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Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence: A Novel
A literary thriller about a mysterious death and an ambitious young novelist.
Following the death of her husband—which may have been an accident, a suicide, or perhaps even murder—Catherine Strayed is living a quiet life in a secluded upstate New York college town. But now her former mentor and onetime lover has arrived. A powerful literary critic who single-handedly destroyed her late husband’s promising writing career, he has an exotic young female protégé in tow. Her name is Antonia Lively, and her debut novel has made her a darling of the publishing world.
Antonia likes to take real crimes and mysteries and turn them into fodder for fiction, with little concern about the lives she affects. Unbeknownst to Catherine, the rising star has targeted her for subject matter for the next book—and the fallout could be deadly.
Filled with mystery and psychological suspense, this book asks: what does stealing another’s life do to your soul?
Following the death of her husband—which may have been an accident, a suicide, or perhaps even murder—Catherine Strayed is living a quiet life in a secluded upstate New York college town. But now her former mentor and onetime lover has arrived. A powerful literary critic who single-handedly destroyed her late husband’s promising writing career, he has an exotic young female protégé in tow. Her name is Antonia Lively, and her debut novel has made her a darling of the publishing world.
Antonia likes to take real crimes and mysteries and turn them into fodder for fiction, with little concern about the lives she affects. Unbeknownst to Catherine, the rising star has targeted her for subject matter for the next book—and the fallout could be deadly.
Filled with mystery and psychological suspense, this book asks: what does stealing another’s life do to your soul?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2013
103 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
David Samuel Levinson
8 books67 followersI’ve published two acclaimed novels, Tell Me How This Ends Well and Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence, and a collection of stories, Most of Us Are Here Against Our Will, received numerous fellowships from Yaddo, Jentel, Ledig House, Virginia Center for the Arts, the Santa Fe Arts Institute, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and Emory University, where I was a Fiction Fellow (2013–2015). I was the Emerging Writer Lecturer at Gettysburg College (2008–2009) and a writer-in-residence at Texas A&M (2012–2013). My work has appeared in Hobart, Prairie Schooner, West Branch, StorySouth, The Brooklyn Review, and more.
I was first runner-up in The Flannery O’Connor Story Prize and placed third in The Atlantic Monthly’s fiction competition for my story "Most of Us Are Here Against Our Will," selected by Mary Gaitskill. In 2020, I founded The Big Texas Author Talk, a virtual lecture series highlighting Texas writers. In 2024, I received the Fulbright-Mach Award from Fulbright Austria and am currently on a Fulbright in Vienna, researching a novel during the 2024–2025 academic year.
I was first runner-up in The Flannery O’Connor Story Prize and placed third in The Atlantic Monthly’s fiction competition for my story "Most of Us Are Here Against Our Will," selected by Mary Gaitskill. In 2020, I founded The Big Texas Author Talk, a virtual lecture series highlighting Texas writers. In 2024, I received the Fulbright-Mach Award from Fulbright Austria and am currently on a Fulbright in Vienna, researching a novel during the 2024–2025 academic year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 5, 2013
I didn’t really feel much of anything after I finished this novel. Not happy, or sad, or anger, or despair, or excitement, or resentment. Even as I was reading ANTONIA LIVELY BREAKS THE SILENCE, my only desire was to set this book aside and move on to the next one.
Instead of aiming to be either literary fiction or a mystery, this novel tried to combine elements of both, and the glue never quite seemed to gel. The novel might have been better served if it stepped back a bit and got out of its own way. Because there’s no question David Samuel Levinson has talent, and there’s no question he’s got a great career ahead of him, but I don’t think this is the book that is going to lead him to the Promised Land.
To be fair, it’s not a bad book, but none of the characters really resonated with me. Pretty much all of the characters end up being unlikeable, their faults leaving more permanent marks than their assets. The story had me a bit lost at times, like I’d been jarred from the merry-go-round, and I was left staring up at the clouds from the flat of my back. And when it was all said and done, I was left feeling a bit helpless, more than a little lost, and more than a little hopeful that I’ll connect with my next read a bit more than I did this one.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Instead of aiming to be either literary fiction or a mystery, this novel tried to combine elements of both, and the glue never quite seemed to gel. The novel might have been better served if it stepped back a bit and got out of its own way. Because there’s no question David Samuel Levinson has talent, and there’s no question he’s got a great career ahead of him, but I don’t think this is the book that is going to lead him to the Promised Land.
To be fair, it’s not a bad book, but none of the characters really resonated with me. Pretty much all of the characters end up being unlikeable, their faults leaving more permanent marks than their assets. The story had me a bit lost at times, like I’d been jarred from the merry-go-round, and I was left staring up at the clouds from the flat of my back. And when it was all said and done, I was left feeling a bit helpless, more than a little lost, and more than a little hopeful that I’ll connect with my next read a bit more than I did this one.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
June 3, 2013
Oh dear ... I'm not a critic but somehow this book was sold to me last week at a local bookstore ahead of its official release. It was not a good purchase.
