Great House Audiobook

" I liked this book but I didn't entirely understand it. I may read it again at some point. "

" If I hadn't read The History of Love, I would have rated this book higher but she follows the same pattern with a different twist. "

" I picked this up because of the author. I thought it was okay. I love her writing style, but The History of Love was much better. "

" Upon finishing "Great House", I immediately picked up a piece of paper and began diagramming the relationships among the various characters. Then I reread the first section of the book. If I had more time, I would reread the whole novel again right away (but other books beckon). The story is recursive, dense with meaning, and ultimately mysterious. But it's not just an intellectual exercise. It's much too beautiful for that. "

" Maybe 2 1/2 stars. Krauss is an interesting, introspective writer, but this book never came around and connected. Two parts, 4 chapters each focusing on one character, but the plot never tied up. She went too far afield with each one, making it a bit incoherent. Great premise about legacy, possessions and relationships, but too obtuse. "

" I would just echo Nicola's review. Not a well developed cohesive story and the ending was not satisfying. "

" It's incredible how Krauss is able to connect every character through a a simple, wooden desk "

" I really liked the History of Love by Krauss and figured that by the end of Great House everything would fall into place like it did in History of Love. Well, it didn't this time. There were multiple stories about characters who had some involvement with a desk. It was a tedious read. "

" I really enjoyed it! But it was not as good as History of Love. I think if I would've read this first it wouldve been 4 stars. "

" A red-thread type tale with 4 separate narrations. I got attached to one of the narrations and wished it to continue and was disappointed to not have a better finish. The ending left a lot of loose ends that I would have liked to have wrapped up. "

" Very strange. I kept waiting for all the disjointed stories to come together and they never really did. Disappointing. "

" I thought this book was really great until very close to the end, when I realized that the author was not going to tie together everything for me into a neat little package. Because the book jumps around a lot, I sort of expected that. "

" It was interesting but difficult to read. "

" This didn't work so well as an audiobook...too confusing "

" The author's style is amazing: I felt like there were a number of "perfect" sentences, the ones that make you go back and read them over just for the pleasure of it. Her insight into the dark and swirly side of human nature impressed as well. "

" Ik moest er even in komen en vond het verschrikkelijk saai, maar uiteindelijk toch boeiend! :) "

" Intriguing book, beautifully written. It makes you work a bit but is well worth the effort. Moving and mysterious it interweaves many strands. "

" Maybe it's because it took me five months to read it - first book I tried on my iPad, then gave up and waited until it was available at the library- but I was disappointed. I did enjoy the author's turn of phrase. "

" Its been a while since I read this, and I just remember being disappointed at the end, thinking, how could it end this way? Parts of the book were very good. "

" Nicole Krauss' way of writing about inevitable loss never fails to hold me. "

" I must have been absent the day they passed out appreciation for patched together, over-written, blah, blah, blah, blah, held together by a barely discernable thread. Ugh! "

" If found this book difficult to follow as I did her other book, The History of Love. I was still confused when I had finished the book. "

" Good read. A little hard to keep track of all the story lines but overall a good read. "

" This was a difficult book...I need to think about it. "

" Not nearly as engrossing as her 'The History of Love.' The writing is superb, but I kept feeling like it was trying too hard to be too complicatd. "

" Exquisite writing, powerful stuff. A couple of strands were hard to follow, but even that added to the effect. Excellent. "

" This is a well-written but ultimately sad story. Also, as a friend in book club pointed out, why do all the characters narrate in the same tone? "

" Had high hopes for this book based on reviews, but I just didn't understand what point the author was trying to make. I kept waiting for a resolution to all the interlocking stories, but was not satisfied with the ending. "

" Very challenging. Took a week after finishing to feel any real understanding. "

" If I hadn't read The History of Love, I would have rated this book higher but she follows the same pattern with a different twist. "

" Good. Liked some of it - she is such a gifted writer. But the plot was a little forced, I thought. "