Kenney’s Comments (group member since Mar 04, 2017)

Kenney’s comments from the J Grizzle's Square Table group.

I finally finished reading this book last night. And I think your assessment is really on point. This book's brilliance comes in brief flashes (all too brief if you ask me). But I'll give the book the benefit of the doubt and blame the way I approached the reading of it. I admit I let it fall to the wayside far too often, putting it down for days at the time (even a week here and there). Whenever I picked it back up, it took far too long before I was drawn back in. It never really crystallized for me as a whole, like it seems to have done for you. I found myself gravitating more towards minor characters. James Houston and Kathy were two of my favorites, but they were only tangentially related to the major plot (if that). They're thematically important to be sure, but they don't really feature as much as other characters I found far less interesting. I did like Skip though, mostly when he was solitary and contemplative, less so when he interacted with other characters. What do you make of his confessionary letter to Kathy in the end? I never would have suspected he had real feelings for her. I think this is going to be one of those books where my opinion improves the more I reflect on it. I can't really endorse it as a pleasurable read, but I can't deny its power to provoke serious thought.

This book is so slow-going for me. I'm approaching 300 pages, and I can't help thinking that I'd almost be done if it were a regular novel. I am starting to grow fond of the characters though, but I am in complete agreement with your assessment of the dialogue as "labyrinthine" and certainly "pointless."

You've got to be way ahead of me, but I started a few days ago. I'm around page 60 or so. I agree with your assessment up to this point. I'm not really blown away, and I find that I'm less patient with books these days. I'm not hooked after three chapters, and I'm worried this is going to waste my time. Has it gotten any better yet?