The story is vapid, empty of meaning or redemption and with an incredibly poor cast of characters (who were not well developed).
I also found it irritating that none of the cast seem able to speak in more than one or two word sentences i.e. this "conversation" between Antonia and Ezra:
"Where's Henry?"
"Am I my father's keeper?"
"That was a nasty thing you did. I have been nothing but kind to you."
He blinked at her, dumbfounded. "What ... I don't ... what are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me," she said sharply.
"Where's my father?" he asked, rising.
"I just asked you that. Besides Henry has nothing to do with this."
Ezra was laughing, "He has everything to do with everything."
Okay ... so seriously, that was taken from pg 141.
There is no development of character and no development of thought either ... well, except when the only way the "plot" is presented is through the "thoughts" and "thinking" of the players in the story. They think of their pasts, their regrets, their wishes, their loved ones (living & dead) and drop information that is supposed to lead us to the point of the story.
Then mysterious characters clumsily appear without introduction or meaning - from behind bushes or on darkened porches. What? Who are these people? Where do they belong? Well, to find out we must wait for a daughter, lover or widow to get alone so he/she can "think" this person in to the story by reminiscing in thought.
So ... do you get it? Me either. I didn't even finish the book ... I spent too much time calling my daughter to read out loud some of the insipid lines from almost every page. It was just taking too much time.
... so from that you get the point. Or maybe you don't. I know I didn't.
The story is vapid, empty of meaning or redemption and with an incredibly poor cast of characters (who were not well developed).
I also found it irritating that none of the cast seem able to speak in more than one or two word sentences i.e. this "conversation" between Antonia and Ezra:
"Where's Henry?"
"Am I my father's keeper?"
"That was a nasty thing you did. I have been nothing but kind to you."
He blinked at her, dumbfounded. "What ... I don't ... what are you talking about?"
"Don't play stupid with me," she said sharply.
"Where's my father?" he asked, rising.
"I just asked you that. Besides Henry has nothing to do with this."
Ezra was laughing, "He has everything to do with everything."
Okay ... so seriously, that was taken from pg 141.
There is no development of character and no development of thought either ... well, except when the only way the "plot" is presented is through the "thoughts" and "thinking" of the players in the story. They think of their pasts, their regrets, their wishes, their loved ones (living & dead) and drop information that is supposed to lead us to the point of the story.
Then mysterious characters clumsily appear without introduction or meaning - from behind bushes or on darkened porches. What? Who are these people? Where do they belong? Well, to find out we must wait for a daughter, lover or widow to get alone so he/she can "think" this person in to the story by reminiscing in thought.
So ... do you get it? Me either. I didn't even finish the book ... I spent too much time calling my daughter to read out loud some of the insipid lines from almost every page. It was just taking too much time.
... so from that you get the point. Or maybe you don't. I know I didn't.
November 29, 2021
On paper, this looked absolutely like the book for me, as I love mysteries about academia, and nested mysteries, and stories of people writing historical mysteries (which I'm going to admit is about as niche as it gets).
Reader, this was not the book for me.
First of all, while two of the characters technically work at an upstate NY college, they basically never visit their offices, teach classes, or do any academic work of any kind. There's a serious need here to revisit the certification of effort forms for everyone involved. So boo.
But much more than that, every single female character in the book exists solely to think about, interact, or bemoan their existence in terms of men.
I kind of noticed this early on and thought I was over-reacting; but that only meant I paid attention to it more and hoo boy I was not over-reacting. Every single female character, every time. How in the world does this sort of thing get published? I mean, fuck OFF, author, for one, but also, how did this get past acquisition editors and line editors and every single person involved in publishing the book? How?
The main character, Catherine, is the human equivalent of a sock that fell behind the dryer. She only exists to think of her dead husband, or obsess about the male literary critic / authorial stand-in, or wonder about whether the male owner of the bookstore she works in will fire her now or later, or -- and this was my favorite -- ponder how her addiction to cigarettes is some kind of Freudian hangup about watching her father smoke. Which no, that's just-- fuck OFF, author.
The other main female character in the book, Antonia Lively, also exists only to obsess about the male literary critic / authorial stand-in, as well as her father, her uncle, the literary critic's unpleasant son (named Ezra, because of course he is) and Catherine's dead husband.
We get entirely too many explicit references to her sex life with the literary critic / authorial stand-in, and in every single one she is doing this weird thing where we learn nothing about how she feels about their sex; she is bodily not there, which could have been an interesting take. But instead she wonders how it is for the literary critic, and if it's good, and in one vomit-inducing episode, thinks about her father during.
That my friends, is a YIKES.
And that's it. That's the book.
