I'm sorry to say this, but palazzo.

A palazzo is a large and imposing building, often associated with wealth and grandeur. It typically features a spacious interior with high ceilings, elaborate decorations, and perhaps a beautiful courtyard or garden.

Palazzi can be found in many cities around the world, especially in Europe. They have served various purposes over the years, such as being the residence of the wealthy and noble, or housing important institutions.

Today, many palazzi have been converted into museums, hotels, or other public spaces, allowing people to admire their beauty and history. Whether you're strolling through the streets of Venice or Rome, or visiting a palazzo in another city, you're sure to be impressed by the elegance and charm of these magnificent buildings.

Powerful and amazing, yet also painful.

There are several major plot twists that are at times extremely difficult to endure and have left me in a state of shock.

Consequently, I would not recommend this to those with a weak heart.

On the contrary, the perfect writing and the engrossing story make it nearly impossible to put down.

Therefore, one needs to be fully committed to the book and be able to set aside their everyday emotions during the process of reading.

Otherwise, an overall positive experience may not be achievable.

I believe that the feelings evoked are well worth the periods of discomfort or shock if you have an interest in unidealized portrayals of human nature.

This book truly challenges the reader and forces them to confront the darker aspects of humanity, but in doing so, it also offers a unique and profound reading experience.

4.5/5 stars

I truly relished this particular book among all the volumes in Oates's Wonderland series.

It allowed me to become intimately acquainted with Jesse Vogel as a character. I was able to delve deep into his thoughts and understand his inner world.

The journey that Jesse undertakes throughout the novel is truly captivating. He starts by grappling with a terrible family tragedy, which shapes his character and outlook on life.

As the story progresses, we witness his growth and transformation. He works hard and eventually becomes a doctor who owns his own clinic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel more than any other in the Wonderland series. Joyce Carol Oates is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite authors. Her writing is so vivid and engaging that it draws the reader in and keeps them hooked until the very end.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written and thought-provoking story.

What a truly surreal book this is!

In numerous ways, I found myself loathing it.

However, the writing within it is both ambitious and complex, clearly engaged in doing something highly interesting.

It's almost like witnessing a train wreck unfold right before your eyes, being equally fascinating and horrible.

The author seems to be taking bold risks with the narrative and the language, which on one hand, makes it a captivating read, yet on the other hand, it can be quite off-putting.

Despite my initial aversion, I couldn't help but be drawn in by the unique qualities of the writing.

It's a strange and paradoxical experience, much like many other aspects of life that are simultaneously alluring and repellent.

Overall, this book is a testament to the power of literature to evoke strong emotions and challenge our perceptions.

This book was truly outstanding.

It presented the story of a man, tracing his journey from a tumultuous (and that's an understatement) family life, to an orphanage, then through adoption, and finally to his life as a student, husband, and father.

The book is divided into 3 parts, and the first part is perhaps the best. However, the book as a whole is excellent.

You get to look inside the minds of many of the characters, and they are all rather strange, even the ones who seem normal at first glance.

But in the wonderful world of this book, no one is truly normal, and it is really fascinating to observe the inner workings of these people.

Moreover, the book also has an engaging plot and exciting action, which makes it even more enjoyable to read.

Overall, this is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a great read.

The final book in a quadrilogy presents a vivid illustration of diverse aspects of American life.

Jesse's life takes a tragic turn when his father murders the rest of the family and then himself, after also shooting Jesse, leaving him an orphan.

Despite this harrowing start, Jesse goes on to face numerous other stressors as he grows into a family man and a neurosurgeon.

His experiences make my own life seem rather uneventful in comparison.

The book is very good, but for me, it was a rather slow read.

Fortunately, it can be read as a stand-alone, so there's no need to have read the three preceding books in the series.

This allows readers to jump right into Jesse's complex and captivating story without feeling lost or having to catch up on previous installments.

Overall, it offers a unique and engaging perspective on the challenges and triumphs of an American life.

One day at USU, as I strolled across the quad, I happened to pass by a table filled with used books.

I simply couldn't resist the allure of a collection of second-hand books. I had to stop and take a closer look. Among them, I discovered this particular book.

I had no prior knowledge of it, but I recognized the author's name. Moreover, it was a nice-looking hard-bound book, and it was priced at just 50 cents or so. Naturally, I decided to buy it.

Since then, it has been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years. Finally, I picked it up and started reading. As I delved into the story, I learned that it was the fourth installment in a "quartet."

At least one other reviewer had claimed that it could be read as a standalone book, so I went ahead with it.

Overall, the book provided an interesting reading experience. The story, in general, was quite good. It was more or less a coming-of-age tale that followed Jesse from the age of 11 to 44 in three segments.

Early on, Jesse tragically lost his family, and for the remainder of the book, he was deeply affected by that separation. Without a strong father figure in his life, by the end, he found himself in a position where he needed to be a good father to his rebellious daughter.

There were several very powerful, compelling, and even gripping scenes that really drew me in.

Stylistically, the book was strong, but at the same time, it felt a bit overwrought. Everything seemed very labored, heavy, and serious.

The story itself was captivating, and I was eager to find out what became of Jesse. However, the narration was very internal and meandering, which made it a bit of a struggle to get through large portions of the story.

And, of course, the ending was completely unsatisfying. But at least I had the foresight not to expect any kind of tidy conclusion.

I marked a few passages that really stood out to me. For example, "What was so fascinating about this, Jesse thought, was its ordinary nature--the canal, the locks, the noisy water; the town itself ordinary and quiet, as if it had existed for centuries, with a profound certainty of its right to exist, no awareness of the fact that it had no reason for existing, no guarantee of its right to exist."

