Breathtaking.

The scene before me was truly breathtaking. It was as if nature had decided to put on a grand show just for my eyes. The mountains in the distance rose majestically, their peaks touching the sky. The lush green forests that covered their slopes seemed to go on forever, a sea of vibrant colors.

The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over everything. Its rays filtered through the leaves, creating a beautiful pattern of light and shadow on the ground. A gentle breeze blew, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers and the fresh smell of the earth.

I stood there, completely in awe of the beauty that surrounded me. It was a moment that I would never forget, a moment that made me realize just how small and insignificant I was in the face of nature's power and grandeur.

As I continued to gaze at the scene, I felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over me. All of my worries and cares seemed to fade away, replaced by a feeling of pure joy and wonder.

This was truly a breathtaking experience, one that I would cherish for a lifetime.

This is the final novel in the Wonderland Quartet.

Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure of delving into all of these novels. Each one has been a delight, especially those from the early stages of JCO's career.

I firmly believe that this book is among her very best novels, if not the absolute best. From the very first page, I was instantly drawn into the deeply emotional and internal world that she so masterfully created. The characters who inhabited this world felt so real and vivid, as if they were living and breathing right before my eyes.

Periodically, I had to surface for air and take some time to reflect on what I had just read. This book had such a profound impact on me, resonating with me in countless ways. It made me think about life, love, and the human condition in ways that I never had before.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves great literature and is looking for a deeply engaging and thought-provoking read.

Fresh off a National Book Award win and three novels into a critically acclaimed quartet, one might expect the author to infuse the last book with a touch more optimism.

However, that's not the case. Instead, she dives headfirst into the horror genre. It's not as if she's deliberately penning a horror novel (though her previous work in the genre, especially short stories, and her 1995 novel "Zombie" that won the Bram Stoker Award, shouldn't come as a shock). This latest installment definitely has less onscreen violence than "them", which at times seemed like an exploration of how much damage a person could endure and still function. On the surface, it delves into the same themes as the previous novels, spanning from the Great Depression to the Vietnam War protests of the late sixties. We're often given an uncomfortable front-row seat to people either striving pointlessly or, worse, achieving exactly what they desire.

The main character, who hails from humble beginnings and eventually attains a position of relative material comfort as a doctor, is where the similarities end. This is undoubtedly the most intense novel in the sequence. It's difficult to precisely identify what elevates this one to another level, but the author herself felt it, considering the writing process an unpleasant experience she has no inclination to repeat. Reading the novel is a suffocating experience, not like being smothered but rather like being trapped in a shrinking room with the other characters, and their looks don't bode well.

The entire story is steeped in an unrelenting atmosphere of dread, with the constant sense that something bad is about to happen, even as bad things are already unfolding. It begins with teenage Jesse Harte, whose poor family is on the verge of becoming even poorer. His father's business has failed, and his parents are at odds due to another baby on the way. The situation feels oppressively uncomfortable, like a struggling family teetering on the brink of more hardships. Then, Jesse's entire family is brutally murdered, sending him on an in-depth exploration of untreated PTSD.

Essentially, for the next couple of hundred pages (and several decades), we follow a deeply traumatized person who refuses to acknowledge his trauma and thus doesn't realize that his intense obsessions are a result of his decision not to cope at all. Unfortunately for him, it's the 1930s, and the general attitude towards life-altering trauma was "Just walk it off". Before long, Jesse is shuffled from his bitter grandfather's home (which doesn't go well) to a foster home (also not a pleasant experience) and finally adopted by a controlling doctor who constantly proclaims his own brilliance.

This section of the novel is a prime example of the author taking a bizarre scenario and playing it straight, making it even more terrifying. The Pederson family is so suppressed that every scene seems to have an ominous humming in the background, as if scored by the guitarist from Radiohead. Even dinner feels like a prelude to a nervous breakdown. His children are asocial savants, his wife is overweight and indecisive, and Jesse realizes he's being molded into a vessel for the doctor's knowledge. For someone with a massive psychic wound, it seems like a viable option. But all the patients he'll eventually treat may have a different perspective.

