This book really is, based on reviews so far, a love it or hate it kind of book - I had to really push myself to keep reading and it took far longer than it would normally have taken me to read such a short book. Yes, I'm in the 'hate it' camp, or at least I would be if I could be bothered. I agree with Block's review. I had high hopes when I received this book and in places this is a really well written and interesting (rarely) book. Sadly, this is overshadowed by the fact that it is so self indulgent (not for the reader). I didn't really care for any of the characters (although I thought the description of Uta was very amusing - but so much so to redeem the book) and just thought it was all so implausible. So Peter is having a mid life crisis - who cares? It's hardly uncommon. All the arty description was boring and over done - it just served to make me feel more distanced from the book. I got the feeling that it tried too hard to have an "American Beauty" feel to it (though I confess to only having seen the film). I really couldn't wait to finish this book, but it didn't hold my attention and even 10 pages from the end (so close!) I found myself daydreaming about something totally unrelated. I am delighted to have finished this book but certainly won't be picking up another by this author in a hurry.

I had fair hopes for this book, coming as it does from a Pulitzer prize winning novelist. I have not read any of Cunningham's other work, and on the back of this book, I don't think I'll bother. Despite the dust jacket claiming a book 'tull of shocks and aftershocks', I found it predictable from the outset, and dare I say boring with an assembled cast that are somewhat sterotyped. There are flashes of brilliance, however, flashes is all they are, lost in what strikes me as a pretentious and self-absorbed novel. So many of the sentences are either in brackets or end in question marks, that some parts of the first chapter read more like an unfinished script. I'm sure some people will enjoy this book. If you're thinking of buying it, take it off the shelf and read a couple of pages first to see if it's for you, for me it certainly wasn't.

A disappointing read. It is set in the art world and I found myself skipping over these those parts describing galleries or sculptures. I had no connection with the characters and only persevered as the book is quite short. I did have one laugh out loud moment at the description of Renee Zellwegger but that may have been because it seemed rather odd and a bit mean.

I had high hopes of this book, however as I carried on reading my hopes somewhat declined. It was simply not the book, which was described in the cover of the book. I found it difficult to engage with the characters and I found myself not warming to any of them. They just didn’t appear to have any excitement and depth to them. The book was very slow, with not a great deal happening in it to keep my attention. Getting to the end was a struggle.

As I read this book I was far too aware of the author sat there writing this novel. It was too self conscious and too constructed. I tutted and sighed my way through this book. I just didn't get it or rather I just didn't want to get it. I call this kind of book 'The Emporer's Clothes' syndrome in that I just know that there are going to be a lot of people who will make a fuss about this book - blah, blah, blah, beauty, blah, blah, reflection of society, blah, blah, blah. I did not warm to any of the characters who were all without fail self absorbed and quite frankly too boring. They all needed a good slap. I hated all the 'art' and the 'beauty' bits which were tedious, unrealistic and cynical to the extreme. I felt utterly underwhelmed by this tiresome tale.