Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel

The beginning of this book was just beautiful, but the end was rushed and left a lot to be desired.

I bought this book without a second thought, on the back of "Time-Traveler's Wife"'s amazingosity. Niffenegger smiths her characters well -- you know and are concerned for them by the middle of this book, so when things turn you turn with them, and their losses are very real and profound. Unfortunately, the final turn feels broadcasted from about halfway through the book, and by the time...more

I bought this book without a second thought, on the back of "Time-Traveler's Wife"'s amazingosity. Niffenegger smiths her characters well -- you know and are concerned for them by the middle of this book, so when things turn you turn with them, and their losses are very real and profound. Unfortunately, the final turn feels broadcasted from about halfway through the book, and by the time things happen, the characters have so thoroughly discussed and thought through them (we spend a lot of time in each character's head) so much that there's no real surprise at the end. That's not to say it's a bad read -- just a dull-toothed book with beautiful writing.   hide

Enjoyed this read as much as time traveller's wife.

I wasn't familiar with this author. I found out that she's the same woman who did the Time Travelers Wife I think? Anyhow, while reading this book, I really got the feeling I was reading a female John Irving. All the characters have those same John Irving quirks that make him so fun to read. The difference was that it didn't take me 200 pages to get sucked in! I liked it a lot. Can't say it...more

I wasn't familiar with this author. I found out that she's the same woman who did the Time Travelers Wife I think? Anyhow, while reading this book, I really got the feeling I was reading a female John Irving. All the characters have those same John Irving quirks that make him so fun to read. The difference was that it didn't take me 200 pages to get sucked in! I liked it a lot. Can't say it was the greatest ever, but very good!   hide