At this point, the author stops pretending she's just flirting with the horror genre and fully embraces it. A scene where Pederson's daughter Hilda has to demonstrate her math skills against a more damaged kid turns into a terrifying parade of weird numbers being added up. Then, the tension ratchets up another notch as the Pederson family begins to splinter, and poor Jesse can't tell if he's entered a new act or if everyone is just repeating their lines. Medical school offers a slight relief, but not much.

After driving away one fiancee with his paranoia, Jesse manages to attract another, the daughter of a famous neurologist. He even makes a friend, another doctor named Trick, who is friendly in a rather menacing way. In the author's hands, medical school, already a pressure cooker, becomes a nerve-wracking challenge as it becomes clear that Jesse is held together only by centripetal force. If he slows down for even a fraction of a second, he'll come apart and likely destroy everything around him. Amidst this, we witness two of the most horrific sequences in the novel: a visit to a farm where medical experiments on animals are being conducted as if by Dr Moreau, and a dinner that goes completely off the rails. Needless to say, everything ends horribly. Meanwhile, Jesse becomes a doctor, interning with an insanely dedicated surgeon who doesn't seem to care that Jesse is working himself to death. Jesse himself doesn't seem to mind, operating under the assumption that death is a minor annoyance and curable.

But at least he has kids. As we enter the sixties, that too starts to go awry. One of his daughters runs away and sends letters home that seem to be written by a truly insane person, forcing Jesse to search for her in a broken world inhabited by equally broken people. Even a visit with an old friend is terrifying, like talking to a cloud of smoke that appreciates your presence but can't quite remember how to answer questions. Everything is eroded, everyone wants to die, and everyone is waiting for someone else to do it.

This is an extreme novel that doesn't fully reveal its intensity until you're well into it and realize you're being led through the years by someone who wants to cut through them like a sword through people, splitting everyone in half and stepping right through. More than any of the previous novels in the quartet, it shows that everything in society is fundamentally broken, and it's only a matter of time before the hammer strikes and you realize how much of you is glass. What's truly scary isn't that Jesse is killed or rendered useless, but that he isn't. He becomes successful, and yet it still doesn't matter. All his obsessions, all the damage he does to others, nothing stops him from making it from one year to the next. And perhaps what's even more frightening is the number of other successful people he encounters who are also completely warped. His mentors are like slashed Cubist paintings deluded into thinking they're human, his wife is living her own terror, and his children don't seem to be headed in a better direction. But what should set them apart from the world only seems to make them more适应 to it. While previously survival held the promise of a better life, even if that promise was undone by deep-seated character flaws, here even survival itself is mocked. Jesse survives a life-altering event, and by the end, you can't honestly say if the world is a better place for his not having been killed with the rest of his family. But if that thought is terrifying enough, you can extrapolate further and realize that the same could be said about every character in the book. They improve nothing and perpetuate nothing good. Nobody contributes, and everything is terrible. Once you start subtracting, you realize there's no reason to stop. And it's a testament to how well the book does its job that the only way to lift this clenched and twisted aura is to imagine everyone in the book gone, as if they never were, and the wind drifting peacefully through empty fields. That this is a relief of any kind, that you've been led to a place where this is somehow plausible, is perhaps the book's final spasm of horror. Nothing needs to continue if it never starts in the first place, and the author proves it in equal parts blood and charts. No wonder she's leery of getting too close to this one again. It's one of her more essential novels, but I don't think you'd want to make an annual tradition of revisiting it.

I have truly relished other books written by Oates. However, this particular one was simply mind numbing.

I slogged through it all the way to the end, constantly hoping that it would somehow redeem itself. But alas, for me, it remained a tedious read from start to finish.

The story seemed to lack the usual depth and charm that I have come to expect from Oates' works. The characters felt flat and uninteresting, and the plot failed to engage my attention.

Despite my initial excitement upon picking up this book, I was left feeling disappointed and underwhelmed. It's a shame, really, as I have such high regard for Oates as an author.

Perhaps this was just an off day for her, or maybe this particular book just wasn't for me. Either way, I will continue to explore her other works in the hope of finding that same magic that I have experienced in the past.

I did not have a particular enjoyment of this book. It was extremely well-written, which is only to be expected from Joyce Carol Oates. However, at certain points, it was almost too arduous to read. There were moments when I laid the book aside in disgust and felt myself on the verge of tears. Although sometimes this is the sign of an outstanding writer, in this case, it was entirely unnecessary.

