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Monkeys
The Vincents, a New England family of nine, struggle to keep up appearances amidst the underlying tensions of the squabbles of seven children, a father with a drinking problem, and a marriage being torn apart
159 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 1986
74 people are currently reading
1727 people want to read
About the author
Susan Minot
28 books325 followersSusan Minot is an award-winning novelist and short story writer whose books include Monkeys, Folly, Lust & Other Stories, and Evening, which was adapted into the feature film of the same name starring Meryl Streep. Minot was born in Boston and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, attended Brown University, and received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. She currently lives with her daughter in both New York City and an island off the coast of Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
October 10, 2025
METEORA
Il film di Bertolucci, con un cast notevole, fu una delusione: artefatto, lezioso, pruriginoso.
Era il 1986 quando questa americana di trent’anni, che sembrava più giovane, con gli occhi azzurri, bionda, bella, esplose nel firmamento letterario di casa sua, e anche nel nostro.
Una breve raccolta di racconti, al centro una famiglia con sette figli: noi la catalogammo subito come minimalista, che qui da noi era un termine di gran voga, i suoi connazionali scomodarono addirittura Salinger, Hemingway, la Woolf, Faulkner. Tra i suoi estimatori, Alice Munro.
Dieci anni dopo Bertolucci la volle a sceneggiare uno dei suoi film riusciti peggio, Stealing Beauty - Io ballo da sola.
Ma era già sparita, almeno da questa parte dell’oceano: ha scritto altro, qualcosa da noi è stato tradotto, ma non ha più brillato come con il piccolo libro d’esordio.
Qui raccoglie una serie di episodi, (nove proprio come i nove splendidi racconti di Salinger), più che racconti, su una famiglia molto wasp e upper class con sette bambini, che la madre chiama affettuosamente scimmie. Un piccolo universo domestico fatto di soldi, cultura, scuole prestigiose, sobborghi eleganti, casa sull’isola. E poi feste, scorribande, intermittenze del cuore. E l’immancabile tragedia.
I rimandi autobiografici sono numerosi: il padre di Susan e il padre in queste pagine sono entrambi banchieri; sia Susan che questa famiglia vivono nel Massachuesetts e passano le vacanze estive su un’isola; Susan ha sei fratelli ed è la secondogenita, proprio come lo è Sophie, la narratrice; la mamma di Susan è morta in un incidente d’auto (macchina travolta da treno) proprio come la mamma in queste pagine…
Per la cronaca, pur essendo nata a Boston, Minot è cresciuta a Manchester-by-the-Sea, cittadina che ha regalato il titolo a un eccellente film di questo 2017.
Con: Jeremy Irons, l’esordiente Liv Tyler, Stefania Sandrelli, Carlo Cecchi, Sinéead Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Jean Marais, Joseph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Ignazio Oliva, Anna Maria Gherardi.
Minot racconta in modo obliquo, i cosiddetti colpi di scena, vedi la morte della madre, il nuovo matrimonio del padre, avvengono, forse per discrezione, fuori scena: lei ci regala situazioni che sembrano normali, quotidiane, quasi fatte di niente, come se succedesse poco o nulla.
Molto procede per omissioni, e per esempio lo sfacelo del rapporto tra i genitori, incapaci di amarsi, nonostante, o forse proprio perché pieni di figli, si deduce, non è mai esplicitato, come se il disagio emergesse dai riflessi che produce.
Tutto viene osservato con minuzia, scavato, dilatando l’attimo, esplorando le stratificazioni emotive, e raccontato con tono calmo ed essenziale,
A me “Scimmie” piacque, al punto da leggerlo in entrambe le lingue. Ma non ho mai avuto voglia di approfondire la conoscenza di Susan, l’ho persa di vista. Adesso, la memoria mi rimanda un piccolo libro carino, ed evanescente.
La famiglia Minot nel 1978. Assente la madre: è lei la fotografa?
Il film di Bertolucci, con un cast notevole, fu una delusione: artefatto, lezioso, pruriginoso.
Era il 1986 quando questa americana di trent’anni, che sembrava più giovane, con gli occhi azzurri, bionda, bella, esplose nel firmamento letterario di casa sua, e anche nel nostro.
Una breve raccolta di racconti, al centro una famiglia con sette figli: noi la catalogammo subito come minimalista, che qui da noi era un termine di gran voga, i suoi connazionali scomodarono addirittura Salinger, Hemingway, la Woolf, Faulkner. Tra i suoi estimatori, Alice Munro.
