A Must for Literary Fiction Fans | Ohio by Stephen Markley
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- In an interview, author Stephen Markley said, "Home is a kind of spirituality. It inhabits you and influences you no matter where you are, who you think you are, or who you think you can become." The quote is a nice primer for his novel, Ohio, which reinforces that oft quoted phrase, "you can't go home again."
An absolute 5-star read, Ohio should be a must for fans of literary fiction. It's an incredible time capsule of 21st century America and everything that has gone wrong. It has gripping characters, a fantastic narrative structure, and a lot to say. It's totally worth your time.
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I read Ohio via audio. Each character was read by a different voice actor. It was FANTASTIC. Like a great movie by Martin Scorsese you’ll never forget. I’ll be forever grateful for booktube for introducing me to it. I’m going to get myself a print copy and reread it. I’m over 50 so I’d say everyone should read it. 👋☘️📚
Jacqueline McMenamin That sounds amaaaaazing. I’ll have to remember that for a reread someday!
Loved _Ohio_ . Like you, I loved how Markley took material that could have been cliche'd and tired and through intricate plotting and sympathetic characterization brought a fresh perspective and insight to what on the surface seems like a story you've heard before.
You, along with Leo, were two of the people that really psyched me up for this book. Which I’m thankful for because I usually loathe high school class reunion stories (people clinging to high school bullshit often drives me nuts). This was a big exception.
I agree with most of what you say. For a European reader like me, it is another way of trying to understand what has happened in your country in the last 20 years.
Reading the book now and it’s excellent. Don’t want it to end.
SOOO good, right? Have you finished it? Have your thoughts changed since finishing it?
@@RickMacDonnell Yes I did finish this morning . It was wonderful, gave it 5 ⭐️ on goodreads. Liked and disliked each of the characters in a certain way. Will reread for sure.
This has been on my TBR for a while. Once public libraries open up again I'm going to borrow it. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Please do! It’s so great. I think you’ll love it.
This is going straight on my TBR! You have such a great way of reviewing books that makes me want to read it 😂
Kathryn Smith Thanks! I hope you like it 😁
Just wanted to say thank you for pronouncing Iraq as you did and not 'eye-rack'. Makes me shiver every time I hear that. Your channel is one of my faves. 👍🏽👍🏽
Egg Sausage LOL you’re welcome. And thanks so much for watching!
Shame you can't do spoilers. There is just so much to dissect in this book!
I've got this book on my shelves! Thanks for the push to pick it up😊 Interested to see how I feel about Bill haha!
Ooooh can’t wait to hear what you think about it. Pretty sure you’ll dig it. It’s pretty great 👍🏻
i’ve owned this for a view months, bought it just because i live in ohio and liked the title lol:) def gonna prioritize this on my tbr because i always love the books you recommend!
It’s not lighthearted, so make sure you’re in the mood for something a bit more somber/serious. But when you are, this will hit just right. Thanks for the nice comment! Glad I can
(occasionally) help 😄
I’ve been reading more and more from the region generally so keen to check this one out
It's so good, Jaclyn. You won't be disappointed. I think :P
A friend of mine on Bookstigram is reading this book and was raving about it. Another to add to the pile.
Your friend has good taste!
Sounds so good!
Love your channel!
Hey, thanks Justin! Much appreciated!
What a fantastic review!
🎉🎉🎉
So my ebook copy that I was reading on my phone expired and now that I'm back at the library I'm going to wait for a physical copy to come in. Can't wait to get back to it, but taking a break until I can get my hands on a real copy. It's too long for me to properly absorb in digital format, which is a weird thing that happens to me. I was really loving it.
All good :) how far had you gotten?
Rick MacDonnell I was still in the first section. I don’t even know where because page counts on a phone are hilariously useless.
LOL true. Well I’m glad you were liking it enough that you’d want to go back to it eventually 😊
I don't think this book got much publicity here in the UK when it first came out because I can't remember it being discussed much at the time (maybe because it's so US focused) so very glad to hear your reaction to it. And I like hearing people defend characters that are their favourites when every other reader seems to hate those characters. 👍😄
Ohio seems to be more of a niche book than I assumed it was (around its publication). It had the vibe of an **it** book, but wasn’t as widely read as I thought. BookTube tends to warp some of these perceptions. Like with Ducks, Newburyport: everyone I know has read it, and yet it only has like 2000 ratings on goodreads. Basically, ONLY BookTube/book twitter is reading it LOL
There wasn't much publicity in Europe around "Ohio", maybe that is as you say its apparent US focus and its Americana touch. Nevertheless, It helps us European readers to get a grip around what has happened in the US and how things have are or have become outside New York and California, where all Europeans go. They never visit places like New Canaan, Ohio and they don't understand why the country is do divided. "Ohio" is a part of the explanation.
Added to my list... this sounds great!
Thecatladybooknook .Pensguys I didn’t even do it justice 😄
@@RickMacDonnell well between you and the Goodreads blurb, I want to read it. Lol
*add to basket*
Rick was a Marine, not a soldier. Small thing, but I know some people care.
down with the patriarchy??? I loved this review - adding it to my list and going to try to pick it up right away. It definitely seems to fit all of the areas that I love reading about!
Let me know how it goes!