What am I missing about The Alexandria Quartet? I really want to like it.
tl;dr- I've had it on my shelf for a long time and read great reviews and see that it's praised, but… I'm just not feeling it and I'd love for someone to share their passion for it in hopes that I can be encouraged to continue reading it.
I (literally really) never DNF books, but I’ve finished the first volume of four (Justine) of Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, and while it was really just okay, I’d have been more positive about it were there not three more volumes to follow that apparently center around or retell the same happenings from a different perspective.
It reminds me a bit of Powell’s Dance to the Music of Time, which I devoured in just a few months. The 12 novels were humorous, heartfelt, and although at times a bit slow, overall endearing and enjoyable. This was largely due, I felt, to them not overselling themselves: they felt somewhat lighthearted and easy reading, but for AQ, it’s falling a little bit flat for how epic or deep (or something) I expected it to be (and others talked about it being). I guess I just don’t find it very compelling, in a word.
Usually there’s at least something about a book, even if I don’t care for it much, that redeems it: lovable or interesting characters, aphorisms, beautiful writing, something, and while I find the writing beautiful in some places, overall I’m just not into it and find the thought of reading the next 600+ pages just not very appealing.
This book has high ratings on Goodreads and StoryGraph (also a plug to StoryGraph if you don’t know about it!), but I’m just not into it. I would love to hear anyone’s input or perspective about loving this book and why, because it might help me reframe it, or know what to look for, or something. I’d love for someone’s enthusiasm for this book to be contagious and help me find some interest in finishing it.
(Additionally, I’m reading this because I’m working through Modern Library’s Top 100 List, and it’s no. 70 on the list. A high school lit teacher passed that list out to us and over the past 20+ years, I’ve been working on 100%-ing it, and i’m at about 70 now. Some outstanding reads there, some less so.)
by fugue-for-thought