Without having read the book, I have to wonder if the choice to set the events in the 90’s is a way to circumvent the “phone problem” that contemporary fiction faces. Personally, I don’t really see this as a problem—just don’t have the characters use their phones that much—but I know a lot of writers worry about this and feel the need to incorporate text messages and social media in the novel if it’s set in the present.
A few noticeable anachronisms: Spanx is mentioned twice despite not existing until 2000. In the early 80's sections, they pick up a prescription for Zoloft (released in 1991). Alex Trebek is an important childhood memory though it seems like the Jeopardy-watching scene ought to take place before he started hosting in 1984.
interesting, i googled the book to see what others had to say. The NY Times seemed to like it.
"There is nothing groundbreaking or experimental about this novel’s conceit; it’s about as classic a coming-of-age as you’ll find. But as Ruth grows up and into an independent perspective whose outlines can finally be distinguished from those of the people she grew up with, it’s the specificity of this young woman’s mind, the contours with which she draws the characters and environments around her, that make “Lonely Crowds” exceptional."
Hmmnn. I'm more prone to believe your review given the examples of an artist uninterested in her surroundings. Sounds like a missed opportunity (as you explain).
These days, it’s not often you enjoy reading about something you wouldn’t enjoy reading. Great stuff Gideon.
"The friendship is irresistible and, ultimately, terrible. The book is neither." Dismissal as poetry.
Well said. Thank you for your honesty...
Without having read the book, I have to wonder if the choice to set the events in the 90’s is a way to circumvent the “phone problem” that contemporary fiction faces. Personally, I don’t really see this as a problem—just don’t have the characters use their phones that much—but I know a lot of writers worry about this and feel the need to incorporate text messages and social media in the novel if it’s set in the present.
A few noticeable anachronisms: Spanx is mentioned twice despite not existing until 2000. In the early 80's sections, they pick up a prescription for Zoloft (released in 1991). Alex Trebek is an important childhood memory though it seems like the Jeopardy-watching scene ought to take place before he started hosting in 1984.
Thanks for the warning. I was in after your first couple of paragraphs but it sounds like the book isn't worth the effort.
interesting, i googled the book to see what others had to say. The NY Times seemed to like it.
"There is nothing groundbreaking or experimental about this novel’s conceit; it’s about as classic a coming-of-age as you’ll find. But as Ruth grows up and into an independent perspective whose outlines can finally be distinguished from those of the people she grew up with, it’s the specificity of this young woman’s mind, the contours with which she draws the characters and environments around her, that make “Lonely Crowds” exceptional."
Hmmnn. I'm more prone to believe your review given the examples of an artist uninterested in her surroundings. Sounds like a missed opportunity (as you explain).
From what I can glean from the reviews in this blog, it seems unlikely that Wambugu is part of the "scene" these people imagine themselves creating.
So NYT is likely to "lean in" on racialized material, and TMR on what Phil Ochs called "a small circle of friends".
Choice is ours.