Anyone read The Names?

I’ve just started it. Picked it up as I love baby names and also the idea of one choice changing the course of everyone’s lives. Finding it really absorbing but extremely upsetting too!

I'll be sure to check in with you in future before posting anything, just in case you think it's ridiculous.

No. You said that you are not interested in differing views once you've read a book. That's ridiculous.

Absolutely fine with debate and discussion. I just think it's a bad move if someone just comes in to diss a book that clearly other people have loved.

Like @TheBlueKoala , @FKAT and others, I wasn't keen.

I'd seen such positive reactions here perhaps my expectations were too high. The basic premise was an interesting one and I felt a lot of it was well written.

However, in one fairly short novel you don't have the space to fully explore three separate sets of lives over the timespan. Each felt rushed, or not fully fleshed out.

The common threads of Lily, the vet, the grandmother being the same people while the damage changed by how the family dynamics played out was nice, but some characters' incarnations felt a bit flat.

What a strange concept. You only want people who agree with your opinion to engage with the thread? No curiosity? No debate? No discussion?

It's not a 'downer' - most people enjoy hearing other people's views. Especially when it comes to Art and Literature. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm up myself, but I can't get my head around that kind of thinking.

Anyway - all my comments as above stand. Loved it.

was thinking the same.

I have never read a book twice but after having listened to The Names on audible, I’m considering reading it in book form.
It was my book of the year last year.

I thought aa the title of the threads says “Anyone read The Names ? that we could assume it’s past tense, so we can post spoilers ?
Would @wherethewildthingisthe OP mind adding spoilers to the title ?

Thanks, MyOtherProfile.

I am itching to discuss two of the names in more detail. But it doesn't feel fair.

Beautifully put @OVienna

I am so glad this thread is still going.

I finished the book in a day yesterday - I loved it.

I took the premise of the book to be what happens when someone chooses a particular name but from the point of view of it reflecting a profound life choice and the consequences that ensue. It seemed obvious from the prologue this is where the book was headed. It didn't occur to me to apply a strict "nominative determinism" criterion around that regardless of any tagline- that would actually likely result in quite a boring story: well, she called him "baker" and guess what happened next?

The book being a meditation the consequences of our choices perhaps resulted in aspects of the characters personalities/lives being more impressionistic than if she'd made one choice and run with it over 500 pages, but this didn't bother me. Taken as a whole, I thought it worked.

I had exactly the opposite reaction to @ColdSpringHarbor . There were places I was expecting the story to drift to these levels but for me she brought it back.

I really don't want to give away too many spoilers as there are aspects of this book I'd love to discuss in more detail.

Agree entirely. The thread asks if anyone has read it which will indeed solicit a range of opinions (which keeps a thread interesting!) if it’s only for positive reviews then you would expect the thread title to say as much. Then I’d have stayed away 🤣

I should think that a discussion on here about a book will take in various reactions to the book both good and bad @ColdSpringHarbor

Exactly. I expected to read lives being affected by their names but it wasn't at all about that. Maybe a more generous person can overlook that fact (even though this was what the book advertised to be about) and focus on the story. Personally the story wasn't good enough for me to do so.

I also didn't like it and said so but my post was at the bottom of page 2 and got missed!

I just didn't feel the characters ever came alive. They felt like cyphers.

I suspect lots of people didn't like the book (I'm one) so I suppose it depends on whether a thread on here can be a critical discussion of people's differing opinions. I don't see why it shouldn't be. If a thread is intended only to be about how amazing a book is, I think the OP should state that in their thread title.

I thought it very contrived, rather over-sentimental and not at all convincing in terms of the outcomes in each case, for all sorts of reasons. I finished it because I always want to resolve a narrative.

I rushed the ending as usual
and will need to reread it but do we ever find out what really happened that day Cora goes to register the birth.

I think they're all so intertwined in the book that it does count. Why is nominative determinism a thing? Because of many reasons, including how people react to someone with a certain name,but also including how that name was chosen, who by, what it meant to them and how that person then influences their upbringing.

Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people gravitate toward careers, hobbies, or life paths that fit their surnames or first names - this is the definition of ND and I don’t think the book is about this. It’s about what happens when she reacts differently to her abusive husband

Because the three stories are in relation to whether the mum stays with her abuser or not, not about how the name itself impacts how he is treated or the decision he makes. The latter in my view is actual nominative determinism.

I'm interested that you don't think it's about nominative determinism @Yuja - why is that? I think it's exactly that. She chooses three different names, based on 3 different emotions in the moment, and all three options lead to different lives and different personality traits developing.

@TheBlueKoalaI also didn’t like it. Firstly I don’t think it’s really about nominative determinism at all, which is what the blurb suggests. I also think it should come with a trigger warning about DV (not a personal issue, but perhaps for some).
I felt that because there were 3 different stories, none were really developed thoroughly or properly.
Nevertheless it’s very readable and I can see why others might enjoy it.

Well please don't put a downer on it for anyone who really liked it. Perhaps before I read a book I'm interested in differing views but not after.

On the contrary, I find it interesting to know what makes someone like/dislike a book. Maybe it's about expectations as well.