But what makes it super annoying above and beyond all that, is that the writing itself is passably good. As other reviews have mentioned, the author writes great place. I went to the town of Winslow NY, I felt it, I understood it, I smelled the melting tarmac in the heat wave and saw the small bungalows settling into leisurely disarray.
I wondered about the central mysteries Antonia writes about, which are
(It feels like this book really, really wanted to be Lauren Groff's The Monsters of Templeton: small town upstate NY setting, historical mystery that impacts the present, down-at-the-heels protagonist on the cusp of life-changing choices, hidden family relationships, etc etc.)
But I am still over here wondering how in the world this got published without one single person (again, from the soles of my shoes: fuck OFF, author) noticing and intervening in this weird world where women only exist to reflect men's hopes, dreams and desires, including one man who is, lest we forget, dead for the entirety of the book. Gah!
Reader, this was not the book for me.
First of all, while two of the characters technically work at an upstate NY college, they basically never visit their offices, teach classes, or do any academic work of any kind. There's a serious need here to revisit the certification of effort forms for everyone involved. So boo.
But much more than that, every single female character in the book exists solely to think about, interact, or bemoan their existence in terms of men.
I kind of noticed this early on and thought I was over-reacting; but that only meant I paid attention to it more and hoo boy I was not over-reacting. Every single female character, every time. How in the world does this sort of thing get published? I mean, fuck OFF, author, for one, but also, how did this get past acquisition editors and line editors and every single person involved in publishing the book? How?
The main character, Catherine, is the human equivalent of a sock that fell behind the dryer. She only exists to think of her dead husband, or obsess about the male literary critic / authorial stand-in, or wonder about whether the male owner of the bookstore she works in will fire her now or later, or -- and this was my favorite -- ponder how her addiction to cigarettes is some kind of Freudian hangup about watching her father smoke. Which no, that's just-- fuck OFF, author.
The other main female character in the book, Antonia Lively, also exists only to obsess about the male literary critic / authorial stand-in, as well as her father, her uncle, the literary critic's unpleasant son (named Ezra, because of course he is) and Catherine's dead husband.
We get entirely too many explicit references to her sex life with the literary critic / authorial stand-in, and in every single one she is doing this weird thing where we learn nothing about how she feels about their sex; she is bodily not there, which could have been an interesting take. But instead she wonders how it is for the literary critic, and if it's good, and in one vomit-inducing episode, thinks about her father during.
That my friends, is a YIKES.
And that's it. That's the book.
But what makes it super annoying above and beyond all that, is that the writing itself is passably good. As other reviews have mentioned, the author writes great place. I went to the town of Winslow NY, I felt it, I understood it, I smelled the melting tarmac in the heat wave and saw the small bungalows settling into leisurely disarray.
I wondered about the central mysteries Antonia writes about, which are
(It feels like this book really, really wanted to be Lauren Groff's The Monsters of Templeton: small town upstate NY setting, historical mystery that impacts the present, down-at-the-heels protagonist on the cusp of life-changing choices, hidden family relationships, etc etc.)
But I am still over here wondering how in the world this got published without one single person (again, from the soles of my shoes: fuck OFF, author) noticing and intervening in this weird world where women only exist to reflect men's hopes, dreams and desires, including one man who is, lest we forget, dead for the entirety of the book. Gah!
March 29, 2013
I had so much fun reading this book. Not because the subject matter is particularly fun, but because it felt like a mystery or a melodrama throughout the entire book. I understand it is about death and other serious things, but it fits the whole small-town-many-mysteries idea well.
After the death of her husband Wyatt, Catherine Strayed is trying to cope with her life in her upstate New York town. She works in a bookstore and is surrounded by writers, things that constantly remind her of her late husband- who was also a successful novelist. Things get more complicated when a man by the name of Henry shows up. He had an affair with Catherine when she was a college student and because of the breakup, he used his position as a well known book critic to trash Wyatt’s novel. When he comes to stay in Catherine’s cottage, she has to figure out how to get over her anger toward him while at the same time respecting her late husband.
The writing in this book held my attention the entire time. At times it felt like a mystery or a comedy or whodunit, but at other times it got pretty sad. The author did a good job of creating an interesting plot with enough back-story, and all of the characters were great. One thing I was confused about was the time in which it took place because all of the writers had typewriters but when I looked at the description of the book after reading it, I saw that it took place in the 1990s. I don't think that was mentioned in the book, unless I missed it.
The ending was sort of surprising and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It went along with what was happening for most of the other parts of the book but it felt disconnected from the idea of who Wyatt was as a person, because we were never introduced to him.
Literature enthusiasts and people that love books about writers will love this book.
