Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Doctor's House: A Novel by Ann Beattie ISBN: 0743235010 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: February, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.6
Rating: 5
Summary: Not bedtime reading
Comment: I started reading "The Doctor's House" as bedtime reading but soon realized that the book required real brainpower to appreciate, more than I could give it in the drowsy state that seems to suffice for many other contemporary novels. There's genius at work in the author's technical accomplishment here, bringing to life on the page three consciousnesses that are as articulate and complex as actual complicated humans (blindspots and warts included). This novel is narrated just as much as your own life is--which is to say zilch. In this interrelated triptych, as in life, you're on your own to "get it"; Beattie leaves it to you so see as far as you can and to construe as much as you can. The book serves as a model of what fiction can do far better than any of the other arts--probing the inner reality (thoughts, emotions, perceptions, idiom) of its characters. Norman Mailer wrote years ago that an author couldn't create a character more intelligent or complex than he himself was. Thank goodness Beattie has the capacity to create such compelling characters. It's up to readers to meet her at that level of sophisticated perception.
Rating: 3
Summary: Thoughtful study of compulsive sexual behavior
Comment: In my opinion the central subject of this book is the compulsive sexual behavior of Andrew, the narrator of the novel's third section. The outlines of his activity are described by his sister, Nina, in the first section; in the second their mother describes what life what like at home when they were growing up with her and their father, the doctor of the book's title, who had many extramarital affairs. Yes, in some ways this is a grim topic, and all three narrators seem very unhappy, though Andrew perceives this perhaps less fully than the other two. But the structure of the book, with the intersecting perspectives, is intriguing, and I for one wanted to start over again as soon as I finished to see whether Nina's opening narrative was compromised by what I'd learned from the other perspectives. I think this could be a darkly fascinating book for anyone interested in why some men are sexually compulsive and the effect that has on the women in their lives--sisters as well as girlfriends or wives.
Rating: 1
Summary: Back to my shrink
Comment: This book made me want to scream or hit someone or (saddest) make another appointment with my old shrink, whom I finally got the courage to "divorce." It's Beattie at her worst and it don't get much worse than that.
 |
Title: Park City: New and Selected Stories (Vintage Contemporaries) by Ann Beattie ISBN: 0679781331 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: July, 1999 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: Chilly Scenes of Winter (Vintage Contemporaries) by Ann Beattie ISBN: 0679732349 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: January, 1991 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Violence, Nudity, Adult Content: A Novel by Vince Passaro ISBN: 0743234251 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Bad Blood : A Memoir by Lorna Sage ISBN: 0060938080 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
 |
Title: Three Junes by Julia Glass ISBN: 0385721420 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 22 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