Dieci anni dopo Bertolucci la volle a sceneggiare uno dei suoi film riusciti peggio, Stealing Beauty - Io ballo da sola.
Ma era già sparita, almeno da questa parte dell’oceano: ha scritto altro, qualcosa da noi è stato tradotto, ma non ha più brillato come con il piccolo libro d’esordio.
Qui raccoglie una serie di episodi, (nove proprio come i nove splendidi racconti di Salinger), più che racconti, su una famiglia molto wasp e upper class con sette bambini, che la madre chiama affettuosamente scimmie. Un piccolo universo domestico fatto di soldi, cultura, scuole prestigiose, sobborghi eleganti, casa sull’isola. E poi feste, scorribande, intermittenze del cuore. E l’immancabile tragedia.
I rimandi autobiografici sono numerosi: il padre di Susan e il padre in queste pagine sono entrambi banchieri; sia Susan che questa famiglia vivono nel Massachuesetts e passano le vacanze estive su un’isola; Susan ha sei fratelli ed è la secondogenita, proprio come lo è Sophie, la narratrice; la mamma di Susan è morta in un incidente d’auto (macchina travolta da treno) proprio come la mamma in queste pagine…
Per la cronaca, pur essendo nata a Boston, Minot è cresciuta a Manchester-by-the-Sea, cittadina che ha regalato il titolo a un eccellente film di questo 2017.
Con: Jeremy Irons, l’esordiente Liv Tyler, Stefania Sandrelli, Carlo Cecchi, Sinéead Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Jean Marais, Joseph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng, Ignazio Oliva, Anna Maria Gherardi.
Minot racconta in modo obliquo, i cosiddetti colpi di scena, vedi la morte della madre, il nuovo matrimonio del padre, avvengono, forse per discrezione, fuori scena: lei ci regala situazioni che sembrano normali, quotidiane, quasi fatte di niente, come se succedesse poco o nulla.
Molto procede per omissioni, e per esempio lo sfacelo del rapporto tra i genitori, incapaci di amarsi, nonostante, o forse proprio perché pieni di figli, si deduce, non è mai esplicitato, come se il disagio emergesse dai riflessi che produce.
Tutto viene osservato con minuzia, scavato, dilatando l’attimo, esplorando le stratificazioni emotive, e raccontato con tono calmo ed essenziale,
A me “Scimmie” piacque, al punto da leggerlo in entrambe le lingue. Ma non ho mai avuto voglia di approfondire la conoscenza di Susan, l’ho persa di vista. Adesso, la memoria mi rimanda un piccolo libro carino, ed evanescente.
La famiglia Minot nel 1978. Assente la madre: è lei la fotografa?
January 14, 2021
This one ended strong but had a weak beginning. A matter of staying with the story long enough to get the subtleties of family life. Minot is wonderful at the details of glances and comments between characters who know each other well, as this big family of seven siblings do. Written in separate chapters spanning 12 years in the history of this family, the readers are left to figure out some things for themselves. The first few chapters left me cold, the last 5 had me sympathizing with these kids who managed to grow up well despite their family situation.
January 25, 2021
Hang on, gotta get my face cleaned up. It’s a wreck. If you love family, the good, the bad and the ugly....here’s a wonderful but emotional book simply about family dynamics. As most people know, family dynamics are rarely simple.
January 7, 2019
Il mio periodo [post] minimalista
Fine anni '80, ricordo di averli letti tutti, o quasi: Jay Mcinerney, Bret Easton Ellis, Susan Minot e in una seconda fase anche David Leavitt hanno scandito insieme a Herman Hesse (che compagnia variegata!) la fine della mia adolescenza ed il mio ingresso nell'età adulta (o quasi...).
All'epoca mi piacevano, qualcosa di più, qualcosa di meno.
Mi piacevano quelle storie scarne, prive di morale e di salvezza, un po' meno alcune esasperazioni violente alla Easton Ellis. Adesso non so, forse dovrei provare a rileggere qualcosa.
Susan Minot all'epoca
Susan Minot oggi
Fine anni '80, ricordo di averli letti tutti, o quasi: Jay Mcinerney, Bret Easton Ellis, Susan Minot e in una seconda fase anche David Leavitt hanno scandito insieme a Herman Hesse (che compagnia variegata!) la fine della mia adolescenza ed il mio ingresso nell'età adulta (o quasi...).
All'epoca mi piacevano, qualcosa di più, qualcosa di meno.
