Overwrought. Both writing and content.

I almost gave up on this book. I thought the writing style was overly descriptive. It would've taken me forever to finish if I looked up every word that I had never seen before. I like books that challenge me but the vocabulary of this book just seemed unnecessary. Every once in a while though, there would be a great sentence that made you stop and re-read it, appreciating it's meaning.

Here is a soaring yet intimate epic about a half-French Algerian (or pied noir) and half-American family, continually reeling from the paternal side of the family’s exile from the former French department in the dying days of the Algerian revolution. The novel is narrated by the daughter, Sagesse, and through her, we delve into the family's Algerian past, catch glimpses of Sagesse's American future, and learn about the pivotal years at the family's Mediterranean resort when Sagesse was a teenager and two gunshots once again changed her family—and her own trajectory—forever. Sagesse's story and her family's overlays the experience of political violence and exile with everyday sensual and corporeal intimacies (with friends, family, and lovers) that make us whole again—or at least, that make us want to be whole again.

A very well-written, largely unoriginal novel with tier one protagonist development. Messud can write, no doubt, the pages in Algeria are terrific and the trials of the family's daughter - not quite belonging to any culture or friend group, estrangement from her family, etc., are fully realized. The missteps are common to these kinds of novels - America does not exist outside New England, indigenous rights groups in Europe are evil (but treating Arabs like a servant class is totally cool), the teenagers are oversexed and there's infidelity and random incest - so edgy. These cringe-worthy components notwithstanding, the narrative is strong, the characters are interesting, and the scenes well-wrought. I'm glad I read this.

Well written, some very beautiful and moving passages in a coming of age story of 15 year old Sagesse, living in France with an Algerian father and American mother. Conflicts and family drama wrapped in the France-Algerian war, family wealth, social and economic class, yet none of these issues had any punch for me. I got tired of the story about 2/3 of the way through; kept going because I felt something else had to happen. It didn't.

I don't often give up on books, but nothing of interest had happened by page 150 or so. Because of that and because of all of these poor goodreads reviews, I gave up. The shooting incident was not at all dramatic, and I didn't care about the main character. I skipped ahead to see if it was going to get more interesting, and it didn't seem so. There are so many good books; why should I waste time on this one?

This was very readable, with some beautiful prose, but it didn't quite soar for me. It read like it had been slightly unnaturally translated, although as far as I can make out Claire Messud writes in English. Like many new books I read now I felt it could have done with a good edit.

A gift sent by dear TA, thanks you so much friend. Another book with a passport.

This is the story of a French Algerian family saga, told by her daughter Sagesse LaBasse.

She describes how they have beed discriminated by the French, how their culture overcome their difficult times after World War II. Camus is quite often cited along this book.

In order to regain her own identity, Sagesse decided to move to United States.

A very well written book, even if her first book (The Emperor's Children) was very badly criticized.

It's a little hard to connect with Messud's characters. At her best, it's more like being benignly haunted than reading.

Good writer, captures upper class NYC life well. Characters were well drawn, but it was a bit hard to care that much for them. She can write, though. It was a good story, but not sure I'd recommend given its length.

Claire Messud's writing is intelligent and poetic. There are moments where she evokes Whitman and Bellow and harnesses a rhythm as timeless as the Bible or Shakespeare. How sad to be saddled with such enormous talent and have nothing to say (apologies to John Prine). The 14 year-old protagonist observes much, but cares little. Messud writes, "I wanted, really, to write an essay about what it was like to be penned into a corner where every choice was wrong, where nobody would trust you and where the truth could not be told because it didn't exit." She succeeded.

Racism, sexism, classism, adolescence, family, disability, national identity vs. personal identity, infidelity, and history. Oh my! Most of all, though, loneliness.

Wonderfully written.