Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff | Book Review

[@jakobtanner2523]

Loved this video (especially the gifs!) "Suburban noir" is such a good way of describing this trend of books. While I don't think it's normally thought of as a book about marriage, The Long Goodbye by Chandler has some pretty frosty marriages in it; and I think that goes with the time period and the growing disillusion with the ideals of the nuclear family. Anyway, I'm definitely going to check out Fates and Furies :)

[@ThePoptimist]

+Jakob Tanner Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book - people are falling on both sides of the fence as far as reviews go.

[@notedbynnenna]

This review was so good! You touched on a lot of really interesting points and I'm just amazed by how much and how well you were able to cover the themes in just around 5 minutes. My friend was telling me that she read Liane Moriarty and now you've really made me want to read one of her books as well.

[@ThePoptimist]

+SCSreads Thanks! Looking forward to the HBO adaptation of Big Little Lies coming soon too

[@flannelsandfoxes5270]

I'll have to pick this one up. I absolutely love your reviews and appreciate the clarity and creativity of your content. You're inspiring me to try all new genres as I am just now starting to read adult works, growing out of the strictly YA period of my life. So glad I heard about your channel at this perfect time in my reading experience.

[@ThePoptimist]

+flannelsandfoxes So nice! I’m glad to be introducing you to other kinds of books and hope you find something enjoyable here to read next.

[@BookishWardo]

That book sounds great! Marriage is not my preferred subject matter because it seems so far away from me but when I read The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen I was just struck by all these things I hadn't even a clue about. Now the novel doesn't talk about marriage specifically but it does shine a lot of light on the secrets and inner thoughts of the people involved. PS: I love your editing skills, man, great job!

[@ThePoptimist]

+Bookish Wardo Thanks! Loved the Corrections and Freedom but haven’t gotten around to reading Purity.

[@linsrabbits]

I found your review via Mercedes' channel Mercys Bookish Musings, so glad I did. I just finished this book last week, I loved it, and you've expressed so well a lot of the things it caused me to think about. I also loved Big Little Lies so was brilliant to see you mention that too. :)

[@ThePoptimist]

+Lins Littlereader Glad to have you here and thanks! Loved Big Little Lies and am super excited for the HBO series based on the book coming soon too!

[@sumikatti]

Yates' Revolutionary Road is one great story about a marriage (and suburban life). It mixes humour and angst in a good way. It is one of my favorite books ever!

[@ThePoptimist]

+Peony That’s two for Revolutionary Road - adding it to the TBR. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Brittany from under the radar books (who I see has commented below) told me to check your review our for this book as I just finished it. I'm so glad she did as this is such a fantastic review and you really put into words all the things I'd been considering. I'm now going to go watch all your other videos :D

[@ThePoptimist]

+MercysBookishMusings Yikes! Well I’m glad you at least liked the Fates and Furies review - I can’t make any promises about the other ones. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the book!

[@booksandquestions9135]

You've got me thinking about books about positive marriages. Annie Dillard's The Maytrees was a really interesting look at marriage, (also stunning, but I don't even know what to think of that relationship.) and I was also pretty charmed by the way in which George Eliot's Middlemarch begins where a lot of Austen novels end; we start with people getting married and then see how they manage. But I still feel a little stumped. Where are the Zoe and Wash-es of the literary world? Are they all just in the margins? Also, thanks for the excellent review. :)

[@ThePoptimist]

+BooksandQuestions OMG you invoked Zoe and Wash. That is perfect and if I thought I could watch just one episode without needing to marathon the entire run and being completely broken after watching the movie I would do that now. I would read the shit out of something like that. That must exist.

[@booksandquestions9135]

+ThePoptimist I know, right? I want this too! I thought about it some more and came up with a couple more books: Have you read Gilead and Lila? There's a marriage central in both books, (I guess really just central in the narrative of Lila, although totally a big deal in Gilead), that's unusual, and a bit shaky at times but really beautiful. Gonna bother me though. I feel like I could list dozens of books with positive friendships, student/mentor, child/parent, etc... Why is marriage only worth writing about when it's not good? If I find it, I'll let you know.

[@ThePoptimist]

+BooksandQuestions Keep me posted! So far the best suggestion here in the comments (and I’ve read the book) was Britta Böhler’s who mentioned The Time Traveller’s Wife.

[@booksandquestions9135]

+ThePoptimist Okay, so I've been thinking and asking people about this, and what came up in the New Yorker this week but an article titled, "The Ideal Marriage, According to Novels." I don't think I can link it for fear of being categorized as spam? But I found it pretty fascinating. Thanks again for asking the question!

[@ThePoptimist]

+BooksandQuestions Thanks for the heads up - I did see that article, though I haven't read Tolstoy or Karl Ove yet.

