The Marriage Plot Book Reviews

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The Marriage Plot. A good read. The author provides a great insight to mental illness and the religious quest that I believe all people are drawn to sometime in our lives.

Brilliant!. A wonderful reading experience. I laughed and I cried. I can't remember the last time a book so deeply moved me. One of the best, most memorable books of 2011!

Superb.. This novel's nod to the romantic pairings-off of the courtship novel--the Marriage Plot--is what makes it such a clever romp. As in "Middlesex", Eugenides' clever pen sketches characters with clarity, precision, and a mature affection for their human failings. He deftly tackles some difficult subjects here and, without preaching or pedantry, draws apt moral lessons from life's vagaries. I devoured this book over a couple of days, and likely will read it again to savor it at more leisure.

The Marriage Plot. Jeffrey Eugenides has a wonderful ability to seamlessly move in this novel through time and voice. I was enthralled from movement to movement. Mary Anne LaHood Michigan

so-so. I'm a huge fan of middle sex and the virgin suicides, but this was disappointing. The characters don't really evolve, except for Mitchelle, who seems to, for no reason, change at the novel's end. The prose is not beautiful, and some of the 80's references seem irrelevant, even though the time period is significant. Leonard's illness was conveyed powerfully, and Mitchelle is a memorable (if not entirely believable character). I wish it had been slightly better.

The Marriage Plot. The author writes a superb narrative, but in some places it's a bit more than a casual reader needs. The depiction of Leonard's mental illness and its effects is fantastic; the travel tidbits were also well described. Still, I think there were a lot of five-dollar words used when a more common word would have sufficed. A piece of current literature this is, not a quick read - which may have been Eugenides goal!

A chore to just get through it. I was so excited to read this book after having loved Middlesex. Early on it became a struggle to just get to the end of this book. Several times it seemed like a self-indulgent treatise on exactly how much the author knew about certain topics, as if he was waving his hands saying "look at me, look how much esoteric STUFF I know!". In the end i did myself a favor and skipped entire boring paragraphs, skimming them to get the jist of it while looking for where the lecture would stop and the story would begin again. Never bonded with the characters and sadly, i was happy when I reached the last page.

The Marriage Plot. Brilliant! A must read!!

Loved this book!. Highest recommendation. Truly enjoyable.

Amazing!!. So good. I just finished it and I want to read it again.

The marriage plot. A good read, this book will hold your interest. It does not measure up, though, to the standard of Middlesex, which I thought was excellent. Whereas the story of Middlesex has stayed with me over the years since I read it -- and I very well may want to read it again someday -- this one will fade away into the category of "just another pretty good book". I didn't read "The Virgin Suicides", but I know the story from the film. The storyline of Marriage Plot seems less inspired than Suicides.

Disappointing, the same way as "Freedom". I had read the reviews, and so I was prepared for this being different from the extraordinary Middlesex. But all the same I found it thin and disappointing. Three people graduate from college in 1982 and have a series of crises about their present and future lives in times very much like our own (high unemployment, American decline, etc.) Being their exact contemporary in many ways, a lot of the scene-setting and plot devices are right for the period. Ah, yes, I remember that song, that dirty pensione in Europe, etc. But I had exactly the same problem I did with Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom". With the exception of the character experiencing an extended depressive episode, it was impossible to feel any interest or sympathy for the characters. They just wallowed around feeling sorry for themselves.

The Marriage Plot. This story was a GREAT read!

The Marriage Plot. Beautiful writing with intense characters. A real insight to mental illness

Just Terrible. This book is largely an egotistical list of how many books the author has read. Although some concepts could be said to be 'universal,' the book is overall outdated. It focuses on 22 year olds in 1982, but was published in 2011, making it immediately dated and irrelevant. The characters are all whiney and unlikable. I pushed through this book, thinking that it had to get better, but it never did. In fact, the last page is the corniest ending to any book that I've ever read and was again, egotistical. The author heavy-handedly 'implies' that he has created a brand new form of romantic novel after over a century of stagnation.

I love the author, but.... ...I hate this book. I don't need characters to be likable, but c'mon, give me something. It felt like reading homework!

