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Less is more? An honest take on Less, by Andrew Sean Greer.

I finished this book and immediately thought, "I wish this wasn't going to be my first book review."  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?  Let's see if that's true.

The plot is interesting enough.  Arthur Less is a failure.  He's a failed novelist.  He's also a failed lover, proven by the wedding invitation from his ex that shows up in his mail.  The love of his life has found someone else to love.  What does he do, as a functioning adult?  He accepts invitations to participate in literary events around the world in an attempt to avoid the nuptials.  Less travels to Mexico, Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, and Japan in an effort to avoid his grief.  This is a love story, a satirical look at Americans abroad, and an honest, if not painful look at relationships and how they progress over time.

 Sounds entertaining enough, right?  This book was 260 pages and I felt every single one of them.  I trudged through this book with all the grace of a 1960's superhero caught in quicksand.  The last 20 pages did go by faster, but it was not enough for me to justify the time I spent reading this.  Maybe this book wasn't meant for my true crime brain.  It did win a Pulitzer, after all.  It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either.

 What I liked:

  • The characters were all flawed.  Arthur was an unfaithful lover.  His ex Freddie was a young and naive young man.  Stories about perfect people are boring.
  • Arthur was entertaining to follow.  His satirical sense of humor was right up my alley.

What I didn't like:
  • Arthur complained incessantly...about almost everything.  You're an adult with failed relationships.  Welcome to the club.  I don't know many people who could travel around the world for months on end, so he's instantly better off in that aspect.
  • The ending was blah.  I'm sure it was perfect for others, but I found myself saying "That's it???"
In the end I'm not disappointed.  This was a mystery book I took a chance on in my local bookstore.  It was an okay read.  It's not my style, but I can appreciate the writing.

Review Score:   🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars
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Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 28, 2019 at 6:13 PM

    👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
    Thank you for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jennifer DulacApril 4, 2019 at 10:04 AM

    I read "Less" over the weekend. It was not my best read either. I agree that every page was definitely felt. I turned every page with the expectation of something more happening, rather than less (ouch). Arthur was so sullen and his glimmers of hope were always dashed before they had a chance to take flight. I also appreciated the writing. I admit to being lost and times and reread parts. I will give his other novel, "The Story of A Marriage" a try as that, I was told, has great character development and moves along at an enjoyable pace. We shall see!

    ReplyDelete

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