I would strongly NOT recommend this to anyone with any form of eating disorder or body issues. There are overly detailed accounts of binge eating and weight, which were entirely unhealthy for me to read. Additionally, there was a chilling and overly detailed description of a gynecologist visit that made me queasy. I do not believe that these scenes were essential to the novel in the slightest. There was nothing they conveyed that was not already comprehended or that couldn't have been just as easily grasped through the use of less disturbing imagery.

This story gave the impression that Oates was attempting to cram every minor tragedy and disturbing scene possible into one book, simply for the sake of it. It truly did not seem as if the novel had an overarching purpose, moral, or anything of the sort.

The afterword is truly fantastic.

I find myself wondering if presenting the characters predominantly through their behavior would be enough. Since we don't get to see how they internally and consciously process their experiences, I feel a sense of missing out on seeing fully developed individuals, regardless of the hardships they may have endured. Instead, we are left with rather weak and insubstantial figures, almost like anemic ghosts.

The characters in this story don't seem to reflect on their actions or take the time to carefully consider and select the best possible options. They seem to blunder through life, half-consciously or perhaps not even that.

I can't help but ask myself if this is precisely the point of the book. And if so, will the afterword offer an answer when it confesses to a welling up of the unconscious, where the characters are often more about inner processes rather than actual persons? It makes me curious to explore further and see if there are hidden depths and meanings that I may have overlooked.

**"Ms. Hen's Review of Wonderland"**

Ms. Hen has recently visited Wonderland and has some thoughts to share. Wonderland is a place filled with奇幻景象 and unique experiences.

She was amazed by the colorful landscapes and the variety of奇特的 creatures she encountered. The attractions in Wonderland are truly one-of-a-kind, offering excitement and entertainment for all ages.

However, Ms. Hen also noted that there were some areas that could be improved. For example, the queues for some of the popular rides were quite long, which could be a bit frustrating for visitors.

Overall, Ms. Hen had a great time in Wonderland and would recommend it to others. If you're looking for a place to escape and have some fun, Wonderland might just be the perfect destination.

http://mshenreviewsthings.blogspot.co...

I read this particular book because it was赫然listed on Didion's top twenty books list. And I have to say, it did not disappoint me in the slightest. It was indeed a rather difficult read, and it took me almost two months of picking it up sporadically to actually complete.

At times during my reading, I had the distinct feeling that the characters seemed to possess less personality when compared to the suffocating tone of the narrator. However, upon re-reading the inscription which stated, "This book is for all of us who pursue the phantasmagoria of personality...", I was suddenly struck by the intention and the remarkable craft that went into this book.

It was as if this realization redeemed the initial difficulty I had faced while reading. After all, a well-crafted book is surely worth the slog, isn't it? I found myself reflecting on how the author had managed to create such a complex and thought-provoking work, despite the challenges it presented to the reader.

Overall, although it was a tough read, I am glad that I persevered and discovered the hidden depths and beauty within this book.

I had been longing to read a Joyce Carol Oates novel for numerous years. Recently, I chanced upon this particular one in a free book box. To my delight, I found myself enjoying the book more than not.

Oates employs a highly narrative stream of consciousness approach in her prose and character studies, which makes it an effortless read for me. Her attention to every minute detail of personality is truly remarkable. There were a couple of sections that delved into the cartoonishly macabre, such as some of the Trick stuff. However, for the most part, the action was as psychologically horrifying as I'm certain Oates intended. She has a knack for creating an atmosphere that sucks the air out of a room, leaving the reader feeling intense tension and confusion. So, if that's your cup of tea...

I adored the Pedersen family. I could have easily devoured 500 pages dedicated solely to them. Dr. Pedersen was so vivid and distinct among all the characters I've ever encountered. His complexity is truly troubling. It's nearly impossible to delineate the boundaries between his intelligence, ambition, and cruelty. While it might be easy for the reader to simply conclude, "Oh, he's evil. That's it," I believe Oates wants us to observe the subtleties of a far more intricate character who commandeers and absorbs people, buildings, and indeed an entire city. In any event, the personality destruction he inflicts upon his wife and children, whether intentionally or accidentally, in his ceaseless demand for perfection is both horrifying and lifelike. Hilda's chapter is truly devastating.

