This "storyless story" didn't work for me
594382
This book was written as a "storyless story" which is a bunch of writing about a lot of different things, but few situations get resolved. It's the un-story of a character named Meg who has become tired of writing genre novels and wants to write her own original novel but spends all 425 pages of this book trying to get past the same 43 words.  At times she writes thousands of words, but then ends up deleting them.  I wanted to scream, "Just write something and get the darn book published!"  It was almost as annoying as her loser boyfriend Christopher, who she'd been supporting and living with for seven years while she really was in love with someone else who was a lot older and with someone else. Christopher was the kind of guy you just wanted to smack.

I guess the book was interesting enough that I finished 425 pages but every time I thought it was finally going to liven up, it just meandered off in a different direction, a different idea or topic.  I liked the philosophical discussions, both those in her mind and those with other people.  I could see why the book would appeal to some people, people with more patience than I have.  It was kind of like the thoughts, many repetitive, that I sometimes have running through my head all day, thoughts of projects unfinished that I can't seem to figure out how to finish, and they just ramble through my head, getting mixed up with thoughts of the meaning of life and whatever else, day after day.  This kind of thinking annoys me when I do it and I felt even more agitated reading about someone else doing the same thing.

 I thought it would be interesting because one of the things she does for a local paper is to write book reviews and since I write book reviews for Amazon I thought there might be a connection.  There were some interesting parts about some of the New Age type books she was reading, but much of kind of goes around in circles.  In spite of all of that, I did find myself liking the character.  But I wouldn't want to read it again.
1276495
I didn't enjoy the story, too many plot holes, the chapter names were silly, the plot just didn't work for me
3036195
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book*********

I really tried to get into this book, but I couldn't. I really tried, but all in all, this book didn't intrigue me. I felt lost and I couldn't really read much more. I got through half the book and I was torn. Every time I receive an ARC I want to give it my all, but I really couldn't with this novel. I respect the author for her trying to reach the readers but in all honesty I could not connect to the story. I know this author has several other books that really relate to the readers, but this novel just didn't do her writing justice. I wanted a real POV from each and I could only walk away from this not feeling hopeful.
24614
Maybe I read a different story, but I tried I really tried to like this book.  Truthfully I have had books that I could not read at one point went back and read them at a later date and loved the book.  This does not seem to be the case with this one.  It has been collecting dust on my book case since I picked it up one night for a little mindless enjoyment and found that it could not even out interest the repeat episode of Spongebob Squarepants that my children were watching.  The story seems pretty rote and the characters are not exactly riveting, so I put it down and I more than likely will not pick this one up again.
1737612
The story didn't keep my attention, everything seemed to be glossed over, no depth
595759
The Fiction of Forever by Brinda Berry was such a difficult read for me. Honestly I had to put this one down several times and really work to get into the story. I wanted to like this story more, the blurb sounded great, but the book just disappointed me several times. There really wasn't any character development, the storyline would jump all over without explanation, and overall I was just let down with the story. I do plan to try this series, and author again, but it just wasn't as great as I had hoped.
4244355
The idea of the story sounded great!  But I didn't connect with the characters at all. I'd have to say,  "once more with feeling,  please!"  Most books I read,  make me really care about the people in them.  I can picture each person,  each room,  the clothes...everything.  Maybe it's the details or the way things/people/events are described.  (I'm not a writer,  so it's hard for me to explain)  Very disappointing book!
4279810
I have read better stories than this,not that this is a bad story, it's just not what I'm interested in.
3567007
I didn't care for this novel. I wish I didn't have to say that since Chris Bohjalian has been one of my favorite authors ever since "Midwives." But this book just didn't work.

It would have been enough if it was a story of a pilot who suffered PTSD after his plane crashed and only he and a few others survived - the early part of the book which told this story was gripping and I was already writing a five-star review in my head. And it would have been enough to have a story about a couple with twins who were forced to move and ended up in a creepy house in a town with creepy residents. But the juxtaposition of the two seemed forced, as if Bohjalian wanted to try his hand at a new genre.

