2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

Hope to start this one next week.

Kristin wrote: "I finished the first two chapters so far.

I wasn't sure how I would like this one, especially because, in general, I am not a fan of young women with much, much older men, but somehow I am enjoyi..."

I'll refrain from reading the spoiler since I have yet to begin reading this. I have a book to finish this week and then will start this one by Friday or Saturday at the latest. Sorry to already be behind! :) Darn that need to work full-time to support myself! :)

Kristin wrote: "I finished the first two chapters so far.

I wasn't sure how I would like this one, especially because, in general, I am not a fan of young women with much, much older men, but somehow I am enjoyi..."

Wow. You covered a lot of territory here. :)

I am midway through the book. This writing style leaves a bit to be desired for me. Rather choppy. Almost disruptive for me. I realize this is a debut novel. I would be interested to see if this style proves to be a consistent writing tool for her use in the future or not.
(view spoiler)[I keep thinking of the power and status inequity between them. And...what if her boss discovered her affair with him when he has refused to allow their company to publish his next book. I fear she would be tossed out of her job immediately!

Ugh! I wish I had realized the passages were cited in the back! I felt perhaps this was a bit of an allegory. This book is about a current relationship and yet we can typically find references to real-life situations in already published works, if we know where to look. Perhaps, as with Less the whole book is to be an allegory/imitation of what the subject/story arc? I don't even know if I'm making any sense here. But I do intend to return to the passages and then note the citation for each. Perhaps that would help me better understand them...and the context for each? (hide spoiler)]

Kristin wrote: "I finished the first section ("Folly"). I heard mixed reviews about this book from some of my bookish friends. Some loved it, others hated it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Once you finish that section..."

I have NO understanding. I'm kinda glad that I'll just have to figure it out for myself as I progress. But right now, I can't imagine how it all meshes together! :)

I admit I despise Ezra overall. What’s with “CALLER ID BLOCKED” every single time? And calling her by other names. All of that just feels ‘off’ to me. The don’t like it. I feel as he has no trust or respect for Alice at all. Ugh.

I actually figured out/recognized the first two passages!

Using Camus quotes and within the context makes me think of how nonsensical, even absurd, some of their interactions are. (view spoiler)[Though on page 47 it is as if we’re being told Ezra really is opening the world up for her. But to what? Alcohol and cookies/candy? (hide spoiler)]

What do you make of the quotes on pages 54 and 55? It almost made me think (view spoiler)[we were supposed to equate Ezra with a dictator. How do you interpret those quotes? (hide spoiler)]

My book club discussed this November 23. Only 3 of us managed to finish it. We were all flummoxed by it to a great degree until we did a bit of research. But none of the 3 of us felt as if we got (view spoiler)[a true connection between parts 1 and 2 by reading the third part. In doing research, several critics pointed to the fact that Halliday had a year-long affair with Philip Roth when he was old and she was still rather young. Some felt the first part was at least partially autobiographical. (hide spoiler)] I do plan to reread the third section over Thanksgiving break just to see if I can perhaps gain a bit insight now... The writing style in the second part seemed quite different--it flowed much more smoothly, in my opinion. I felt as if I "got" the intent of that section.

Kristin wrote: "Hi Lynn, I apologize, for some reason I was not receiving notifications that you have been commenting on this thread. I finished the book last night. I enjoyed reading Parts 1 and 2, but felt that ..."

Agreed! I hated him by the book's end. I was just mildly irritated by him at the end of Section 1! ;)