Helpful Score: 1
Rules of Civility would make a better life than it would a book; I found myself wishing I was living the story rather than reading it. Who wouldn't want to be a twenty-something single gal, falling in step with the rich, young crowds, drinking gin all night and talking late-1930's smack? Who wouldn't want the fast thrill of falling in love in a thriving Manhattan with men like Jay Gatsby? Well, therein lies the novel's problem: it's all fun and games. As exhausted as I am of reading about folks struggling to live and eat and deal with physical suffering and man's inhumanity to man, that's essentially what makes a story compelling and why we pick it up over and over. I had trouble picking this one up because I knew that each time I did there would just be a new party in the back of a Bentley.
Fortunately, this was exactly the book I needed at this point in my life, so I will rate it higher than I ordinarily would. I needed this kind of "First World Problem" as a plot. I needed the sparkle and dazzle of Manhattan to put stars in my eyes and remind me that the entire world isn't so bad all of the time. In that way, the novel is uplifting and I freely recommend it if you want a pleasant read that won't make you want to throw yourself on the floor and cry in grief about the injustice in the world.
Fortunately, this was exactly the book I needed at this point in my life, so I will rate it higher than I ordinarily would. I needed this kind of "First World Problem" as a plot. I needed the sparkle and dazzle of Manhattan to put stars in my eyes and remind me that the entire world isn't so bad all of the time. In that way, the novel is uplifting and I freely recommend it if you want a pleasant read that won't make you want to throw yourself on the floor and cry in grief about the injustice in the world.
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