This book is an American epic. It reminds me of what Gunther Grass's The Tin Drum did for WWII Germany.
The character developement is phenomenal: rarely is a book capable of shifting the reader's sympathies between different characters but that's just what Kesey does. The book's narration often jumps from character to character in the middle of a paragraph without any punctation, but the characters' voices are so well developed that the jumps aren't confusing. It feels like a conversation.
The book left me feeling unsure of its outcome but not like I was cheated out of a conclusive ending. Sometimes A Great Notion is more than worthwhile for anyone willing to make the commitment.
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Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
davideck, December 15, 2006
This book is an American epic. It reminds me of what Gunther Grass's The Tin Drum did for WWII Germany.The character developement is phenomenal: rarely is a book capable of shifting the reader's sympathies between different characters but that's just what Kesey does. The book's narration often jumps from character to character in the middle of a paragraph without any punctation, but the characters' voices are so well developed that the jumps aren't confusing. It feels like a conversation.
The book left me feeling unsure of its outcome but not like I was cheated out of a conclusive ending. Sometimes A Great Notion is more than worthwhile for anyone willing to make the commitment.
(13 of 30 readers found this comment helpful)