I relished Grandpa Shirer and most other aspects of the first book. However, the third book left something to be desired. It paled in comparison to the first two and seemed rather tacked on for some sort of last-minute thematic completion that didn't quite seem warranted by what preceded it. I wish Jesse himself was more dynamic. I understand that he's traumatized and withdrawn, but with so many colorful and interesting events unfolding around him, he comes across more as a passive observer rather than a protagonist, and I found myself growing bored whenever questions regarding his desires and personal fulfillment were raised.

Nevertheless, I still liked the book. And since the internet informs me that there are several dozen more highly regarded JCO books out there, I'm eagerly looking forward to experiencing something even better.

Incarnations of a personality

Joyce Carol Oates’ 1971 novel ‘Wonderland’ is presented in a series of sections, offering windows into the shifting identity of its main character.

It opens in Yewville, a small town in upstate New York in 1939. We are thrust into the life of fourteen-year-old Jesse Harte. There is a sense of disquietude and unspoken turmoil that Jesse senses. His monotonous life is shattered when his father massacres the family and then kills himself, yet Jesse miraculously survives.

Jesse then becomes Jesse Pedersen, the adoptive son of a respected physician. The Pedersen family is obese and has a strict dinner table routine. Jesse adapts and shows an interest in medicine to please his father. However, through a series of events, he is given a ‘severance’ check and is considered dead to the family.

Next, we meet Jesse Vogel (using his mother’s maiden name), a medical student at the University of Michigan, pursuing a career as a neurosurgeon. He has growing confidence but also doubts and insecurities. Talbot “Trick” Monk enters his life, a trickster who causes chaos, including Jesse’s breakup with his fiancée. Jesse later marries Helene and they have two daughters.

The final section is bookended by the Kennedy assassination in 1963 and the antiwar demonstrations of the late 60’s/early 70’s. Jesse’s younger daughter, Michelle, “Shelley”, becomes a runaway and is in thrall to an addict/hippie/wannabe cult leader named Noel. Jesse eventually finds her in a commune in Toronto, brainwashed and believing he is the devil.

In the afterward, Oates recalls her dedication to “all of us who pursue the phantasmagoria of personality”. She realizes the novel plunges us into the vortex of being. The question remains: do all of these fragments of personality add up to a complete whole? Jesse’s life seems fractured, with chaos appearing in every attempt at order.

I have some quibbles with the narrative. Oates breaks the continuity of point of view by jumping into the perspectives of other characters. I believe if a novel begins in a central character’s head, it should stay there. Also, the letters from Shelley are too mature for a fifteen-year-old.

Despite these flaws, there is much to admire in the novel. It has riveting passages and creates memorable characters. While the fragments may not add up to a unified artistic statement, I applaud Oates for making the attempt to write about the “phantasmagoria of personality”.

A strange foray into the world of Joyce Carol Oates, the fourth part of what is called the Wonderland quartet is truly difficult to fathom.

While the designs of the first three novels were clear and straightforward, here it is anything but. This complexity, I believe, begins with the main character, Jesse.

Even though we are very sympathetic with the plight that besets him at the outset, it is still extremely difficult to connect to him on a deeper level.

The rest of the characters who navigate through his life are less than whole. They seem more like a series of vignettes rather than actual, fully developed relationships.

As a result, the story lacks the emotional depth and connection that one might expect from a novel of this caliber.

It is as if Oates is trying to explore something new and different, but in the process, has sacrificed some of the elements that make a story truly engaging and memorable.

Nevertheless, there are still moments of brilliance in this novel, and it is worth reading for those who are interested in exploring the unique world of Joyce Carol Oates.

I truly adored this book and the way she writes.

You can precisely envision where she is.

The very first chapter was so captivating that it nearly made me tumble off my seat.

Although the sedation on Reva wasn't as effective as I would have liked, the remainder of the novel was so astonishing that it made me completely forget about that minor drawback.

Every page seemed to draw me deeper into the story, and I couldn't put the book down.

The author's vivid descriptions and engaging plot kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

I can't wait to explore more of her works and see what other amazing stories she has in store for us.