Mi piacevano quelle storie scarne, prive di morale e di salvezza, un po' meno alcune esasperazioni violente alla Easton Ellis. Adesso non so, forse dovrei provare a rileggere qualcosa.
Susan Minot all'epoca
Susan Minot oggi
December 16, 2023
Minot's debut, a devastating, loosely connected series of chapters, gives readers periodic glimpses of the lives of a huge catholic family led by an alcoholic patriarch.
Not my usual reading topic, but the writing's flawless and the scenes stick with you.
Not my usual reading topic, but the writing's flawless and the scenes stick with you.
November 4, 2015
This book is often lauded for its sparse and lyrical prose, I felt it was simply lacking in depth.
While reading about this large catholic family as they grew up, I never once felt any connection to the characters nor did I feel I got to know any of them enough to care much.
I did feel that the dialogue was excellent and the snippets of life were well-written, but the format of reading of short little events kept me at a distance. Reading, for example, of a dinner party in one chapter and then a family outing several years later kept all of the characters at too much of a distance.
I also felt that there really was not a "story" here. At book's end, we have peered into everyday events of a family and that's it. There was no character growth at all (other than to get older) and no individual character who stood out. None of the events of the book really shaped any one character any more than life shapes each one of us. I found it actually rather boring.
While reading about this large catholic family as they grew up, I never once felt any connection to the characters nor did I feel I got to know any of them enough to care much.
I did feel that the dialogue was excellent and the snippets of life were well-written, but the format of reading of short little events kept me at a distance. Reading, for example, of a dinner party in one chapter and then a family outing several years later kept all of the characters at too much of a distance.
I also felt that there really was not a "story" here. At book's end, we have peered into everyday events of a family and that's it. There was no character growth at all (other than to get older) and no individual character who stood out. None of the events of the book really shaped any one character any more than life shapes each one of us. I found it actually rather boring.
August 17, 2012
The most interesting thing for me about Monkeys is that the length of the reviews on this site is directly proportional to the number of stars the reviewer gave. The 4 and 5 star reviewers have written long paragraphs in support of their rating, the 3 star reviewers have a few sentences, and those who gave two stars mostly did not write anything. My conclusion is that this was one of those books that either resonated with you, that you connected with, and so was memorable and comment-worthy. Or, like me, you were left quite untouched by the large Vincent family and their Caribbean holidays, thanksgiving parties and pot-addiction.
The writing is subtle and the personalities of the large family are well-drawn. I just never felt part of the family.
The writing is subtle and the personalities of the large family are well-drawn. I just never felt part of the family.
March 9, 2017
A quick, brutally sad little story. Susan Minot offers up a thinly-veiled autobiography of growing up in a large Northeastern household. It's a collection of interwoven short stories as much as a novel, and fans of minimalist language will find a lot to love. Each chapter builds up a sense of trust and family connectedness only to undermine it through alcoholism, death, or simple lack of communication. It's a deeply sad story at it's core, and not really my sort of writing. But it's often rather lyrical and lovely, and I can very much understand why someone would love it.
December 29, 2020
Da Susan Minot, autrice amata da Alice Munro, mi aspettavo grandi cose, invece a fine lettura me ne sono rimaste proprio poche.
Sarà che vengo da una lunga lettura di Olive Kitteridge, ambientato come Scimmie nel Maine, descrittivo come Scimmie di storie di famiglia e di un gran numero di personaggi, ma il confronto non regge e la pochezza di Scimmie è piuttosto chiara, dal primo all'ultimo racconto.
Non mi fa simpatia l'astuzia di cambiare soggetto: nel primo racconto è Sophie, figlia di mezzo, poi si passa ad un narratore onnisciente più classico, che funziona meglio, anche se resta l'attesa di avere un altro punto di vista che non arriva mai. Non trovo che funzioni nemmeno giocare con i piani temporali, per cui una volta siamo al presente, una volta siamo al passato: perché?
Si intuisce ovviamente lo scorrere del tempo, ma a parte un Elvis citato all'inizio, e alcune gonne anni '70 verso il finale non ci sono altri appigli temporali, che sarebbero stati d'aiuto. Nell'indice sono indicate invece con cura le date, perché non riportarle allora anche accanto ai titoli?
