ariah, "the Widow Bride of the Falls," begins a relentless seven-day vigil in the mist, waiting for his body to be found. At her side is confirmed bachelor and pillar of the community Dirk Burnaby, who is unexpectedly drawn to this plain, strange woman. What follows is a passionate love affair, marriage, and family?a seemingly perfect existence. But the tragedy by which they were thrown together begins to shadow them, damaging their idyll with distrust, greed, and even murder.
Set against the mythic-historic backdrop of Niagara Falls in the mid-twentieth century, this haunting exploration of the American family in crisis is a stunning achievement from "one of the great artistic forces of our time" (The Nation).
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