[@KatieLovestoRead]

Just ordered the book yesterday and cannot wait to dive into it. Normally I wouldn't be into literary fiction but with all of the buzz this book is generating I knew I should probably stray from the ol' reliable fantasy novels and give it a go. Normally I don't need to enjoy the characters to enjoy the book so hopefully that will ring true when I get to it. Can't wait to come back and rewatch this review when I finish!

[@ThePoptimist]

+Katie Loves to Read Hope you enjoy it, usually buzz doesn't exactly help a book once it tips over a certain point. Love to hear what you think of it when you finish!

[@lifesmusings291]

Loved this review ... watched all of your other videos...subscribed :) Eagerly looking forward to upcoming uploads.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Pinky Baruah Wow - thanks! Glad to have you aboard

[@ChristinaMarie19]

I've been very interested in this book and because I gave myself no TBR goals for the year, I can fit it in whenever I want! So, off to the library website I go! I must reserve it! Thanks for the fantastic review!

[@ThePoptimist]

+LuLo Fangirl Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers to NO TBR! Read it, don’t read it - no pressure.

[@KnowledgelostOrgOnline]

I have Fates and Furies is on my shelf waiting for me to pick it up...much like most of my books. You have convinced me to read Liane Moriarty because of the 'Suburban Noir' tag. I normally associate that "genre" with Megan Abbott's latest books. I can't think of a good book that portrays marriage well, maybe it isn't that interesting to read about, but I'd like to read at least one.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Knowledge Lost I have the feeling that Liane is more Desperate Housewifes to Megan’s True Detective so be forewarned - still found it enjoyable.

[@KnowledgelostOrgOnline]

I still think it will be worth checking out. I need to support fellow Australians

[@MusicalTati]

Ok, aside from this being a great review, you used Orestes Pursued by the Furies as a snapshot! I LOVE that piece! Love love LOVE!!! One of the things I said in my review was that I didn't like a single character in this story. I liked the 2nd half more than the 1st, I think. I have yet to rate it.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Musical Tati The second half gets crazy - Land, Chollie, the investigator (I don’t think she ever gets named but I liked her!) BTW That is a great painting isn’t it ;)

[@ThatsWhatSheRead]

I've been meaning to read some Toni Morrison myself. Loved the review. This has been on my TBR list as well. Glad to know it wasn't disappointing or overhyped.

[@Birdiesbooks]

I am currently a little more than halfway through and I am really enjoying it despite both unlikable characters. It was great to hear your review!

[@ThePoptimist]

+UnderTheRadarBooks Thanks - wait till you get to the Mathilde half!

[@cherylynlarking191]

What an incredible review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and started the book straight after your review.

[@ThePoptimist]

Thank you - I just hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[@comfalot]

I am very interested in reading this book! Glad to know you recommend it! :) I read Toni Morrison for the first time in 2014 with Beloved. Not sure if that's the best book by her to start with, but it was very eye-opening for me and I loved it. It has a lot of mixed reviews on Goodreads with many reviewers saying that they hated it or it was the worst book they've ever read; I don't understand someone not being completely blown away by the depth of this novel and how beautiful and heartbreaking it was at the same time. I haven't read anything by Morrison since, but I think I want to pick up Sula next!

[@ThePoptimist]

+Amanda S I don’t think they’re easy reading by any means but it sounds like they are worth the effort. Morrison in 2016!

[@beezus99]

Great review! I really liked this book, but I can see why reception is so mixed. I scanned my shelves and could not find any books with happy marriages. Happiness and contentment might be a bit dull to read about, for me anyway. A book with a marriage at the center that I read recently was In a House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell, which I loved. A very strange, dark book; but I really thought it was beautiful.BTW, I have been looking around on book tube for a while and just recently found a few channels that I really like, and yours is one of my favorites. So thanks!

[@ThePoptimist]

+rowan sands You are too kind - but glad to have you here on the channel and thanks for the book recommendations. I was a bit surprised by the lack of happy marriage books on my shelves too, though did find California by Edan Lepucki where Frida and Cal are kinda married …in a post apocalyptic California thinking about bringing a baby into the world which was about the best I could do.

[@bookspiesx6594]

You got me hooked. I will read it, eventually. Thanks for that review!

[@ThePoptimist]

+Bookspies X Awesome! Good luck with your new booktube channel!

[@bookspiesx6594]

+ThePoptimist Thank you!

[@seddensky]

What about Richard Russo, Nobody's Fool? I haven't read it myself (yet!), but I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'm just about to start The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante - no one writes about relationships like she does!

[@ThePoptimist]

More books I have to get back to. I've only read Russo's Empire Falls and I need to get to book two of Ferrante's Neapolitan novels!