In realtà ciò che più delude è la famiglia, che pare poliedrica con ben sette figli, e invece si fa sempre fatica a distinguerli, per cui resta molto utile lo schema ad inizio lettura, con una pratica lista dei nomi in ordine di età. Le tre figlie maggiori sembrano tutte uguali, i figli maschi, a parte il grande con il nome del padre e il figlio di mezzo che pare un po' più ombroso, sono anonimi.
La madre è una Madre, con la maiuscola: accudente, calda, presente, gioiosa, che a noi che abbiamo avuto madri reali sta un po' stretta. Pare leggermente afflitta solo quando il padre (che è un padre con il minuscolo) si dimostra assente, ma ahimè, sono cose che capitano e quindi tiriamo avanti. Sul finale c'è un leggero scossone dato dall'immancabile tragedia, ma descritta maluccio, prima in retrospettiva e poi sul finale con una conclusiva cerimonia familiare con le ceneri della Madre sparse in mare, ma come dire, dovuta e non sentita.
Non basta dire che figlia X era triste e aveva lo sguardo sperduto per farmi sentire e vedere figlia X in quel modo. Non basta fa apparire e scomparire in continuazione i sette figli da una stanza per creare una scena. Non basta nemmeno la scena in climax, in cui il figlio Sherman chiede al padre di fare il Padre, per farci risvegliare.
Una nota sull'edizione in ristampa, molto bella, della casa editrice Playground. Una rara cura nella copertina, che sembra quasi venire dagli anni '60, per il tratto del disegno e per i colori; un formato leggermente più largo del normale, accattivante; una buona impaginazione e uso del font. Qualche refuso, però, e dei titoli di capitolo da presentazione word denotano che mancano i passaggi finali di pulizia del testo.
Sarà che vengo da una lunga lettura di Olive Kitteridge, ambientato come Scimmie nel Maine, descrittivo come Scimmie di storie di famiglia e di un gran numero di personaggi, ma il confronto non regge e la pochezza di Scimmie è piuttosto chiara, dal primo all'ultimo racconto.
Non mi fa simpatia l'astuzia di cambiare soggetto: nel primo racconto è Sophie, figlia di mezzo, poi si passa ad un narratore onnisciente più classico, che funziona meglio, anche se resta l'attesa di avere un altro punto di vista che non arriva mai. Non trovo che funzioni nemmeno giocare con i piani temporali, per cui una volta siamo al presente, una volta siamo al passato: perché?
Si intuisce ovviamente lo scorrere del tempo, ma a parte un Elvis citato all'inizio, e alcune gonne anni '70 verso il finale non ci sono altri appigli temporali, che sarebbero stati d'aiuto. Nell'indice sono indicate invece con cura le date, perché non riportarle allora anche accanto ai titoli?
In realtà ciò che più delude è la famiglia, che pare poliedrica con ben sette figli, e invece si fa sempre fatica a distinguerli, per cui resta molto utile lo schema ad inizio lettura, con una pratica lista dei nomi in ordine di età. Le tre figlie maggiori sembrano tutte uguali, i figli maschi, a parte il grande con il nome del padre e il figlio di mezzo che pare un po' più ombroso, sono anonimi.
La madre è una Madre, con la maiuscola: accudente, calda, presente, gioiosa, che a noi che abbiamo avuto madri reali sta un po' stretta. Pare leggermente afflitta solo quando il padre (che è un padre con il minuscolo) si dimostra assente, ma ahimè, sono cose che capitano e quindi tiriamo avanti. Sul finale c'è un leggero scossone dato dall'immancabile tragedia, ma descritta maluccio, prima in retrospettiva e poi sul finale con una conclusiva cerimonia familiare con le ceneri della Madre sparse in mare, ma come dire, dovuta e non sentita.
Non basta dire che figlia X era triste e aveva lo sguardo sperduto per farmi sentire e vedere figlia X in quel modo. Non basta fa apparire e scomparire in continuazione i sette figli da una stanza per creare una scena. Non basta nemmeno la scena in climax, in cui il figlio Sherman chiede al padre di fare il Padre, per farci risvegliare.
Una nota sull'edizione in ristampa, molto bella, della casa editrice Playground. Una rara cura nella copertina, che sembra quasi venire dagli anni '60, per il tratto del disegno e per i colori; un formato leggermente più largo del normale, accattivante; una buona impaginazione e uso del font. Qualche refuso, però, e dei titoli di capitolo da presentazione word denotano che mancano i passaggi finali di pulizia del testo.