In addition, the story moved awfully slowly. I tried to stay with it in hopes of something happening besides the build-up of creepiness, but not much happened for much too long. Often, even if I don't care for a novel, I read to the end just to see how it turns out. In this case, I made it about two-third of the way and finally had to put it down. It was just too much of a slog. I concluded that either not much would happen in the remainder of the book or, if it did, I'd no longer care.

I expect many people will love this book, particularly those who enjoy horror stories. And the creepy factor could make this story into a good movie. Despite this book, Bohjalian will remain one of my favorite authors - his track record with me remains high -- and I'll watch for his next book.
3802109
Am I the only one who thinks there is no story here? The writing is great. No one can argue about that.

But I gave up on Pg 65 when Lowboy follows a crazy woman into a subway tunnel on foot. The narrative wasn't compelling enough to hold my interest. And there are no dramatic questions for the story to answer or problems for the main character to solve.

(SPOILER ALERT) The only question is whether Lowboy will hurt someone else before the police find him. Whatever happened to the girl he pushed onto the subway tracks? Was she hurt? Killed? I have no clue. And what about the Sikh? Was he badly hurt?

Is Lowboy's attack on the Sikh supposed to be the Sikh's "reward" for sheltering Lowboy from the cops? What are we supposed to make of this? Don't help strangers?

I suppose the detective's attempt to question Violet and find Lowboy is supposed to offer some sort of thriller form or detective structure to the story, but I wasn't hooked, I wasn't even interested.

The only thing that held my interest for 64 pages was Lowboy's view of the world, being inside his head. And that ultimately wasn't enough to keep me going.

I had the feeling there was nothing going on behind the narrative. With Faulkner, and even with Hemingway, you have the feeling that something big and mysterious is lurking behind the curtain or back in the shadows, and if you keep reading that big significant thing will be revealed.

In Faulkner and Hemingway, that big thing is revealed, and it is significant. Your efforts are rewarded.

But in "Lowboy," I didn't get that feeling. So I didn't keep reading, and I don't know if anything is revealed or not. The book failed to make me care.
4686283
So at this point, I've read both of Ms Gaffney's novels. (In quick succession at that.) And I gotta say that- Well, that I'm not sure what to say.
It's almost like she's not actually telling a story...an intimate process, to be sure...but rather-
Hmm...
There's something about her third-person omniscient narration that just doesn't work for me. The fact that she has a stripped-down style isn't a positive. The events of the novel are presented...but not in a way that's lyrical, or poetical or masterful, or the result of any artistic flourish.
I dunno; maybe it all comes down to her storytelling voice: it's not a particularly engaging one. I felt no connection to any of the characters, nor invested in what transpires. I think I understand the story she wanted to tell...but what's on the page simply isn't sufficiently captivating.
In fact, I read the blurbs on the back cover and have to wonder if they all read a different book.
My suspicion is that Ms Gaffney might be better off writing short fiction, rather than the sprawling stuff she's managed to get published.
(Oh, and I have to say that the actions of the lead character's mother did not ring true for me. At all.)
3930201
I realize the nature of the tale was PTSD-like madness, but the main character's long-term reaction just seemed over the top at times. Repetitive. I'm sure if that really happened to someone the repetitive internal dialogue, etc., might occur in that person's head, but it just doesn't work for storytelling. It makes you want to skip ahead because you've heard that exact thing too many times before. I finished the book only because I'm not a fan of leaving things unfinished.
2011561
Unfortunately, I didn't. The story just didn't flow. The characters were monotone. I didn't feel any emotion from these characters.  To be fair, I will try another of Tijan's books. This was my first.
95646
I tried several times to get into this book, but the story just didn't grab me...
423161
I dont' think this book is necessarily a bad book; it's just not for me. I tried multiple times to get into the story but it just didn't work for me.
1897393
I only read the first story about 20 percent through.  I just couldn't get into it. I plan to go back to it at a later time and try again.
203675
I received this book free for my unbiased review from Story Cartel.............I don't like this kind of story, I'm not saying it's not good; it's just not what I like. I couldn't even get through the first chapter, the characters names were hard for me to try to pronounce and it just didn't capture my interest.