After the death of her husband Wyatt, Catherine Strayed is trying to cope with her life in her upstate New York town. She works in a bookstore and is surrounded by writers, things that constantly remind her of her late husband- who was also a successful novelist. Things get more complicated when a man by the name of Henry shows up. He had an affair with Catherine when she was a college student and because of the breakup, he used his position as a well known book critic to trash Wyatt’s novel. When he comes to stay in Catherine’s cottage, she has to figure out how to get over her anger toward him while at the same time respecting her late husband.
The writing in this book held my attention the entire time. At times it felt like a mystery or a comedy or whodunit, but at other times it got pretty sad. The author did a good job of creating an interesting plot with enough back-story, and all of the characters were great. One thing I was confused about was the time in which it took place because all of the writers had typewriters but when I looked at the description of the book after reading it, I saw that it took place in the 1990s. I don't think that was mentioned in the book, unless I missed it.
The ending was sort of surprising and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It went along with what was happening for most of the other parts of the book but it felt disconnected from the idea of who Wyatt was as a person, because we were never introduced to him.
Literature enthusiasts and people that love books about writers will love this book.
April 2, 2013
There is some good writing here and there, but the narrator is at best unreliable, maybe incompetent...the plot too thick with metaphorical smoke and characters sharing one another like cigarettes, ashes everywhere but the damn ashtray.
April 13, 2021
Terrible. Unlikeable characters. Unbelievable coincidences. Ridiculous story. At times it made no sense at all. Major unresolved story arcs. I rarely write these but this book was a total waste of time. I kept hoping it would get better. It never did. Don’t Waste Your Time Like I did. Terrible
February 7, 2018
I felt like this book was trying too hard to be intelligent. For some reason, it was also reminiscent of Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch. The book is about a woman, Catherine, living in a small town near NYC in the mid-1980s. She never much wanted to live there, but did for her husband, a once-promising writer whose career was destroyed by a single review. After he died two or so years ago, she continued to live in the small town and work at a bookstore for a boss who was disrespectful and gave her almost no hours. Catherine ends up getting entangled with her ex advisor/ex-boyfriend/man who destroyed her husband’s career, and his new girlfriend, a very young up and coming writer, and things go from there. It sounds much more interesting than it was. Once in a while the narrator flips around, and while no one is particularly likable, the other people are better than Catherine. It was just ok, pretty pretentious. I don’t really recommend it.
June 2, 2019
A good enough beach read....sort of juicy, sort of smart, sort of dark fun but just not quite enough of any of these things.
June 28, 2013
Do we have sole possession of our lives and what happens in them, or are they fodder for artists? That is a question David Samuel Levinson seeks to answer in his intriguing but ultimately frustrating novel, Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence.
In Winslow, a small college town in upstate New York, Catherine Strayed continues to mourn the mysterious death of her writer husband, Wyatt. No one is sure whether his death was an accident, a suicide, or a murder, but he left their house one morning, ostensibly to get groceries, and never returned. Catherine's questions about Wyatt's death—as well as his life, frustratingly unhappy because of the failure of his first novel after a savage review by an influential critic—drag her down and plague her days.
Catherine's attempts to move her life forward following Wyatt's death are complicated by the constant presence of Henry Swallow, the literary critic who essentially ended Wyatt's career before it got started. Henry took a position as Wyatt's boss at Winslow College shortly before his death. Beyond the fact that Catherine blames Henry, the two share a history, as he was her former mentor and lover.
Henry's newest protegé, Antonia Lively, has also come to town. Young Antonia (significantly Henry's junior) is the toast of the literary world with the publication of her first novel, which Henry championed. But what Henry doesn't know is that Antonia's novel is essentially a retelling of an incident she was told about, a incident with ramifications on many people in her life, but Antonia doesn't care about the damage this story may inflict. And Antonia has her sights set even closer to home with her second novel, as she plans to get to the root of the rivalry between Wyatt and Henry, and the mysterious scandals in their lives, not to mention Catherine's role in all of it. Antonia infiltrates Catherine's life, which has harmful consequences.
This book had a lot of promise and I was tremendously intrigued to see how the story would unfold, and figure out what all the mysteries were. Unfortunately, the compelling parts of the plot were mired down by extremely unlikable characters, and a bizarre, unnecessary shift in narration which was supposed to provide a mysterious twist at the end, but fell flat. Catherine is so weighted down by indecision, so fraught with emotion, and you don't know what is really happening to her and what she's hallucinating. Henry vacillates between being the one willing to say the truth and someone so irritating you don't understand his appeal, and Antonia is utterly unsympathetic.
I think Levinson raises some very intriguing questions about whether our lives are, in essence, public domain for artists to use as inspiration (or steal wholeheartedly, in some cases). Unfortunately, a tremendously compelling plot got lost amidst characters who continually frustrate you.
In Winslow, a small college town in upstate New York, Catherine Strayed continues to mourn the mysterious death of her writer husband, Wyatt. No one is sure whether his death was an accident, a suicide, or a murder, but he left their house one morning, ostensibly to get groceries, and never returned. Catherine's questions about Wyatt's death—as well as his life, frustratingly unhappy because of the failure of his first novel after a savage review by an influential critic—drag her down and plague her days.