Another passage that caught my attention was, "What was time? The element in which he lived, automatically. What was his life? he knew that a living cell performs certain miraculous acts, that it contains a kind of electricity, and that a dead cell performs no acts, goes through no sequence of characteristic, identifying acts, and is nothing. The definition of life, then, was only one of behavior: the living cell behaved, the dead cell did nothing. The living cell was godly, the dead cell a zero. Between the two there was a universe of time."

There were also passages like, "There were operatic possibilities in life that came out of the darkness of a movie house--flashing out of the confused splotches of color and light that made up the screen's images, like the underside of a dream forcing its way to the surface of the mind."

And, "'Like painting the barn the way it actually is, halfway done in red--and it only turns out looking crazy. Because the real barn, the barn right there, looks kind of crazy halfway painted, so why should a painting of that barn look any better? I don't believe you should be faithful to reality when reality doesn't warrant it, do you? Reality isn't everything!'"

Finally, "To be a complete thought you have to come to the end of yourself, you have to see your own birth and your own death, summed up. Maybe into a book. Beginnings and endings."

All in all, I don't think I would really recommend this book to anyone I know. Also, even though I liked the appearance of the book, now that I've finally read it, I don't think I will be keeping it.

I have such a complex relationship with this book.

On one hand, I love it, and on the other hand, I hate it so much.

The protagonist, Jesse, is extremely unlikeable and frustrating. His life seems to be nothing but a continuous stream of misery upon misery.

In book 2, the Pederson family and their unhealthy relationship with food and studying made me feel deeply uncomfortable. I truly hated that part, yet somehow, I was still completely attached to every written word, reading with complete concentration.

However, the best part of the book by far are the female characters. Helene, in particular, is amazing. Her passage about how womanhood feels for her truly changed my life, I swear to God.

Overall, this book is a rollercoaster of emotions, and despite its flaws, it has left a lasting impact on me.

It is extremely hard to precisely convey to you the reasons why I adored this book. It is not a one-size-fits-all kind of literary work. I'm certain that some individuals will be deeply enamored with it, while others might loathe it or find certain parts rather burdensome. The narrative centers around Jesse Vogel, who commences his life in a rural town in upstate NY. There, he is compelled to flee for his life from his father, who has shockingly murdered his entire family. Jesse manages to escape, and we witness his journey unfold before our eyes. The transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly represents just one aspect of his evolution. This is a captivating story of survival and self-reinvention. It is the tale of a man who is regarded as more than an ordinary individual. Nevertheless, there is no element of fantasy in this story. Oates' unique stream of consciousness style in this particular book (as she is always distinct) enables us to gradually uncover the various layers of Jesse and the other principal characters. This book is part of a Quartet, with "Garden of Earthly Delights," "Them," and "Expensive People" being the other installments. Each one is worthy of being read either together or independently. Oates is a highly productive author, and every one of her books has something valuable to offer. However, "Wonderland" truly stands out as a masterpiece.

A novel that delves deep into the reasons and the manner in which a brilliant surgeon's inner turmoil surfaces. This is a book that not only left me completely astounded and filled with admiration for its writing and story but also presented a jagged ending that I found truly challenging.

I had this book in my library for what seemed like forever. After being completely blown away by Oates's late novel, Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars, I finally pulled it down. At first, I made the mistake of thinking that Wonderland was three novellas instead of one single novel. After bouncing off the first part, I decided to read the middle of the novel. I was utterly fascinated by the young medical student's obsessive work and was really puzzled as to what drove him.

Then I went back and read the first part which depicted his harrowing childhood. The portrait of the family that eventually adopts him is one of the most compelling and disquieting things I have ever read. The last part was rather sad, as the doctor's and America's repressed past comes back to haunt them in the disorder of the 1960s and the dark side of the counter culture. I skimmed through the letters from his runaway daughter, eager to see if and how the protagonist could manage to redeem his deep-seated wounds.

Wonderland is indeed a riveting story that explores the long and lingering shadow cast by trauma, leaving the reader with much to思考 and reflect upon.

It really struck me as extremely weird when Jesse's father showed up unexpectedly to pick him up early from his after-school job. This strange occurrence also had the same effect on Jesse and his employer. We could sense that something was about to unfold, or perhaps something had already taken place. With a sense of trepidation, we watched as Jesse left the security of his familiar work routine to go with his father.

I found it truly touching that Jesse continuously believed that his father's arrival had something to do with Christmas. He had expectations of things being normal, imagining that there might be presents from Montgomery Ward waiting for him. Even as they drove up the familiar driveway to the house and he walked into the warm home, experiencing the feeling of home, he still thought everything was okay. But then, the slow realization dawned on him, along with that distinct smell....

We desperately wanted him to run, but he was still trying to take in the situation and didn't move at first. Then, his father came in, and finally, Jesse made his move. He dived through the window, ran as fast as he could, and managed to escape....

A quite average book by Joyce Carol Oates standards, I must admit. I haven't managed to obtain a "grip" on her older works — aside from them.

Still, Wonderland is exquisitely written, of course. The language she uses is beautiful and engaging. However, I had a tough time connecting with the main character and his coming of age.

It was a rather dreary book, really. And I usually like dreary books. But this one was a bit much for me. I found myself getting bored and losing interest as I read.

Mayhap I'll revisit it in the future. Maybe I'll have a different perspective on it then. Or maybe I'll just leave it as it is and move on to other books. Only time will tell.