Customer Reviews

Pure Poetry: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I started this book about 6 months ago and never finished but I started reading it on a recent vacation and unfortunately had nothing else to read so I finished it. Lila, the supposed-heroine of the book is the most annoying and selfish character I have read lately. The rest of the characters were no better and seemed so stereo-typical and boring. I think the whole story was completely illogical, especially how she had never been in love yet but when she gets married she turns into a co-dependent and pathetic excuse for a woman who then is supposed to be this nationally acclaimed poet who seems like nothing but a shallow 30-sometihng who sleeps around. Plus the characterization of her family is completely ridiculous; I know of no one whose own family is that insensitive. The whole story was so trite and so predictable. I wish I would have read all of the reviews before I bought this book.

This book is a treasure just waiting for you to discover it! You'll recognize the poet main character, Lila, right away. She's your sister or your dear friend--the funny, smart one with all the problems. Then again, maybe she's you! Sometimes you identify and sympathize with her; other times you want to grab her quickly before she makes another bad mistake. I especially liked the small particulars of this character's world: the ghosts that inhabit her apartment; her mother's unnatural affection for a stuffed animal; and the New York details, like the jack hammers tearing up the streets that herald the arrival of summer. I've read all of Binnie Kirshenbaum's work, and she just keeps getting better.

Just started reading this, but I've been looking forward to it coming out ever since I heard her read an excerpt at the KGB Bar last year. Binnie Kirshenbaum's voice is sharp and hilarious and dead-on, and yet there is something bittersweet under the surface that adds a depth to her work not present in a lot of writers working in a smilir vein. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

I found Binnie Kirshenbaum's latest novel disappointing. Having read (and loved) her previous novels, I really wanted to like this one. Unfortunately that didn't happen. The main character, Lila, is annoying and unlikeable. It's hard to care about what happens to her because she's so immature. I actually found myself rooting for her family and was happy with the ending, even though I don't think that's the author's intention. A short story with an annoying main character can work, but in a novel it's excruciating. Lila is witty and somewhat interesting, but these qualities are overshadowed by her pettiness. I don't care how badly her family treats her. I agree with other reviewers in that the poetry seems to be slapped on. I found the definitions at the beginning of each chapter irrelevant. I felt the same way about the ghosts. They pulled me out of the narrative and detracted from the plot. Lila bares great resemblance to characters from Ms. Kirshenbaum's previous books, she's sexually charged and slightly raunchy. That in itself doesn't make an original, interesting character. The scene with the blood (slightly altered) appeared in a previous work. This makes me feel like I'm reading the same story over again, but with an unlikely plot and a disappointing character. That said, Ms. Kirshenbaum is skillful with dialogue, and the story is seriously funny in places. Laugh out loud funny. But in the end, that's not enough.

PURE POETRY captures NYC, especially the constant Hudson summer construction and the walk along the river. I really liked how badly Lila's family treats her--the phone calls where after a beat she needs to identify herself as "daughter" to her father and how no one called on Tuesday to tell her her mother died and how Lila has tried to twist her anger at her family constantly wishing she was never born into this stealthy heat about the Nazis. I liked that photo of Lila's first birthday destroyed by her in-laws and how she lashes out at one of the few people in her life who helps her after he gets sick. I also really liked the story of Max making a museum piece of the sheet with Lila's blood. It told me everything about why she loved him. The point is to understand Lila and the point is we wouldn't like anyone if we really knew what everyone thought all the time. The point is the book is well made. It gives me much to think about: how each opening definition shapes the chapter; the idea of therapy sessions as small chapters, as poems; why Lila is so angry at Max for being German and stays with him. Some of the writing reminds me of Grace Paley, which I think might be described as New York Jewish female with-it aplomb, that way of perverting words to ironic needs. There's so much language joy and word honing. It's a well-crafted work.

Having enjoyed some of the author's previous novels, I found Pure Poetry to be very disappointing. The story centers around the main character who is incredibly annoying and doesn't seem to ever get it. She is not likable, nor is she even interesting. When the reader does not care one whit about what happens to the main character in a character-driven novel lacking any cohesive plot, the result is a mess.

I recommend A Disturbance in One Place instead; that is a much more enjoyable read.

I think this novel is brilliant, daring, funny, and sad. This writer has a way of making you laugh until, all of a sudden, you realize the pain, much the way a young Philip Roth did. Pure Poetry is a multi-layered book. It risks much and acheives much. A must read.

Binnie Kirshenbaum has done it again--only better. As a reader of her novels and short stories I've come to love her writing. In Pure Poetry she has once again made "real" people outrageous and her outrageous people real. She can hone in on relationships like no one else. Watching her characters find each others buttons & press them is worth the price of admission. Her uniqueness in her details of Lila dealing with Max, Henry, & her cross dressing shrink plus Lila dealing with Lila or anyone else who passes befoe or near her is just a small part of what makes Kirshenbaum one of our more insightful writers. Her humor shows that she could do standup--and her irreverance is written with "attitude" and shows so well in her Jewish/German cross culture relationships. There are so many pure nuggets of brilliance in this book. Pure Poetry has brought Binnie Kirshenbaum to the next level and we readers are the beneficiaries.

Binnie Kirshenbaum is one of my favorite authors because she's honest and incredibly funny. Her characters are real and never fail to remind me of someone I know. I think there's a part of Lila, the heroine of PURE POETRY, in all of us. As Lila struggles with her own identity and getting past her failed marriage, she exposes insecurities that all of us have -- and oh so many idiosyncrasies. If only we all had such a sense of humor! Kirshenbaum's wit is subtle and enduring, and this time around demonstrates a new level of maturity. I loved the friendly ghosts in Lila's apartment and I'm truly sorry I can't get an appointment with her crossdressing therapist. I thought the author couldn't write anything better than her last novel, A DISTURBANCE IN ONE PLACE. Now I can't wait for her next work to be published. If you've never read a work by Binnie Kirshenbaum before, you'll be delighted to discover her.

Lila Moscowitz is a real heroine, a woman fighting to find and claim her rightful place in the world. And just like a real woman she fouls up along the way, but what a pleasure it is to read. Race, sex, class are handled with a blend of intense humour and unflinching honesty. I'm looking for Binnie Kirshenbaum's other books.