Goldengrove Book

After reading two other reviews on Goldengrove, one a five star review, the other a two star review, I was surprised to find both reviews shared much of the same sentiments and echoed many of my opinions regarding the book. I really had mixed feelings about the novel. On one hand, I felt a bit disappointed that the book's storyline did nothing to distance itself from the countless other novels about death and tragedy. On the other hand, Francine Prose's powerful writing style was able to draw in my interest and effectively compensated for her painstakingly slow plot development. It seems that the other two reviews also agreed with my ideas.

To start off on a positive note, I felt that Goldengrove was truly exquisitely written. The author had an uncanny ability to evoke emotions and create dazzling descriptions. An example of this is:

"Margaret's death had shaken us, like three dice in a cup, and spilled us out with new faces in unrecognizable combinations...We could have been sea creatures stranded on the beach, puzzling over an empty shell that reminded us of the ocean."

Another aspect of the novel I particularly enjoyed was the fact that even though the book does center around how the main character Nico, deals with her sister's death, it wasn't thoroughly depressing and dark in any sense. In fact, Francine Prose seems to have a knack for incorporating hilarious dry humor into otherwise bland or sorrowful topics. For instance:

"Every Middle Eastern country we invade, the cost of oil skyrockets, which jacks up the price of your pecans and whatever carcinogenic shit they put in that pistachio. Plus every bomb we drop shortens the time until the next dirty-bomb attack. I figure the human race has got about another fifteen minutes, max. That's why I like selling frozen dessert. Enjoy it before it melts-along with the polar ice caps. Ha ha."

Despite being very well written, one gaping flaw in the novel is the plot development. Throughout the book, and in the beginning especially, there is a huge whole where excitement or build up to the climax usually lie. It seemed as if the author took the introduction in most books and pulled at it until the descriptions of nothing but character and setting filled up half the book. Thankfully, she was able to redeem herself through her writing style.

What I learned from evaluating both reviews is how much one enjoys reading Goldengrove will be greatly dependent on how much they value quality of writing versus plot development that contains a lot of action and excitement. I would say Goldengrove is suitable for those who like luscious insightful descriptions of simple situations, elegant writing styles, and a little bit of dry humor. Though the storyline of the novel is very typical, for people looking for a slightly different take on grief, I would recommend them to Goldengrove a try.