June 8, 2011
A book I reread once a year. Some excerpts from other reviews:
"Not since J. D. Salinger has an American writer so feelingly evoked the special affections and loyalties that may develop among children in a large family."--The New York Times Book Review
"Striking and original.... Minot chronicles the mundane and miraculous moments that characterize family life, in prose that is exactingly realistic, yet delicately lyrical.... Few novels have so powerfully displayed the collective unity--and joy--of family life."--Chicago Tribune
"Susan Minot's funny, wry and profoundly moving novel of a large and gawky family in Massachusetts is full of quiet surprises.... Minot is masterful at showing us the chaos of a young family forming and reforming itself. But it is the absolute simplicity of her observation--always selective, often eccentric--that astounds us for its clarity time after time."--San Francisco Chronicle -- Review
"Not since J. D. Salinger has an American writer so feelingly evoked the special affections and loyalties that may develop among children in a large family."--The New York Times Book Review
"Striking and original.... Minot chronicles the mundane and miraculous moments that characterize family life, in prose that is exactingly realistic, yet delicately lyrical.... Few novels have so powerfully displayed the collective unity--and joy--of family life."--Chicago Tribune
"Susan Minot's funny, wry and profoundly moving novel of a large and gawky family in Massachusetts is full of quiet surprises.... Minot is masterful at showing us the chaos of a young family forming and reforming itself. But it is the absolute simplicity of her observation--always selective, often eccentric--that astounds us for its clarity time after time."--San Francisco Chronicle -- Review
February 13, 2017
I was seriously disappointed in this short novel written by Susan Minot, the author of the powerful and visceral "Evening" which was made into a great movie. It is about a New England family with 7 children, and follows their lives for about 20 years. How it won a French book award, I do not understand. To me it lacked any emotion or color. While it details the landscape and the mundane daily routine, there is a complete lack of depth in character development. The book reads more like an outline of a good idea for a story which she sends to her publishing firm for review. Connections between events are lacking as well as motivations for the actions and responses of the characters. One (possibly two) chapter is well developed and provides some excitement and insight. The rest of the novel is a s cold and flat as a gray winter's day over the New England coast.
February 19, 2025
Very short book with some moving scenes about the complexities of family.
Perhaps because it was so short, the only character I felt I knew by the end one the book was the dad who completely sucked in my opinion. Didn’t enjoy reading about a man doing everything he can to avoid his own children and under-appreciating his wife. I guess I should give Susan Minot kudos for making me so mad at him and portraying the unsettling feeling kids can get from a volatile parent.
Perhaps because it was so short, the only character I felt I knew by the end one the book was the dad who completely sucked in my opinion. Didn’t enjoy reading about a man doing everything he can to avoid his own children and under-appreciating his wife. I guess I should give Susan Minot kudos for making me so mad at him and portraying the unsettling feeling kids can get from a volatile parent.
June 5, 2022
Given all the stellar reviews, I was surprised by how bland the book actually is. There are very interesting and potentially powerful themes to explore in it (loss of a close family member, alcoholism, life in a large family...), but Minot did it in a way I found cold and dispassionate. The characters seem undeveloped, distant and unrelatable, and I honestly don't see how the book has managed to receive such enthusiastic response from many. Don't misunderstand me: it's not a bad book, but it ain't literary masterpiece, either.
One of the endorsement quotes on the covers says "Few novels have so powerfully displayed the collective unity and joy of family life," which can't be right. There are plenty of books out there that have achieved that in ways far more effective and memorable.
One of the endorsement quotes on the covers says "Few novels have so powerfully displayed the collective unity and joy of family life," which can't be right. There are plenty of books out there that have achieved that in ways far more effective and memorable.
April 25, 2024
Nove racconti tutti incentrati sulle vicende della stessa famiglia di Boston – i Vincent: padre, madre e sette figli – in un arco di tempo che va dal 1966 al 1979, tra domeniche sui pattini, feste comandate coi parenti, estati nel Maine, ma soprattutto piccole e grandi, anzi enormi, tragedie.
Già da subito vediamo un matrimonio non davvero felice, in particolare per via di un marito che non si integra nell’atmosfera allegra e caciarona che regna in casa, un uomo rigido, che si isola nella stanza della tv e coltiva un problema con l’alcool. Ovviamente questo stato di disagio, di tensione, come di un bubbone di dolore pronto a esplodere, nel tempo si ripercuote sulla moglie e sui ragazzi in modi diversi a seconda delle loro personalità. E, lo anticipavo sopra, non mancano due eventi tragici a devastare le vite dei Vincent.
