Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel by Jonathan Safran Foer
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Book Reviews of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel
Book Review: Goes beyond concept
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is unconventional in its structure, jumping between plots, utilizing a little mixed media, and throwing in plenty of epistolary narration from different characters in different times, and featuring some rather fantastical characters and events. Yet beyond that conceit is a compelling story that, in the end, rings true. It is a brilliant meditation on grief and its poetic language had me reading lines aloud and writing them down as quotations. 9/11, as well as the bombing of Dresden, is a constant theme, but I think the novel itself is universal, and will continue to be relevant in the face of future tragedies that befall us. Much like another Jonathan from Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem, Safran Foer is a refreshing change from the banal naval gazing of contemporary fiction.Book Review: Tristram Shandy reborn...
Summary: 5 Stars
The reviews already posted on the Amazon site are perceptive and useful. The parallel stories of a most unfortunate family get us extremely close to two members of the Schnell family: a boy in great pain as he seeks to explain the inexplicable horror of September 11 and what he sees as his own unforgivable sin, and a grandfather who responded to his agony, the pitiless bombing of a non-combatant Dresden in W.W. II, by embracing silence. One thing to be added is how this author evokes memories of Tristram Shandy in his creative use of the printed page. He fills it, he leaves it empty, he provides one line on it, he offers photos, he even offers a series of photos which show- like the old flip-books- a moving piece of the events on the Twin Towers "worst day."Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
That's probably the best book I read recently. Although I am not a huge 9/11 fan, this book really helped me to see the loss of a father from a child's point of view. As a person with a psyc degree, I can say that Foer captured the trauma experienced by a mature 9-years old so correctly. It reminded me that how a child loves parents unconditionally, and the way he builds his life around them. If one of them dies, all his life will be shattered and it's not easy to built a new one. I reminded me all the children whose fathers (and mothers) die in wars everyday. Oscar, such a precious child: pacifist, vegan, sensitive about the inequality that capitalism brings. Probably, that's who Foer really is. That's why I loved him, and his book very much.Book Review: What a touching, well-crafted story...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a story easily described. Whenever I try to explain to a friend why I loved this book by Jonathan Safran Foer, I know I am not doing it justice. It's a quirky story, rich and lovely, and so touchingly funny. I listened to it on audiobook and it's very well-read. I've also given and/or recommended it to friends from ages 25 to 90 and every single one has fallen in love with the protagonist Oscar, his sweet, excruciating journey and clever, raw thought process along the way. Wonderful book! -Review from the award-winning author of Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace: A Guided Imagery Meditation for Physical & Spiritual WellnessBook Review: Captivating
Summary: 5 Stars
The voice of a nine year old is convincingly captured in this book navigating a bewildering time for the narrator. There are moments that break your heart, and moments that make you laugh out loud. My favorite of the latter are the creative solutions he finds to circumvent his Mom's ban on swear words. Of the former, some of the narrator's inventions are strong contenders, but then he refers to thinking about his late father as giving him "heavy boots" When I think back on the depressing or despairing moments I've had, the feeling is well described as having 'heavy boots.' I really liked it. This despite the fact that when someone told me what it was about, I thought I wouldn't want to read a book like that. I'm glad I did.