Customer Reviews

Trophy House [UNABRIDGED]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I couldn't agree more with the majority of readers who find this

book vapid, shallow, and completely boring. I cannot understand

how one reader (from Boston) found the author had captured the

essence of Cape Cod...I frequently spend time in Truro and I

was utterly disappointed that neither Truro or the lower Cape

ever came to life in this book. She might have been anywhere.

The characters never came to life and what little we learn of them does not make you want to know more anyway.

I gave this l star because there was nothing lower.

I read and enjoyed other novels by this author, so I looked forward to reading this. I can't remember a more unrelatable, dislikeable protagonist, so self-centered and caught up in her own sensibilities and aesthetics to the extent that other people served as decoration. I agree with the political slant being overworked; the message again is that one's personal aesthetics and sensibilities can trump the rights of other people.

Boring, boring, boring.

I kept expecting the story to get better and more interesting, but it never did.

The mystery was laughable and the character development was wafer thin.

If I hadn't been stuck on a five hour flight I never would have finished this ....There was no reason for her political rantings and the plot was silly...so much for book reviews, reader reviews are always better...

My personal rating system for films often gets me to a negative number based on ticket price--for example, an $8 film can get a rating from $8 to minus $8. I gave this novel a high negative number. I review nonfiction, mostly business books, so when I read fiction it is for enjoyment. This novel puzzled me...nothing to it, who are these people and who cares? It seems like it was a series of short stories, disconnected and unfinished. I was miffed at myself for reading to the bitter end, but as I was closing the book I thought of two words: vapid and insipid. I looked up the meaning of those words to be sure they described my sense of this book. Yup, they do. So all is not lost. It took me half a day to learn a couple new words.

The author puts too many of her own political views in the text which doesn't have anything to do with the storyline.

The reading is slow and not much is going on.

Amateur writing - words, even paragraphs missing; odd vocabulary selections. Hollow, self-absorbed characters suffering from unformed consciences and moral bankruptcy. Extreemist leftist/feminist political tirades that have nothing to do with the story. Self-rightous and judgemental. Hanging plotlines.

I knew I wasn't going to like the book by Page 4 when the main character noted that her best friend was "not deeply into feminism..."

Like they say: Those who can't do, teach. I pity Anne Bernays' writing students (especially her potty mouth - very unbecoming). Don't bother with this one.

I love books with an Island setting, so when I heard about Trophy House, I had high expectations. I was sorely disappointed. The characters were superficial & highly underdeveloped, and this book did not do justice to the beauty of Cape Cod. I generally read a good book in one day, this realtively short novel took me 4 days as I found it EASY to put down and DIFFICULT to pick back up. If you'd like to read a truly great book this summer try: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See! 5 stars & more!

I thought this book was superficial and not very well written. There was virtually no emotion shown by the characters. They divorced and remarried in record time, and with nothing more than a vague nod to feelings. The back story of vandalism was ridiculously underdeveloped, as was virtually everything else in this book. I'd pass.

I purchased this book in part because it was supposed to be part "thriller". In fact, there is no mystery and no thriller. The crime happens early in the story, and thereafter pretty much disappears. It is not what the book is about. That would have been OK if the story was a strong one. But, as other reviewers have mentioned, there is really no emotional depth to any of the characters, including Dannie. There is no exploration of what makes any of the characters behave the way they do, and so the dissolution of Dannie's marriage has about as much feeling to it as a decision to go out to dinner. I was also dumbfounded by Dannie's observation that her daughter's new boyfriend must have a blue-collar background, because of his large hands. Dannie could not be that dumb. Finally, the title of the book -- "Trophy House"- actually has little to do with the story. The house is in the story, but is not particularly important.