Catherine's attempts to move her life forward following Wyatt's death are complicated by the constant presence of Henry Swallow, the literary critic who essentially ended Wyatt's career before it got started. Henry took a position as Wyatt's boss at Winslow College shortly before his death. Beyond the fact that Catherine blames Henry, the two share a history, as he was her former mentor and lover.
Henry's newest protegé, Antonia Lively, has also come to town. Young Antonia (significantly Henry's junior) is the toast of the literary world with the publication of her first novel, which Henry championed. But what Henry doesn't know is that Antonia's novel is essentially a retelling of an incident she was told about, a incident with ramifications on many people in her life, but Antonia doesn't care about the damage this story may inflict. And Antonia has her sights set even closer to home with her second novel, as she plans to get to the root of the rivalry between Wyatt and Henry, and the mysterious scandals in their lives, not to mention Catherine's role in all of it. Antonia infiltrates Catherine's life, which has harmful consequences.
This book had a lot of promise and I was tremendously intrigued to see how the story would unfold, and figure out what all the mysteries were. Unfortunately, the compelling parts of the plot were mired down by extremely unlikable characters, and a bizarre, unnecessary shift in narration which was supposed to provide a mysterious twist at the end, but fell flat. Catherine is so weighted down by indecision, so fraught with emotion, and you don't know what is really happening to her and what she's hallucinating. Henry vacillates between being the one willing to say the truth and someone so irritating you don't understand his appeal, and Antonia is utterly unsympathetic.
I think Levinson raises some very intriguing questions about whether our lives are, in essence, public domain for artists to use as inspiration (or steal wholeheartedly, in some cases). Unfortunately, a tremendously compelling plot got lost amidst characters who continually frustrate you.
March 29, 2013
I have mixed feelings about Antonia Lively. As a few days have passed between ranking this book and writing this review, I feel I was generous in handing out my rating of 3 stars. Don't get me wrong. David Samuel Levinson can certainly write. It's what he chose to write about is what bothers me.
Antonia Lively is set in a small college town in Upstate New York, and deals with a number of characters in the literary world. Wyatt, a now-dead one-time novelist; Catherine, his wife; Henry, her former lover and the man who destroyed Wyatt's first novel and career; Antonia Lively, a brilliant young writer who is Henry's current flame, and their relationships with each other form the crux of the novel. There's also a side plot of Antonia's father and uncle being displeased and deranged about the short story that shot her off to fame, and all of it adds to the uneasiness and mystery that permeates this book.
The premise is good. I like mysteries and I like books about authors and the blurb compared it to The Secret History which is a novel I love. But that's not true. I couldn't connect with the characters, I couldn't care what happened to any of them and I sure didn't see any of their appeal. Especially, I couldn't see the appeal of the lady-killer Henry. I can't even see why the man would be a respected critic considering his major cant is that fiction should not take any inspiration out of the author's or any real life. I find that ridiculous since it invalidates a major chunk of literature out there. I'm not disputing his existence, just his reputation and respectability within the novel's frame.
Catherine mopes and Antonia is dislikable even when we don't know that she is repugnant and I didn't quite care for Wyatt's story. I also didn't like the fact that the novel plays coy with us. There are a few scenarios where everything is described or so we think at the time, and several pages down the line we come to know we were not told one small thing that's now going to be important. It also keeps doing the sudden reveal of some nasty detail during a rambling mental monologue. By the end of the book, nothing was really surprising. I even guessed quite a few of the details because they were convoluted and hence fit right in.
The prose was good and the atmosphere excellent, however. I wish the story had been less busy, and that at least one of the characters more interesting than they were. As it is, it's not a book that appealed to me. 3 stars and declining in my mind.
*** I received this book via NetGalley for review. ***
Antonia Lively is set in a small college town in Upstate New York, and deals with a number of characters in the literary world. Wyatt, a now-dead one-time novelist; Catherine, his wife; Henry, her former lover and the man who destroyed Wyatt's first novel and career; Antonia Lively, a brilliant young writer who is Henry's current flame, and their relationships with each other form the crux of the novel. There's also a side plot of Antonia's father and uncle being displeased and deranged about the short story that shot her off to fame, and all of it adds to the uneasiness and mystery that permeates this book.
The premise is good. I like mysteries and I like books about authors and the blurb compared it to The Secret History which is a novel I love. But that's not true. I couldn't connect with the characters, I couldn't care what happened to any of them and I sure didn't see any of their appeal. Especially, I couldn't see the appeal of the lady-killer Henry. I can't even see why the man would be a respected critic considering his major cant is that fiction should not take any inspiration out of the author's or any real life. I find that ridiculous since it invalidates a major chunk of literature out there. I'm not disputing his existence, just his reputation and respectability within the novel's frame.