Presentato così pare l’ennesimo libro triste di narrativa moderna/contemporanea americana, ma la sua particolarità sta nel minimalismo della narrazione e nel fatto che sia pressoché uguale la quantità di cose che sappiamo perché vengono raccontate e di quelle che vengono omesse ma possiamo intuire dai non detti, dagli spazi che hanno lasciato vuoti.
Susan Minot con questo esordio semi-autobiografico nel 1986 si è guadagnata l’attenzione del mondo letterario al pari di altri giovani autori del periodo (Meno di zero di Ellis è dell’anno precedente), ma in seguito non ha avuto una carriera particolarmente luminosa. Peccato.
Già da subito vediamo un matrimonio non davvero felice, in particolare per via di un marito che non si integra nell’atmosfera allegra e caciarona che regna in casa, un uomo rigido, che si isola nella stanza della tv e coltiva un problema con l’alcool. Ovviamente questo stato di disagio, di tensione, come di un bubbone di dolore pronto a esplodere, nel tempo si ripercuote sulla moglie e sui ragazzi in modi diversi a seconda delle loro personalità. E, lo anticipavo sopra, non mancano due eventi tragici a devastare le vite dei Vincent.
Presentato così pare l’ennesimo libro triste di narrativa moderna/contemporanea americana, ma la sua particolarità sta nel minimalismo della narrazione e nel fatto che sia pressoché uguale la quantità di cose che sappiamo perché vengono raccontate e di quelle che vengono omesse ma possiamo intuire dai non detti, dagli spazi che hanno lasciato vuoti.
Susan Minot con questo esordio semi-autobiografico nel 1986 si è guadagnata l’attenzione del mondo letterario al pari di altri giovani autori del periodo (Meno di zero di Ellis è dell’anno precedente), ma in seguito non ha avuto una carriera particolarmente luminosa. Peccato.
June 19, 2024
3.5 ⭐️!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It’s just a small peek into a family dynamic and how the loss of their mother affects them. I enjoyed the writing, the story and the ending. It felt very nostalgic to me and reminded me a lot of my own family dynamic.
However, I wish we could’ve gotten a closer look at the father’s thoughts and a little more of a raw look at how grief affected the kids.
“Then it wasn’t the same anymore as when their mother had died. It wasn’t as if you had seen the devil only in a flash. It wasn’t as if he had appeared for an instant and then was gone again. Now the feeling was this: that the devil had swooped down and had landed and was lingering with them all, hulking in the middle of the kitchen table, settling down to stay”
I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It’s just a small peek into a family dynamic and how the loss of their mother affects them. I enjoyed the writing, the story and the ending. It felt very nostalgic to me and reminded me a lot of my own family dynamic.
However, I wish we could’ve gotten a closer look at the father’s thoughts and a little more of a raw look at how grief affected the kids.
“Then it wasn’t the same anymore as when their mother had died. It wasn’t as if you had seen the devil only in a flash. It wasn’t as if he had appeared for an instant and then was gone again. Now the feeling was this: that the devil had swooped down and had landed and was lingering with them all, hulking in the middle of the kitchen table, settling down to stay”
October 8, 2024
Easy, short read, less than 200 pages. This books tells the story of the Vincent family through the POV of the children. Each chapter highlights a different formative event in the children’s eyes, which explains their family dynamic and the characteristics of their family. The book spans about 10 years. Definitely could be a bit triggering in spots as it deals with alcoholism and death but nothing violent just sad.
November 27, 2024
Lovely. Sometimes a 22 yr old who is at just the right point on the dunning Kruger scale can deliver a seriously direct and accurate account of life on earth unfettered by too large of an awareness field. Minot is a good example of dunning Kruger cause her later work really does not slap as it’s filled with the kind of neuroses only self knowledge can bring. And then she just didn’t publish for a while probably out of more self knowledge and embarrassment. I did pick up a copy of her most recent book tho and she seems to be back at a good spot on the dunning Kruger. Despite what Kaitlin Phillips has to say.
February 5, 2023
I felt this had no character development and virtually no plot. There were many family members who just grew older but we didn't get an insight into any of them. I kept waiting for something to happen, the mother died but the characters didn't have much of a reaction. I would not recommend this book as it had no plot.
October 9, 2024
Not a big fan.
This simple story of the children surviving a strange childhood. The characters development is lacking. The reader never learns the difference between all of the kids.
Tragedy and scandal are alluded to. And then life goes on.
