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Title: Over-hyped
Review: I rushed out to buy this book based upon the terrific reviews it received, especially from the New York Times (both Sunday and daily editions). And I loved White Teeth. But this book absolutely made me cringe. I must admit I was unable to get past the first 150 pages. To get that far required a major amount of willpower... I kept waiting for it to get better, which it didn't.The portraits are so self-conscious and false. Not a single character rang even halfway true to me. And the dialogue...so phony that the author's not especially skilled hand, was evident everywhere. If the author thinks she understands the United States, even New England...she is wrong. One year at the Radcliffe Institute does not, obviously, an expert make.An homage to Forster's Howard End...I think not.
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