Catherine mopes and Antonia is dislikable even when we don't know that she is repugnant and I didn't quite care for Wyatt's story. I also didn't like the fact that the novel plays coy with us. There are a few scenarios where everything is described or so we think at the time, and several pages down the line we come to know we were not told one small thing that's now going to be important. It also keeps doing the sudden reveal of some nasty detail during a rambling mental monologue. By the end of the book, nothing was really surprising. I even guessed quite a few of the details because they were convoluted and hence fit right in.
The prose was good and the atmosphere excellent, however. I wish the story had been less busy, and that at least one of the characters more interesting than they were. As it is, it's not a book that appealed to me. 3 stars and declining in my mind.
*** I received this book via NetGalley for review. ***
October 31, 2013
http://noranydroptoread.com/2013/10/2...
The blurbs compare this title to THE SECRET HISTORY and REBECCA, so perhaps my expectations were too high with this novel. The premise: Catherine Strayed gave up her own career to support her husband’s writing, even moving to an insufferable small town to do so. When her former professor/lover, Henry Swallow (who is also the reviewer who destroyed her husband’s career), moves to town, things get awkward. Now widowed, she leads a quiet life until Antonia Lively, Henry’s latest protege, turns up at her door.
First, the Big Ideas: What is fiction? What responsibilities does an author have? Who owns a story – the writer, or those who lived it? At what point is fiction separate from the reality that inspired it? These are certainly interesting questions, and Levinson explores them thoroughly. He doesn’t reach any Big Conclusion, but it would have been shocking if he had. As an intellectual exercise, this novel provokes discussion admirably.
The plot: The “shocking” twists and turns are somewhat random, and Levinson relies overmuch on coincidence. One “revelation” surprised me only because the characters hadn’t realized it earlier. The pacing is very slow, and I’m a patient reader. Sixty pages in, I had only managed to reach the emotion “bored.” It took me two weeks to slog through the first 100 pages because I kept putting it down in favor of books that actually held my interest.
The characters: ANTONIA LIVELY BREAKS THE SILENCE reminded me a bit of THE GREAT GATSBY, in the sense that it was very well-written, but I cared not a whit for any of the characters. I had developed some minor sympathy for Catherine by end of the first third, but then Levinson changed points of view, and I could barely be bothered to continue. There’s an “I” in the third-person-wandering point-of-view, and I believe I was supposed to be surprised when the identity is revealed. I wasn’t; rather, I couldn’t see the point. Something something clever metafiction, I suppose. Or something.
I don’t have to like characters, but I need something besides an intellectual exercise to keep me going. If I hadn’t committed to write a review for this novel, I would have chucked it after the first sixty pages without concern that I would miss anything.
Source disclosure: I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.
The blurbs compare this title to THE SECRET HISTORY and REBECCA, so perhaps my expectations were too high with this novel. The premise: Catherine Strayed gave up her own career to support her husband’s writing, even moving to an insufferable small town to do so. When her former professor/lover, Henry Swallow (who is also the reviewer who destroyed her husband’s career), moves to town, things get awkward. Now widowed, she leads a quiet life until Antonia Lively, Henry’s latest protege, turns up at her door.
First, the Big Ideas: What is fiction? What responsibilities does an author have? Who owns a story – the writer, or those who lived it? At what point is fiction separate from the reality that inspired it? These are certainly interesting questions, and Levinson explores them thoroughly. He doesn’t reach any Big Conclusion, but it would have been shocking if he had. As an intellectual exercise, this novel provokes discussion admirably.
The plot: The “shocking” twists and turns are somewhat random, and Levinson relies overmuch on coincidence. One “revelation” surprised me only because the characters hadn’t realized it earlier. The pacing is very slow, and I’m a patient reader. Sixty pages in, I had only managed to reach the emotion “bored.” It took me two weeks to slog through the first 100 pages because I kept putting it down in favor of books that actually held my interest.
The characters: ANTONIA LIVELY BREAKS THE SILENCE reminded me a bit of THE GREAT GATSBY, in the sense that it was very well-written, but I cared not a whit for any of the characters. I had developed some minor sympathy for Catherine by end of the first third, but then Levinson changed points of view, and I could barely be bothered to continue. There’s an “I” in the third-person-wandering point-of-view, and I believe I was supposed to be surprised when the identity is revealed. I wasn’t; rather, I couldn’t see the point. Something something clever metafiction, I suppose. Or something.
I don’t have to like characters, but I need something besides an intellectual exercise to keep me going. If I hadn’t committed to write a review for this novel, I would have chucked it after the first sixty pages without concern that I would miss anything.
Source disclosure: I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.
August 23, 2013
Quick Thoughts:
-A lot of the dialogue in 'Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence' was awkward and unnatural sounding. From the way 23 year old Antonia Lively speaks, to the way her uncle consistently calls her, "my dear niece."