This simple story of the children surviving a strange childhood. The characters development is lacking. The reader never learns the difference between all of the kids.
Tragedy and scandal are alluded to. And then life goes on.
November 25, 2019
An amazing book. Honestly. I could analyze for Y E A R S.
March 19, 2025
Simply wonderful.
June 15, 2018
Uh oh. I started this before I saw the Goodreads description that includes the dread word "luminous."
Well it didn't live up to that (I'm not sure what would.) Vignettes of a large family over the years through various ups and downs. I feel a little bad that I didn't get more out of it but it was mostly bland. Maybe I'd enjoy it more if I had siblings, but most of the stories seemed to have moments of meaning that ended up not going anywhere.
Next up is In a Lonely Place. I'm in the mood for noir.
Well it didn't live up to that (I'm not sure what would.) Vignettes of a large family over the years through various ups and downs. I feel a little bad that I didn't get more out of it but it was mostly bland. Maybe I'd enjoy it more if I had siblings, but most of the stories seemed to have moments of meaning that ended up not going anywhere.
Next up is In a Lonely Place. I'm in the mood for noir.
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December 8, 2023This is a kind of collection of short stories or more so a novel in story form from 1986. The set up is a group of children from a Catholic family in New England (the father and mother were a Harvard hockey star and figure skater respectively). The stories begins in the late 1960s with the middle child (more or less presumably our author) telling about the family structure. Each subsequent story is told by a third person narrator. The third person narrator was less interesting, and the family became increasingly less interesting story after story. I found myself wanting the novel that the opening story seemed to suggest we were getting, a rambunctious group of kids, more or less latch key kids with overburdened parents taking care of each other.
Instead it was kind of banal family novel that was more inventive (and not overly inventive) than interesting. It’s rough when a book subverts expectations, but I like my expectations better. Moving the narration from the voice of the child to a third person felt like the biggest misstep.
I don’t remember how I first came across this book, but I was struck by the various claims about it on the cover. “Best Seller”and all that. Big claims, but this is a book that hasn’t really stuck around in people’s conscious, as it happened. I ultimately felt like there was a promise undelivered, but I was also interested in the promotions on the outside of the book, thinking about how they relate to the book promoting industry these days.
Instead it was kind of banal family novel that was more inventive (and not overly inventive) than interesting. It’s rough when a book subverts expectations, but I like my expectations better. Moving the narration from the voice of the child to a third person felt like the biggest misstep.
I don’t remember how I first came across this book, but I was struck by the various claims about it on the cover. “Best Seller”and all that. Big claims, but this is a book that hasn’t really stuck around in people’s conscious, as it happened. I ultimately felt like there was a promise undelivered, but I was also interested in the promotions on the outside of the book, thinking about how they relate to the book promoting industry these days.
November 12, 2008
OBVIOUSLY this was a must-read in my high-school, because it fit all my teachers' perameters for a bona fide "good book":
(1) The father is an alcoholic.
(2) The mother is neurotic and suicidally depressed.
(3) The children blame themselves.
(4) Principal characters die at the end, just when they could be redeemed.
Then we watched "The Great Santini," which is also about a dysfunctional nuclear family, but the movie's even BETTER, because a nice young man is shot and killed in his trailer and his racist yuppie murderer is torn apart by dogs. Oh, and Robert Duvall crashes his jet and dies. And I seem to recall him beating up his wife and son. And how could I forget the senior prom, where the brother and sister go together?
(1) The father is an alcoholic.
(2) The mother is neurotic and suicidally depressed.
(3) The children blame themselves.
(4) Principal characters die at the end, just when they could be redeemed.
Then we watched "The Great Santini," which is also about a dysfunctional nuclear family, but the movie's even BETTER, because a nice young man is shot and killed in his trailer and his racist yuppie murderer is torn apart by dogs. Oh, and Robert Duvall crashes his jet and dies. And I seem to recall him beating up his wife and son. And how could I forget the senior prom, where the brother and sister go together?
March 11, 2012
Thought this might be a contender to be weeded from my shelves, but now I think it's going to stay. I like that it walks the line between being a novel and being a collection of short stories. From the first page, you know that Minot gets childhood. As she describes the family bustling to get out the door to church:
"Sherman ripples by, coat flapping, and Mum grabs him by the hood, reeling him in, and zips him up with a pinch at his chin."
With each reading, I like to play 'Which Child Is The Most Damaged.' Sherman usually wins.
