Has anyone read Long Island Compromise?

[candycane222]

I was looking forward to this as a holiday read, but..fair to say I'm not getting on with it.

Is there any point in persisting? It feels to me like a very laborious revenge write that the author felt compelled to complete to punish some people she strongly dislikes - but unless you share her beef, it just seems pointlessly nasty. Somehow the "fourth wall" has been left wide open and there's a disagreeable howling gale in here....

But it was well reviewed 🤷

I read it. It was ok. It does improve as you go along. Once you realize that it is a book in 4-5 parts told from different viewpoints, it makes more sense. None of them are nice though so it’s hard to care about them. The ending is worth it!!!

I must admit, I wouldn’t rush to recommend to anyone. I don’t know why there was so much love for it. But I’ve felt like that for lots of ‘rave review’ books this year.

I did. I will say it is about a very specific cultural and ethnic niche, many of the characters' beliefs and concerns are rooted in that, and if you don't know it at all you might not get on with it. (I do as my mum's side of the family is from New York.) Also, the characters are all terrible people.

Thanks! I've only really read the first section (Beamer) and the relentless awfulness of him made me feel a bit dirty - and also, somehow he doesn't feel like an artistic creation so much as a prolonged dunk! I mean, how does she know all this stuff? Or did she make it up? Not the kind of imaginative feat I am moved to admire!!

I was left feeling at sea really, like there was no anchor to show where the author was coming from. Not sure I'm going to soldier on (to mix my metaphors somewhat) ... though now of course I'm curious about the ending!!

I really enjoyed it, but I do love books with unlikeable main characters.

Oh it gets better - it was weird that she started out with the worst character!!! I was ready to give up when I thought it was all from his point of view

Well thank you .. maybe I'll try for a bit longer :)

I'm reading it and I think it's absolutely brilliant! It reminds me of Tom Wolfe at his best. I'm finding it hilarious and insightful.

Still on the first character and I must admit I skipped quite a few of the squelchier paragraphs when he was getting whipped in the Radisson as I thought it was overkill. I'm only 15 % of the way in and I can't wait to read more.

🤢😅

I started it, but I didn't like the writing style and I couldn't seem to get involved with the characters or the story line, so I didn't finish it.

I listened on audio book and was relieved there was no one else in the car. I think it’s worth persisting because although it’s written in different parts, it makes a cohesive and satisfy ‘whole’ story by the end,
Yes, all the characters are terrible, but hilariously and depressingly so, in equal parts.

Oh I was just thinking of starting this as loved Fleischman. Is it v different?

Yes it’s very different! But the ending is better.

I read it and it was fine, but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as Fleishman is in Trouble (which I thought was brilliant).

Beamer reminded me a lot of Roman Roy from Succession.