Arcadia | 
so-soI really struggled with this book that explores the life of a person from childhood into middle age. He lives on a commune as a kid and it goes from there. I found some of his adult years engaging and there‘s one paragraph in the book that should be taught in craft classes, but I barely hung on to even get to that point. #ReadYourEbooks
pick#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville
Such varying views on this one. It's the story of a striving-to-be utopian commune in western NY in the 60s, where our protagonist, Bit, takes us through his childhood to adulthood-- to a futuristic, dystopian pandemic in the city. My first book by Groff, the writing is lush and poetic, sometimes overwhelmingly so. However, that didn't stop me from caring about Bit and his journey towards peace. I'll read Groff again.
I still have a stack of books that I used up renewals on to read through. Yet here I am checking out two more books. Both new to me authors Lauren Groff for #authoramonth and out of view Kiersten White for a fable bookclub.
@Soubhiville
so-soGroff explores a man‘s mixed feelings about the commune he was raised in as he ages from childhood to 50. While I liked some of the characters, I strongly disliked the first 25% where Bit was a child narrator. Those rarely work for me. His later life as a teen and adult were more interesting, but overall this isn‘t anywhere near my favorite by her.
Sorry I haven‘t been around. Prep for Dad‘s cancer surgery tomorrow has been rough. 🙏🏻💙
pickTaking place in four periods, this book focuses on Bit, first born child of a late 60s commune. We see Bit‘s life both growing up in Arcadia and dealing with the aftermath of commune life. As a result of his chaotic childhood Bit spends his life wanting to care for everyone around him. He idealizes the past despite seeing the toll it has taken on everyone. Yet through it all many stayed connected despite wildly diverging paths. #authoramonth
so-soLush depictions of commune life in 1970s upstate NY through the eyes of 5-year-old Bit as he ages & leaves their attempt at utopia. Sensitive & tender, beautiful depiction of young narrator POV, maternal attachment. Slow burn & lulling, but ultimately the poetic prose made me feel like Bit‘s first taste of Sugarbush taffy: “His piece is so sweet that Bit gags, but to not hurt their feelings he swallows it anyway and pretends to want more.” 2012
pickI received this book as a gift years ago. I picked it up now because I‘m looking forward to Groff‘s new book, Matrix.
I loved everything about this! It span‘s Bit‘s life from a child growing up on a hippie commune, to an adult living in a city and starting a family, into middle age as he moves back to his parent‘s house to care for his ailing mom.
Heartfelt and so real, Groff writes characters I feel all the way through. Great debut novel!
pickThis gorgeously written book - seriously, every sentence is a wonder - is a deliciously slow burn. I finished it days ago and am still thinking about it.
pickWhile I had a really hard time reading this novel because it is so dense with description and doesn‘t have a lot of plot, I did enjoy the prose and journey in the end. I was torn on what rating to give the novel since I had to force myself to read it, but I settled on around a 3.5 or 4 stars. I apologize that this took me so long to read, but I‘ll be sending this your way tomorrow @Mccall0113 #lmpbc #groupZ
This #lmpbc book is such a nice, slow burn. However since there isn‘t too much plot, I have to read it in small chunks to enjoy it. @Mccall0113 I‘m working on it; it‘s just taking me much longer than expected to get through! #catsoflitsy
pickFinished this while waiting for the ferry to take us home from vacation. Lauren Groff consistently makes me feel things I‘ve never before felt. This book is brilliant. ❤️
pickWe follow Bit as he grows up in the commune, Arcadia and later in his life as he struggles to adapt to the Outside world of Arcadia. To know such happiness and to have it end and to have to get up with the daily struggle of looking for a piece of it. Only to have to repeat this cycle when we find it again and lose it again. Groff is a great writer who has such silky sentences that awaken all the senses. What a melancholic pick. 😔
so-soSo...I felt like this book would be right up my alley. Cults, strained family relationships, beautiful language, and it was recommended by a person whose taste I normally trust. But...bleh! It was sooooo sloooowwwww and the voice of the narrator in the parts where he was a child was completely ridiculous. The beautiful language just wasn‘t enough. This was my recommended by book for the #MMDchallenge
Monday feels. I got off work yesterday and felt the need to stop by my favorite bookstore and pick up something new (even though I have a huge stack of unread books on my shelf). Wasn‘t feeling well and thought this would pick me up.