"Sherman ripples by, coat flapping, and Mum grabs him by the hood, reeling him in, and zips him up with a pinch at his chin."
With each reading, I like to play 'Which Child Is The Most Damaged.' Sherman usually wins.
April 9, 2013
Alcohol, drugs and religion allow this family to navigate their privileged life with what comes across as indifference, but the undercurrent of pain and alienation cuts with sudden force. The prose is immaculate, but the book has no transformation except for the inevitable tragedies of growing up and dying.
July 19, 2015
Reading about how the kids grow up together and bond as siblings was divine. It reminded me of certain aspects of my family (though my family is much smaller).
September 27, 2017
A haunting story about a big family and loss.
April 5, 2022
A short read, but not really to my taste. No real plot, very little character development.
September 27, 2020
This was a brief read, one which came on the tail end of reading a larger more classically written piece. I blazed through it. Its language was concise, tight and succinct. Paragraphs told the stories that the paragraphs wanted to tell, true to its minimalist reputation. The flourish of story comes not from the words or turns of phrase employed but rather the distinct and profoundly relatable memories that we live beside this family within.
I was told not to wait for the shoe to fall in this one, "because it never does." And while I feel that's partially true (you don't get clean contextual closure on any of the conflicts that arise), I think if you look at this collection as a series of short stories about Rose, the mother of the children who populate most of these tales, we follow a clean arc. By following her perception, her reactions, her actions and her eventual "homecoming", I think we follow a story that is all too complete.
While reading, I had made some notes on how a lot of the feelings I had, mainly about the father, were akin to horror. I still maintain that through the first few stories, there is nothing more accurate than the way that Gus Sr.'s way in which he stalks about the house and throughout his life as a stoic, silent golem of labor fueled by alcohol and duty. I have lived this fear. I have experienced moments of these pauses, the way the breath comes out of you when you know someone has said something a bit too aggressive or disrespectful or out of line. I have felt the way the pressure in the house will shift simply by knowing the dampened and weighty silence that will carry for the following hours. The book does not focus on this horror through its short journey, but while you feel it clinging through the first third or so of the book, the final parts of it discuss it or at least paint it in a corner that you can't ignore. There is a fear there that the kids have that is all too true, even if it's only one that was cooked and served in hindsight. The lingering effects of prior actions have buttoned up their lead coats which they will wear forever. They regard their father as an individual at times, but for the most part, he seems represented by a skulking mist.
I really liked the way this book read. I could have done with another one or two hundred pages of these minute observations and the way Minot has dissected brief glances and gestures. They tell sweeping tales in simple and quiet second hand ticking. This is a sad one, a scary one, one that you have to let yourself feel, the same way that you should let a sad song seep into you like water into old wood. If you read it trying to let the story prove something to you, you'll certainly miss the point.
I was told not to wait for the shoe to fall in this one, "because it never does." And while I feel that's partially true (you don't get clean contextual closure on any of the conflicts that arise), I think if you look at this collection as a series of short stories about Rose, the mother of the children who populate most of these tales, we follow a clean arc. By following her perception, her reactions, her actions and her eventual "homecoming", I think we follow a story that is all too complete.
While reading, I had made some notes on how a lot of the feelings I had, mainly about the father, were akin to horror. I still maintain that through the first few stories, there is nothing more accurate than the way that Gus Sr.'s way in which he stalks about the house and throughout his life as a stoic, silent golem of labor fueled by alcohol and duty. I have lived this fear. I have experienced moments of these pauses, the way the breath comes out of you when you know someone has said something a bit too aggressive or disrespectful or out of line. I have felt the way the pressure in the house will shift simply by knowing the dampened and weighty silence that will carry for the following hours. The book does not focus on this horror through its short journey, but while you feel it clinging through the first third or so of the book, the final parts of it discuss it or at least paint it in a corner that you can't ignore. There is a fear there that the kids have that is all too true, even if it's only one that was cooked and served in hindsight. The lingering effects of prior actions have buttoned up their lead coats which they will wear forever. They regard their father as an individual at times, but for the most part, he seems represented by a skulking mist.
I really liked the way this book read. I could have done with another one or two hundred pages of these minute observations and the way Minot has dissected brief glances and gestures. They tell sweeping tales in simple and quiet second hand ticking. This is a sad one, a scary one, one that you have to let yourself feel, the same way that you should let a sad song seep into you like water into old wood. If you read it trying to let the story prove something to you, you'll certainly miss the point.
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