I can easily admit that this is not my kind of novel. Any time I read a story where the majority of the main characters are self-centered and pretentious, who think they are better than everyone else, either intellectually or status-wise or both, I am turned off. Yes, I understand that it is satire; that the author is "laughing" at these self-absorbed, pathetic people living their self-important lives in New York City. One or two characters in a novel with these characteristics can add humor, or depth, of meaning to the storyline and/or other characters, but to have every character in a book so self-serving, is simply too much for me. These characters are so into themselves - and so lacking in understanding and compassion for others - that it was hard to stomach.
So, did I like ANY of the characters...? Not really. I guess the only person I didn't dislike was Annabel, simply because she seemed to be genuinely kind. The person I was most disappointed in was Danielle, who appeared to be the most "normal" one in the bunch initially, until she went off the deep end about Murray. Really? He was so not worth it! She seriously considered ending her life over him?? His over-inflated ego was incredibly annoying. Julius was a jerk. Most of the time I didn't even know what to think of Marina. And why exactly did Seeley marry her? He hated her father and I thought he was just trying to get close to Marina in order to expose Murray...which he doesn't do! I can't imagine that Seeley and Marina actually love each other.
And then there is Bootie. Every time the Thwaites, Julius, or Danielle thought of Bootie they described/thought of him as "plump". Nearly every single time. It was annoying. Even at the end, Danielle first thinks that he looks thinner, but then continues to refer to him (in her head) as plump. Why?? Who cares?? I didn't really like Bootie either, but he was certainly picked on a lot in this book. They saw him as a pathetic mess. I saw them all as pathetic messes. And what's up with the article he wrote? Really? He believed that he stood by his "integrity" by writing the article to expose his uncle - but he did this by reading Murray's "novel" on the sly, a complete invasion of privacy, and writing of things that he had no first hand knowledge about. Not that I liked Murray, but I would have been ticked too.
What a dysfunctional, unhappy group of people. Not my cup of tea. And really, what kind of ending is this?? It's a non-ending.
Wendy's Rating: **
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