[@brittabohlerthesecondshelf]

Although the book was (unfortunately) not for me, I loved your review! As for books on marriage: How about John Updike, Couples (or too old?), Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road (sorry, even older…) or go scifi: Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Britta Böhler LOVED the Time Traveler’s Wife - haven’t watched the movie as I’m afraid it won’t be near as good as the book. I do have to read Revolutionary Road though - thanks for the reco!

[@ehfteepee]

Wow...just went through my whole library, and I couldn't find a single book about a marriage that was somewhat healthy. I have heard that 'Greenery Street' by Denis Mackail is about a happy marriage, but other than that...there's none that I can think of.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Taylor I know right? Got a couple good recommendations in the comments that I need to check out in the meantime - thanks for the recommendation of Greenery Street!

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

A++ Johnny Bravo reference. I'm equal parts dubious and excited for this book. Getting to it soon. A did a post about books on marriage, as a birthday/wedding present for my sister before she got married. I think it's a little rude to link to your own posts/videos, but it's easy to find. The marriage books I recommended were Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Love Letters of the Angels of Death by Jennifer Quist, and The Bride Stripped Bare by Anonymous - the 1st and 3rd are NOT about good marriages, obviously!! The 2nd one is, and it one of the only really positive portrayals of marriage I can think of right now.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Laura Frey (Reading in Bed) Thanks for the Love Letters of the Angels of Death recommendation - your blog post also reminded me that I still need to pick up Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper from the library! Hoping you can help me out - Bookish Wardo commented on this post about wanting to fill up a gaping CanLit hole in his reading repetoire. Something in English and something from Quebec. I’ve got my two book recommendations but would love to have you chime in - check the comments below…

[@ThePoptimist]

+ThePoptimist well that's just confusing. Wardo commented on my Year in Review video not here. Anyways I recommended Orenda (Loved that book) and Apocalypse for Beginners as I haven't read a lot of books set in Quebec (did love that one too) I guess I could have recommended Louise Penny's How the Light Gets In. What's your CanLit swiss army pick?

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

+ThePoptimist I recommend Claire Cameron's The Bear all the time. The Orenda is another I recommend lots. For Quebec, does he want a translation? The Mystics of Mile End is not a translation, but it's really good, and set in Montreal. I read And The Birds Rained Down during Canada Reads last year and really liked it, and that one is translated. If you're looking for Canadian classics, I would recommend The Stone Angel or Mercy Among The Children, if you (he) can handle something real dark.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Laura Frey (Reading in Bed) Damn I need to read The Bear and it’s literally been decades since I read Stone Angel - need to revisit that one soon.

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

I read The Stone Angel for the 1st time two decades ago. We're old :)

[@DanMartinlikesyou]

Rincey Reads sent me, and I'm so glad. I love your review.

[@ThePoptimist]

+Dan Martin Kick ass - good luck with the new channel! First video FTW!

[@DanMartinlikesyou]

ThePoptimist Thanks! I nearly threw up.

[@CravingBooks27]

Insightful and funny (I liked the Johnny Bravo GIF). I've heard so much about this book and I keep wondering if I should just pick it up. I think I will -- I love unlikeable characters. They are to die for ;)

[@ThePoptimist]

+CravingBooks Thanks! Looking forward to your year of fucked up buddyreads and even getting in on the action

[@CravingBooks27]

Hell yeah! We gotta get more organized now haha.

[@winstonransom7119]

Although I hated Fates and Furies, I did enjoy your well articulated review.

[@ThePoptimist]

LOL - I'll take it!

[@yesknopemaybe]

The only book on marriage I've really loved is Landline by Rainbow Rowell. As for Fates & Furies, I admired it (lots to admire about Groff's writing), but I didn't love it. For some reason, I just didn't connect emotionally to it.

[@ThePoptimist]

+yesknopemaybe Yeah, I’m seeing a lot of meh verging on ugh as far as Fates and Furies. It was the last book I read in 2015 and the perfect way to cap off a great year of reading for me though.

[@yesknopemaybe]

+ThePoptimist That's awesome; Ending the year on a high note is the best. I can definitely see the value of F&F and maybe if I was married I would have connected with it differently.

[@TheAlystraStardust]

How is it on the Purple Prose?

[@ThePoptimist]

+TheAlystraStardust Not so much All the Light We Cannot See (which I loved) but still clearly headed towards the magenta side of things.

[@TheAlystraStardust]

Still easy to read thought? I tried reading Dear Thief and her writing drove me insane. Not that I couldn't understand it, just that it was a lot of unnecessary flowery poetry.

[@ThePoptimist]

+TheAlystraStardust Individual results will vary but it sounds like you’ve already experienced her style of writing and it’s not for you. Her writing is oblique and I found myself tripping on her words and thereby noticing them. That drawing of attention can really annoy. I still enjoyed it nonetheless.