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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Katie Roiphe's UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS.
Eileen from Orland Park, IL
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
Roiphe writes in STILL SHE HAUNTS ME about the relationship between Charles Dodgson (known to most readers as Lewis Carroll) and Alice Liddell, the person for whom he wrote ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Roiphe does a great deal of research in order to make this relationship understandable. As a psychologist, I like her attention to the detail in both of their lives.
What authors do you read?
I read such authors as Haruki Murakami, Hermione Lee, Jon Savage, Ian McEwan, Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Berg, and others. I have been fascinated with literature since I was 5!
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS was mesmerizing! I knew so many of the people she wrote about from the literature. Then, to know their background and their tenuous and fragile relationships was fascinating. It seemed that many of her couples were on the brink of intimacy and then either got scared or found it would be too much work. I enjoyed all the stories and I think this book will be a big hit.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Absolutely. I know a little about her background, and that with a doctorate, she knows how to do research. It makes her books so much richer in so many ways!
Kathleen from Birmingham, AL
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No, but I am interested now in reading more.
What authors do you read?
Many different authors, dead and alive! Male and female, American, English, European, etc. I have a BA in English. I am in three different book groups. Coincidentally, for one group we just read (for me, a re-reading) THE ENCHANTED APRIL by Elizabeth Von Arnim. My favorite author is E. M. Forster, I love all of his novels. I love Jane Austen, Margaret Mitchell (GONE WITH THE WIND, obviously), Anne Tyler, Amy Tan, David Sedaris, Bill Bryson, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sena Jeter Naslund, etc., etc. I will read just about anything, fiction or nonfiction. I just finished Nathaniel Philbrick's MAYFLOWER, and also enjoy Erik Larson. I have also recently read and loved Jeanette Wall's THE GLASS CASTLE. I also liked Mary Roach's STIFF a lot. I loved the Mitford Sisters' recent biography, by Mary S. Lovell, THE SISTERS, which led me to Jessica's Mitford's fascinating, THE AMERICAN WAY OF DEATH.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very engrossing. I was reading something by one of these authors at the same time, which made it all the more interesting to me. I was fascinated by the Bloomsbury Art movement. I will definitely be reading some Virginia Woolf soon, as well as H. G. Wells, and more Katherine Mansfield.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Yes, I want to read the one about Lewis Carroll and Alice, and possibly some of her other feministic writings.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book.
Marianne from Tulsa, OK
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No, I have not.
What authors do you read?
The authors of the fiction I've been reading lately come to mind easily, such as Ann Patchett, Alice Sebold, Jodi Picoult, Ann Packer, and many others. Remember the nonfiction authors is not so easy, but I remember some of the authors who wrote memoirs, such as Jeannette Walls, Augusten Burroughs, and James Frey. Most of all, I love to read debut fiction --- someone's very first novel --- such as Mark Gimenez, whose debut novel is called THE COLOR OF LAW. Also, I have a BA in Literature, so when I'm in the mood for classics, I'll reach for Welty, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald, Hurston, and Tolstoy (what a leap!), among others.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
I enjoyed reading this book --- much more than I thought I would --- mostly because it's not "typical" of what I seem to be reading lately. I also believe that this would be a great choice for some book clubs... it would cause all kinds of discussions about the time period, how different things are today, as well as how some things never change. Another thought I had while reading the book is that this would have been great reading when I was working on my Bachelor's Degree. So, I guess what I'm saying is that UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS ought to appeal to a variety of readers. What a great thing that is!
Finally, I have to say that I admired most of the women who found a "way" to have a relationship with someone, yet, what mattered the most was their desire to work --- to follow that drive within themselves that demanded they make art, so to speak. In some ways, they seem more "liberated" than many women today.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Yes, I would.
Tommi from Keysville, VA
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No.
What authors do you read?
Gregory Maguire, Jodi Picoult, Joyce Carol Oates, John Irving, John Grisham, and many many more!
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
What a fascinating look into a time long gone. I found it interesting that the generation Ms. Roiphe wrote about had its own set of "characters" and scandals that stretched the decency boundaries for that era. The author kept the stories at a good length, [without running] running short on detail. It was a well-written book. This reader learned a great deal and enjoyed it tremendously!
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Yes.
Violet from Puyallup, WA
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No.
What authors do you read?
Anne Perry, Janet Evanovich, Linda Fairstein, Perri O'Shaughnessy and Kris Radish.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
I found this book extremely captivating. I may have to read some of the books written by the people she writes of.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Absolutely.
Julie from Arlington, TX
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No.
What authors do you read?
I read anything, but usually contemporary literary fiction or classic fiction. Some of my favorite authors are Jim Crace, Ian McEwan, Wally Lamb, the Brontës, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Nicole Krauss, E. M. Forster, Laurie Notaro, and Tobias Wolff.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
I really enjoyed the voyeuristic feeling of looking at these people's private relationships (that usually weren't so private). However, sometimes, I think I would have preferred not to know some of the things I learned about these wonderful writers. I was just itching to slap most of them [for their appalling self-centeredness and egotism]. Still, that egotism is part of what drove them to such heights as artists. [They led such] fascinating (and sometimes horrifying) lives.
However, I was disappointed in the writing. It seemed a bit amateurish (and I'm not talking about the editing/proofreading, as this was an uncorrected proof, I realize), with simple declarative sentences, simple paragraphs, and simple structure all around. I would have enjoyed the book even more had the writing been a little better, and the insight more profound. But, as a closet voyeur, I enjoyed just seeing the private lives of famous writers from the past.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
If I were interested in the subject, yes. But, I won't follow her wherever she leads. As a writer, she was less than compelling. It was her subject here that made the book interesting.
AnneMarie from Hillsborough, NJ
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
No, this is the first.
What authors do you read?
I mostly read fiction, i.e. Debbie Macomber, David Baldacci, and Mary Higgins Clark. I have read some nonfiction, i.e.. THE KITE RUNNER.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
The time period it covered really did not interest me. I have never heard of any of these people before. I liked the first story about H.G. Wells the best. The topic of marriage is a good one, but I think it might have been more interesting if all the people [covered in the book] were not from the literary world.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
Maybe.
Deb from Blanco, TX
Have you previously read a book by Katie Roiphe?
I have never read anything by Katie Roiphe before.
What did you think of UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS?
I generally have very eclectic reading habits, even reading the cereal box, if nothing else is available.
UNCOMMON ARRANGEMENTS was an average book, with an interesting topic. I saw some typos, but that is nothing new. I can't emote over this particular one, so it didn't really grab me one way or the other. It would rate a C if ratings were given, as far as I am concerned.
Would you ever read a future book by Katie Roiphe?
I would read something else by Katie Roiphe if the topic were interesting.
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