#currentlyreading #tbr
#happyreading
bailedI wanted to love this 😩 but Groff was really on an ego trip when she wrote this book... The writing is so ostentatious and the present tense is killing meeeeeeee. Glad I made this a #borrownotbuy!
pickI first came to Lauren Groff through her 2015 bestseller, Fates and Furies. I loved it, so I decided to see if her previous books were equally good. I started with Arcadia by Lauren Groff because I figured her take on a hippie commune would be interesting.
I liked Arcadia much more than I expected! While it was not quite as good as Fates and Furies, I genuinely cared about what happened to the main character, Bit. Highly recommended!
Just started this. I haven‘t read anything more than the news in about two weeks because I‘ve just moved and I feel like my brain is about to atrophy. I generally read at least a book a week and I‘m sorely off target this month. I‘ve read two other Lauren Groff books, and I‘ve been looking forward to this one, so I feel this is a good book to get me back on track!! 📚❤️📚
These are my TBRs. I just moved about a month ago and my reading has suffered bc of it 😔. I‘ve got to get back on track!! I think Lauren Groff is a good place to start 🤗📚.
I recently bought these three together, and love the contrast between the title fonts. They‘ve been sitting on my shelf in a stack because I love looking at the spines all lined up! #beautifulwriting #readingresolutions
pickOverall I liked this. Though not as unputdownable as Fates and Furies.
I loved Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. I bought this hoping it is just as good! #onmybookshelf #tbr
Leah! How lovely to come home from an early Saturday class and find surprise bookmail! You‘re so sweet!
There‘s something so neat about ARC‘s. I‘ve not read Arcadia, and it sounds right up my alley! I have read The Sundering, but you know I love to reread, so maybe it‘s time to do that!
You‘ve made me smile this morning. Thanks so much. 😊❤️
With its slightly unhinged vocal delivery, #FillYourHeart makes me think of cults & communes. Forget the past, clean your mind, love will make you pure? ✌🏼✌🏼
🎶Fill your heart with love today
Don't play the game of time
Things that happened in the past
Only happened in your mind, only in your mind
Oh, forget your mind, and you'll be free
The writing's on the wall 🎶
#SeptemBowie
I started this one last night. I didn't think Lauren Groff would be my type of novelist, but I thought I'd give this book a try. I'm often surprised by what I like when I branch out from what I think my taste is. I'm enjoying the pretty writing so far, but I'm not far enough in to judge the story. A 1970s hippie commune that potentially goes wrong is usually right up my alley though.
pickA wonderful, detailed, character driven novel about the inhabitants of a 1970s commune in New York. It follows the idealistic beginnings until its end and the scattering of the members, centering on Bit, only a child when the community was founded. As the world changes and grows, so does Bit as he navigates life outside of Arcadia. The vibrant prose really envelopes you into the story.
My #maymostanticipated, including two I'm #currentlyreading. Hopefully I'll get to more, but these are the ones I'm most excited about. #TBR #maybookflowers
Hardcover used bookstore find! I loved this book!
pick** spoiler alert ** Having watched my own mother wither and die a mere five months ago, the last part of this book was really hard to get through. Groff's writing is beautiful and doesn't get maudlin when dealing with this subject. Damn, I hate when books make me cry!
pickI've always not-so-secretly wanted to live on a commune, so I was intrigued by the setup. (I think the picture above shows my girl-child apple didn't fall far from my tree.) I really enjoyed following Bit as he grew from a tiny baby to an adult with his own family. I wasn't sure how I felt going into the last section, but was pleased to read how this sprawling story wrapped up.
@bookriot #riotgrams #mycurrentread Catch up! After I had my first child my reading format switched almost exclusively to digital. It's hard to read paper in the dark while nursing a baby or pumping at work. As my kids have grown and I can again read in the daylight I'm purchasing more print. But, I can't pass up the daily deals, and now have a huge digital backlog. It's a wonderful surprise when I remember I have treasures like this stored away.
pickI enjoyed this book. It's about a boy who grows up in a hippie community and all the drama that goes with it. It was a pretty quick read and not super heavy.
I have enough titles. #LitsyAtoZ
so-soOh, Lauren Groff. Your purple prose. Your absence of quotation marks. Your writing is actually quite beautiful, but that isn't good enough for you, is it? What does it mean for a girl to have a "sweet cupcake face" anyway?
I went back and forth between feeling like this was a total slog and finding it utterly compelling, and I enjoyed the second half much more than the first. A profound, fulfilling read if you can endure the ostentatious prose.
When your date tells you how much she loves Ayn Rand's philosophy and you know this isn't going to end well. 😂 Unless you're Paul Ryan, of course.
All done, but still going strong!
Ebook on sale today. Yay, I've been wanting to read this one.
