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Book Review
Dec. 6th, 2015 09:38 pmFates and Furies
by Lauren Groff
Fates and Furies is the story of the 24-year marriage of Lotto and Mathilde, a beautiful and artistic pair who marry suddenly after a very quick courtship at the end of college. Lotto, after failing as an actor, succeeds wonderfully as a playwright. Mathilde is his support and muse. The story is told in two parts - first from Lotto's perspective and then from Mathilde's.
There were things I both liked and disliked about Fates and Furies. I very much liked the way Groff delves into how a marriage works and the sacrifices, manipulations, and even the secrets that keep it all together. The writing was very good, and both the story and characters had a lot of complexity. However, I didn't particularly like the characters and I found some aspects of the story a little tired. The sexual double standards of the characters, while realistic at some level, got tiresome - I kept longing for someone to to point it out or question it. The symbiosis between Lotto's often illusory idea of who and what his wife was and her willing effort to maintain that image also irritated me at times. Plus, I just can't imagine keeping that much of one's background and past life secret from one's spouse.
by Lauren Groff
Fates and Furies is the story of the 24-year marriage of Lotto and Mathilde, a beautiful and artistic pair who marry suddenly after a very quick courtship at the end of college. Lotto, after failing as an actor, succeeds wonderfully as a playwright. Mathilde is his support and muse. The story is told in two parts - first from Lotto's perspective and then from Mathilde's.
There were things I both liked and disliked about Fates and Furies. I very much liked the way Groff delves into how a marriage works and the sacrifices, manipulations, and even the secrets that keep it all together. The writing was very good, and both the story and characters had a lot of complexity. However, I didn't particularly like the characters and I found some aspects of the story a little tired. The sexual double standards of the characters, while realistic at some level, got tiresome - I kept longing for someone to to point it out or question it. The symbiosis between Lotto's often illusory idea of who and what his wife was and her willing effort to maintain that image also irritated me at times. Plus, I just can't imagine keeping that much of one's background and past life secret from one's spouse.