Big fan of Eugenides, but .... A wee bit disappointed to report that this wasn't his best. Still, I feel similar to the way I feel after screening a lesser Woody Allen film. It's still a cut above the other drek out there. And I related to the subject matter perhaps more than most, having been an English major at a "little Ivy" in the 80s and having struggled through umpteen literary theory classes in which "the death of the author" and the "prison house of language" made reading not nearly as fun as it had been when, say, there were still such things as "authorial intent" and "meaning." I also met my first bi-polar person around that same time. Kudos to Eugenides for nailing Leonard. It was like reliving the whole thing - which might have also contributed to my lack of gusto for this book! I guess what I missed here was the epic sweep of Middlesex. And maybe it was a tad too personal??? Never mind. Read it anyway. It's from the Jeff-man (and his vest) after all ...

So far so good. I am only partially into this book but had to say something since the previous reviewer gave a negative opinion (it seems) based only on the summary. Loved the unique and tactfully written transgender topic of his previous book, Middlesex. It seems, this one is lining up for the same thoughtful, respectful view into another personal struggle...mental illness. Professional book reviewers suggest that this effort is not as epic as Middlesex. I say so be it. I love author surprises. It serves to show the writer is not a one trick pony. I know a Eugenides book will be a sound financial and lit investment either way. If I wanted an uncomplicated read I'd pick up a nick sparks paperback.

A worthy read. The enjoyed the plot for its unpredictability, as I did not see how the novel would end until the very last page. The author adeptly shows the agony of bi-polar disorder with the plot underscoring the fact that manic-depression is never cured, just managed. I never truly cared about any of the three primary characters, which made it easier to pay attention to their choices and keep track of the complexities presented by the time switches in the plot and setting changes. All in all, a worthy read.

Pointless. One of the most pointless books I have ever read. The whole story seemed to be an introduction, but then nothing happened. Total waste of time.

Decent read. I feel like this book has been done before. The book, One Day is very similar to this one. The characters are difficult to endear because their choices are so idiotic. The only saving grace was that all 3 characters go their own way. I also felt the intermingling of sex and religion were not inspiring. I only finished this book out of wanting to be done with it.

The Marriage Plot was a little boring. Its probably unfair to compare every work he does to the greatness of Middlesex but the expectancy of a wonderful story with flawless delivery is difficult to forgo. Of course his writing is wonderfully witty but this story line was, at times, as boring as it was unimaginative. Just sayin...

Wow.. This book by far surpassed any hope or expectation I had of it finding a home on my all time list of favorites.

K most unsatisfying ending ever.. Entirety of the book was excellent, but then it ends and I want to jump off of a cliff.

Looks great!. Looks like a good book

Outstanding. I didn't want the book to end

The Marriage Plot. The prose is thought-provokingly delicious, philosophically interesting, and a must-read for any lover of English literature. After slogging through the first handful of pages I could not put it down. My next reading I will compose from it a reading list!

Ok. This book was ok, hated the characters, but finished the book bc I was drawn in my simple wanting to know what happened. Almost didn't finish this book though because I found many parts boring. The ending was disappointing for me as well. Tons of literary references, which sometimes made things hard to follow, but loved that it forces me out of a box.

High expectations. I found this book a big disappointment after Middlesex. The narration seemed off somehow and the writing goes around in circles. It couldn't grab my attention enough to get past first couple chapters....

Intellectally Pretentious. The allusions to various themes academe are tediously off-putting and make the start of this book nearly impossible to read. I found it affected and not necessary to the plot or the literary structure of the book. The story itself is compelling and once moving, while deeply depressing, is engaging if hyperintellectual. It's worth the read if you don't mind a bit of a downer. It's linguistic structure is simply pretentious.

What an ending. I bought the book awhile back and I couldn't really get into it. I guess because the first 2 chapter were to long but when I finally decided I needed to finish this book before I start a new one I fell in love with it. The story gave me a more of an eye opener on bipolar disorder and how difficult it can be for someone who is suffering from it as well as the loved ones around them. Overall the book is worth reading.

Just ok. I enjoyed the book, but skipped the sections when Madeleine was in class. The first half was slow and took me months to get through, I'm glad I persevered because the second half was far better.

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