-So many things in this novel were bubbling with potential! A thriller based in the literary community? Deep family traumas and lies? Infidelity? Mysterious, closed off men? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I think Levinson was afraid to put his characters in the thick of these conflicts. Much of the conflict was internalized and told to us, rather than having the characters confront each other. Also, Antonia's Uncle Royal is a BIG source of fear and conflict in the story, yet every time he popped up, he was there for thirty seconds before disappearing again. Very passive.
-Levinson created a character with Winslow, and I felt like I at least knew the place very well. The town became a living, breathing thing that I became a part of.
-One of my favorite parts about reading thrillers is having an ending that makes you second guess every action of each character once you finish the novel. There were not enough seeds planted throughout the novel to give the ending a solid punch. The pacing of this novel also did not have the quick, un-put-downability that most thrillers come with.
-A lot of the dialogue in 'Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence' was awkward and unnatural sounding. From the way 23 year old Antonia Lively speaks, to the way her uncle consistently calls her, "my dear niece."
-So many things in this novel were bubbling with potential! A thriller based in the literary community? Deep family traumas and lies? Infidelity? Mysterious, closed off men? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I think Levinson was afraid to put his characters in the thick of these conflicts. Much of the conflict was internalized and told to us, rather than having the characters confront each other. Also, Antonia's Uncle Royal is a BIG source of fear and conflict in the story, yet every time he popped up, he was there for thirty seconds before disappearing again. Very passive.
-Levinson created a character with Winslow, and I felt like I at least knew the place very well. The town became a living, breathing thing that I became a part of.
-One of my favorite parts about reading thrillers is having an ending that makes you second guess every action of each character once you finish the novel. There were not enough seeds planted throughout the novel to give the ending a solid punch. The pacing of this novel also did not have the quick, un-put-downability that most thrillers come with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 14, 2024I loved the premise of this book. I've always been a huge fan of books about writers. It's sort of thrilling, knowing that the writing life can be dramatic and interesting, right?
However, while I found a lot of this writing to be lovely, I didn't really think that I got to connect with any of the characters. The shift between POV confused me; I didn't know how to feel about any of the characters, really. Even Catherine, who I thought I was supposed to empathaize with - feel for - I felt disconnected from her.
I did not see the allure of Henry, or understand the fascination with Antonia, or yearn to know Wyatt's secrets. I felt like a bystander, reading an account of some lives that I felt very little for.
I know this sounds harsh. I really did find the writing to be beautiful, though; the descriptions of heat in a small, slow town were stunning. I could feel that heat. I wish I felt the same pull towards the characters.
However, while I found a lot of this writing to be lovely, I didn't really think that I got to connect with any of the characters. The shift between POV confused me; I didn't know how to feel about any of the characters, really. Even Catherine, who I thought I was supposed to empathaize with - feel for - I felt disconnected from her.
I did not see the allure of Henry, or understand the fascination with Antonia, or yearn to know Wyatt's secrets. I felt like a bystander, reading an account of some lives that I felt very little for.
I know this sounds harsh. I really did find the writing to be beautiful, though; the descriptions of heat in a small, slow town were stunning. I could feel that heat. I wish I felt the same pull towards the characters.
March 26, 2013
Truly lovely descriptive writing, and enough twists and turns to keep any reader interested. The novel starts off a little slow, but picks up pace and gets better and better and better. Recommend!
July 12, 2013
I really did not enjoy this book. From my perspective it was overwritten.
January 22, 2022
This book......
I don't know if I've ever rated a book one star before. I always feel guilty. I had to remind myself before this review, that authors are indeed human beings with emotions, BUT if I didn't share my honest opinion, I would be doing my fellow readers a disservice. I just didn't like this book.... at all. I feel that overall, it lacks a thorough plot, didn't really have a direction, dragged on forever, and had no climax. It felt unfinished, like alot of it could have been redacted but then other parts lacked complete depth. I didn't care about the characters AT ALL. They just seem so ..... 2D. Overall, I wouldn't read it again(I almost didn't finish it the first time) and wouldn't recommend it.
I don't know if I've ever rated a book one star before. I always feel guilty. I had to remind myself before this review, that authors are indeed human beings with emotions, BUT if I didn't share my honest opinion, I would be doing my fellow readers a disservice. I just didn't like this book.... at all. I feel that overall, it lacks a thorough plot, didn't really have a direction, dragged on forever, and had no climax. It felt unfinished, like alot of it could have been redacted but then other parts lacked complete depth. I didn't care about the characters AT ALL. They just seem so ..... 2D. Overall, I wouldn't read it again(I almost didn't finish it the first time) and wouldn't recommend it.
