Fates and furies

A novel split in half telling the story of a marriage. The first half follows the husband Lotto's rise from a failed actor to an acclaimed playwright. What should have been an eye rolling story of a white guy from affluent parents who graduates from a posh college to pursue a career in acting was sustained by Groff's writing and the close third person narration that would often interject with brief asides. The second half picks up the thread of the story and colours the past from the wife's perspective. Truly the Furies half of the novel, the plot picks up and veers awfully close to over the top.

Not what I expected. Fates and Furies; one of the best books of the year; a story about marriage. None of these are an accurate description of what I just read.

For starters, the title is all wrong. I came up with a few suggestions I think might be better:

• Sex, Lies, and Playacting


• Lar's Von Trier's Nymphomaniac, Part One: Fates; Part Two: Furies


• What's Love Got to Do with It


• Indecent Proposal

Fates and Furies

10 Things I Hate About You

investigates Mathilde, sends her findings to her son which get intercepted, but never mentions this fact to her son in their webchats? Player Lotto, having just come off of his thousandth sexcapade in his short life, sees Mathilde across the room, immediately asks her to marry him, and remains faithful to her for the rest of his life? A playwright becomes a celebrity and is recognized by throngs of fans on the street?

Delicate Edible Birds

Arcadia

Fates and Furies

Even though there were good twists in the different points of view, and the first chapters were great, it left me bored to tears at times.

Book Club 2015

This book was lovely, in both audiobook and written form.

So this book is getting a lot of hype... It deserves it. I found the characters of Lotto and Mathilde fascinating. Throughout the reading of this novel, I was so invested in the uncovering of who they were. It has been compared to Gone Girl. I guess the comparison is hard to resist. But I think it is a little unfair. Amy Dunne in Gone Girl is just evil. There is not love between Amy and Nick. In “Fates and Furies,” Lotto and Mathilde have depth. Sometimes the layers are unattractive but as you follow their lives, the layers make sense. And no spoiler... this is the story of the ups and downs of marriage.

Enjoyed this book a lot - I think it will be one of my favorites from 2015.