January 23, 2022
finished this morning 23rd january 2022 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner first from levinson overall great writing likable and unlikable characters story slowly unfolds and you keep reading simply to learn what happened and why but the two relations of antonia didn't make much sense popping up in the story from time to time when there is a need for drama like...what? the shadow on the wall? thought, get on with it, what's it all about alfie? both the father and the uncle are out and about and their reason for being there is what...? so chekov's gun can go bang? was it chekov? remember that sockdolager? introduce a gun, so forth so on. but other than that and it seem like a biggy to me, great story.
August 4, 2024
So we’re just not going to do anything about the college professor who is consistently grooming and sleeping with his students???
What was the point of the Lively brothers? Who cares if the story wasn’t 100% correct. If anything the new information makes the rape and death 10x worse!!! What was the point?? Extremely unnecessary, feels the author just wishes violence on his female characters for no reason.
The Lively brothers added nothing to the story except several annoying mentions of “a dark figure lurking” and horrible detective work. Were the brothers dumb in the head? How did they never find out where Antonia was living?? They found Catherine just fine????
Dumb stupid novel I hated it
What was the point of the Lively brothers? Who cares if the story wasn’t 100% correct. If anything the new information makes the rape and death 10x worse!!! What was the point?? Extremely unnecessary, feels the author just wishes violence on his female characters for no reason.
The Lively brothers added nothing to the story except several annoying mentions of “a dark figure lurking” and horrible detective work. Were the brothers dumb in the head? How did they never find out where Antonia was living?? They found Catherine just fine????
Dumb stupid novel I hated it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2022
What a crop of self-absorbed navel gazers these characters are. Ruminating too often . Drinking too much. Smoking endless packs of cigarettes. Swimming in warm pools of algae strewn with dead leaves and insect bodies. Socializing with shallow friends or jealous and self serving colleagues. Pages and pages of unhappy people with way too many secrets and little or no conscience. Toxic friendships. Stalking. Rape, Theft. Murder. Vandalism.
If this is what life is like after having written a well-received, best selling novel , I am glad my unpublished manuscript is still in a box n the basement.
If this is what life is like after having written a well-received, best selling novel , I am glad my unpublished manuscript is still in a box n the basement.
March 25, 2020
I almost never rate a book 2 stars. The reason? It’s usually abandoned before complete. This one is a rare example. Kept me reading because the first half was decent and I kept hoping it was going to turn around.
Ended up despising ALL of the characters. Catherine went off the deep end. Henry was unpalatable from the start (ok, you need one nemesis) Wyatt was elevated to a non-deserving hero. And don’t get me started on Jane.
And Antonia, the title character (!) was not compelling.
So, 1 star review and 1 star for getting me to finish.
Ended up despising ALL of the characters. Catherine went off the deep end. Henry was unpalatable from the start (ok, you need one nemesis) Wyatt was elevated to a non-deserving hero. And don’t get me started on Jane.
And Antonia, the title character (!) was not compelling.
So, 1 star review and 1 star for getting me to finish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2018
Really more like 3.5 stars. The writing was solid, detailed. Well-written, complex characters. The story took several surprising turns. However, by the end I felt the complexity of the story and the notion of a story in a story in a story (in a story? Too many damn writers and stories in this story.) on the affected side. Trying too hard. Overall a good read, perhaps just too dramatic for my taste.
April 30, 2021
This is kind of wacky parody of the literary community. It is interesting in that each character has a meta-fictional feel, and in that sense, testifies to the author's writing chops. As an actual fictional narrative, however, it is somewhat tepid -- understandable, as he was straddling two disparate lines of endeavor: a fictional plot and a parody of a plot. Kudos for even trying!
May 25, 2021
Bought this book a while back (nothing about loving the cover), decided it was time to read and what a great read it was. The twisting of the plot and the characters all of which you like and dislike in equal measure until it gets to the revealing at the end which I didn't see coming. A must read.
April 1, 2021
Catherine’s husband is dead, the critic she had a long ago affair with is in town, the new girl friend is in town and seeming to stalk Catherine and her late husband, and two close friends are pesky confidants.
June 14, 2022
Ok, so I started this thinking it would be a murder mystery. Husband died in a mysterious way, did the wife do it? While there was a murder and an almost murder as well as some mystery elements, they weren't all wrapped together.
February 22, 2018
This book was weird - not good, not bad. An easy read and an interesting story, but not one I’m very satisfied with.
March 9, 2019
Didn't finish...
April 24, 2021
2.5
Meh. I had high hopes in the beginning. Forced plot, gotcha ending. Just not for me.
Meh. I had high hopes in the beginning. Forced plot, gotcha ending. Just not for me.
June 28, 2021
I couldn't finish it; so much set up, but nothing happened....sad that something with an appealing plot couldn't get there....
July 27, 2021
Such hateful, ugly characters. I couldn't wait for it to be over yet had to read to the end to find out how once more the doormat of a main character was yet again betrayed.
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